The UK’s Labour party is under fire for its refusal to back a public inquiry into historic sexual abuse by grooming gangs in Oldham, with critics accusing the party of prioritizing political optics over justice for victims.
The decision has sparked outrage, with Elon Musk branding it “disgraceful” and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch calling for a long-overdue national inquiry into rape gangs. “2025 must be the year the victims start to get justice,” Badenoch declared.
At the center of the controversy is Labour’s safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, who insisted that the decision to launch an investigation was “for Oldham Council alone.”
This comes despite a 2022 report revealing that children in Oldham were failed by agencies meant to protect them amid allegations of grooming by “predominantly Pakistani offenders” in council homes, shisha bars, and taxis.
Oldham Council’s Labour group previously agreed to support an independent inquiry, even writing to Phillips twice to urge the Home Office to back the move. In her response, Phillips acknowledged the council’s resolution but maintained that the government should not intervene, leaving the decision solely to local authorities.
Musk, a vocal critic of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government, took to X to accuse Phillips of shielding Starmer from scrutiny. Musk pointed to Starmer’s tenure as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008 to 2013, during which he argued “rape gangs were allowed to exploit young girls without facing justice.” He claimed Phillips’ refusal to investigate Oldham’s abuse cases was an attempt to protect Starmer, suggesting the trail of accountability would lead back to his time at the CPS.
Hellbound and Down 