UK backs local inquiries into child sexual abuse gangs after Musk stoked controversy

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government said Thursday that it will support a series of local inquiries into cases of organized child sexual abuse in the wake of a furor largely stoked by the world’s richest man Elon Musk.

In a statement to lawmakers, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government has also authorized what she called a “rapid audit” of the “current scale and nature of gang-based exploitation across the country” and make recommendations.

The issue of so-called “grooming gangs,” also called “rape gangs” by some, has risen up the political agenda in the U.K. after Musk recently took to his X platform highlighting the problem and condemning British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Musk criticized Starmer for not backing a national inquiry into the matter following a request from the local authority in the northern English town of Oldham, where police found girls under 18 were sexually exploited by groups of men in the 2000s and 2010s. Musk also alleged that Starmer failed to bring perpetrators to justice when he was England’s chief prosecutor between 2008 and 2013, a charge that the prime minister vigorously denied.

Because the cases in Oldham and similar ones in several other towns involved predominantly white girls abused by men largely from Pakistani backgrounds, the issue has been used by far-right activists to link child sexual abuse to immigration, and to accuse politicians of covering up the crimes out of a fear of appearing racist.

The decision to back a local inquiry in Oldham and four other areas is a shift in the government’s position. It had previously indicated that there was no need for further investigations following a string of previous inquiries, both local and national.

“I hope this is a proper investigation,” Musk said on X in response to the government’s decision.

A seven-year inquiry was held under the previous Conservative government, but many of the 20 recommendations it made in 2022 — including compensation for abuse victims — have yet to be implemented.

Cooper confirmed Thursday that the government will act on them as soon as possible, adding that “much valuable time has already been lost” since the final report was published, “causing even more trauma to many victims and survivors.”

Cooper said the government will provide 10 million pounds ($12.5 million) to support its announcement, half of which will go to the inquiries.

“As we have seen, effective local inquiries can delve into far more local detail and deliver more locally relevant answers, and change, than a lengthy nationwide inquiry can provide,” she said.

The main opposition Conservative Party said Cooper’s measures aren’t sufficient as there are around 50 areas that have suffered from grooming gangs. It also voiced worries that the local inquires won’t be able to summon witnesses, something a national inquiry would have been able to.