Getty ImagesCulture Secretary Lisa Nandy has “utterly rejected” the idea a new series of grooming gangs inquiries have been set up because of pressure from Elon Musk.
In recent weeks, multi-billionaire Musk has repeatedly used his social media platform X to attack the government and call for a fresh national statutory inquiry into child sexual exploitation.
The government resisted the calls, but on Thursday announced a nationwide review of grooming gang evidence and five government-backed local inquiries.
Data protection minister Sir Chris Bryant told the BBC it was “certainly true” that Musk had sparked more debate.
But Nandy told BBC Breakfast the government had not been pushed into it by social media.
Asked on the BBC’s Question Time programme whether Musk’s interventions had sped up ministers’ response, Bryant said: “Undoubtedly all of this has been expedited because of the debate that we’ve had over the last fortnight, I’m quite happy to say that”.
But Nandy insisted: “We are not a government that governs by social media, we govern for the real world,” she said.
She pointed to measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill as actions the government had already committed to before this year.
“Those measures take time to work up and to implement,” Nandy said.
“They were things that we announced well before there was all this noise on social media. There is far too much heat on social media, not enough light.
“Where the light has been cast in this is through those brave young women speaking up through successive inquiries over many, many years.”
Later, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Nandy said Labour had “made tackling violence against women and girls a top priority for this government”.
“We committed to that in opposition, it was in our manifesto and the home secretary is making good on that promise.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a new £10m fund, split into two parts, to tackle grooming gangs and child sexual abuse
First, a “rapid” three-month national audit led by veteran troubleshooter Baroness Louise Casey will examine gang demographics, their victims, and the “cultural drivers” of the crimes.
Secondly, Tom Crowther, known for leading an inquiry into Telford grooming gangs, will help Oldham and four other pilot areas yet to be named develop their own reviews.
Cooper stopped short of launching a statutory national inquiry, as called for by the Conservatives, Reform UK and some Labour MPs, but the announcement marked a clear shift in the government’s position.
Responding to the announcement, Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the plan was “wholly inadequate” and repeated his call for a full national inquiry.
He expressed concern that the local inquiries would not have powers to compel witnesses to attend and give evidence under oath.
Musk’s comments had created a political headache for Labour.
As well as being one of the richest men in the world, Musk is also a key adviser for US President-elect Donald Trump.
For weeks, Musk has promoted the campaigns of MPs opposing Labour in the Conservative Party and Reform UK.
Musk responded to Cooper’s announcement by saying on his X platform: “I hope this is a proper investigation.”
“This is a step in the right direction, but the results will speak for themselves,” he later added.
Musk has previously clashed with the Labour government, insulting safeguarding minister Jess Phillips on social media, after she declined a request from Oldham Council for a Whitehall-led inquiry into child sexual abuse in the town.
He said Phillips “deserves to be in prison” and called her a “rape genocide apologist”.
Philips told the BBC “disinformation” spread by Musk was “endangering” her life.
Musk has also accused Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer of failing to properly prosecute “rape gangs” while he was director of public prosecutions from 2008 to 2013, before he entered Parliament.
