“National inquiry now!” Musk stated on X on Friday, declaring the scandal “the worst mass crime against the people of Britain ever.”
The U.K. has been confronted with the ongoing predicament of grooming gangs, predominantly comprised of individuals from South Asian or British Pakistani backgrounds, who have been exploiting minors throughout the northern regions of England. These despicable acts have occurred in various urban locations such as Rochdale, Telford, Manchester, and Rotherham over an extended period.
“We all recognize that terrible mistakes were made in the past, with children ignored or dismissed,” they said.
These actions were strongly criticized by Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, who urged for a comprehensive national investigation into what she labeled as the “rape gangs scandal.”
“The time is long overdue for a full national inquiry into the rape gangs scandal,” she said on X. “Trials have taken place all over the country in recent years but no one in authority has joined the dots.”
“2025 must be the year that the victims start to get justice,” she said.
Musk, who has been tapped by President-elect Trump to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, also backed calls for King Charles III to intervene-noting that current Prime Minister Keir Starmer was head of the Crown Prosecution Service at the time of the scandals, although the scandals generally involved local authorities.
“Yes,” Musk said in response to a post saying the King “must step in.”Â
He continued, “They oppose an inquiry, because it will show that those in power were complicit in the cover-up,” he said of the government.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting responded to Musk’s comments, telling ITV News that the government takes child abuse “incredibly seriously” and repeating that an inquiry in Oldham should be led locally.
“Some of the criticisms that Elon Musk has made, I think are misjudged and certainly misinformed, but we’re willing to work with Elon Musk, who I think has got a big role to play with his social media platform to help us and other countries to tackle this serious issue,” he said. “So if he wants to work with us and roll his sleeves up, we’d welcome that.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the British government’s Home Office for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.