Reform’s deputy leader has praised Elon Musk as “popular” and “appreciated” by the British public – as a government minister criticised the tech tycoon for “ridiculous” and “ill informed” comments on the UK grooming scandal.

Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Richard Tice defended the owner of X and Tesla as “one of the greatest entrepreneurs in history”.

He said he was content to have Mr Musk, who is considering making a donation to Reform UK, support his party, adding: “He has a great interest in and the politics of this country and in the economy growing.”

It comes in contrast to the stance taken by Wes Streeting, the health secretary, who said he was “not interested” in what Mr Musk had to say on the grooming scandal that took place across a swathe of UK towns and cities more than a decade ago.

Girls as young as 11 were groomed and raped across a number of towns in England – including Oldham, Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford – over a decade ago in a national scandal that was exposed in 2013.

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The following year a report by Prof Alexis Jay revealed the scale of exploitation in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 – where around 1,400 girls were abused – and the failure of police and social services to intervene.

It was followed by the statutory Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA), also chaired by Prof Jay, who found in her final report published in 2022 that children were still being sexually exploited by networks in all parts of England and Wales in the “most degrading and destructive ways”.

Mr Musk has suggested that safeguarding minister Jess Philips should be sent to prison for refusing a request from Oldham council for a national inquiry into the instances of child sexual exploitation that took place in the town.

Ms Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, said that while she recognised the “strength of feeling” over the matter, she believed it was for “Oldham Council alone to decide to commission an inquiry into child sexual exploitation locally, rather than for the government to intervene”.

The tech billionaire has also turned his fire on the prime minister, claiming that while he was director of public prosecutions he failed to bring the “rape gangs” to justice.

He posted on X: “The real reason she’s [Ms Phillips] refusing to investigate the rape gangs is that it would obviously lead to the blaming of Keir Stamer (head of the CPS at the time).”

Asked about the comments, Mr Streeting said neither Ms Phillips nor Sir Keir needed “lectures” from Mr Musk.

“About the prime minister and about Jess Phillips, these are two politicians who have one thing in particular in common,” he said.

“Before they came into politics they have an actual record of banging up rapists, paedophiles and sex offenders, so they don’t need lectures from anyone else, particularly the Conservatives.”

He said Mr Musk’s comments were “a ridiculous thing to say”, “ill informed” and “not fair on either of their record”.

“I’m not interested in what he’s got to say about this,” he said. “I’m interested in what we’re doing as a government.”

Reform UK and the Conservatives have both called for a national inquiry into the scandal, with Mr Tice claiming there has been a “massive, massive cover up” of a “horrific grooming gangs scandal” by people of “mainly Pakistani heritage”.

“This has taken place over decades and authorities, care workers, police workers, the British establishment, senior politicians,” he told Sir Trevor.

“And may I say, the mainstream media have turned the other way. And there has been a sort of, ‘this doesn’t suit us because we want massive immigration, we want diversity, and this is inconvenient’. So we won’t explore it.”

Mr Streeting said “the reason we’re not doing another national inquiry is because there has already been a national inquiry”.

He pointed to the inquiry led by Prof Jay that reported in 2022 and said victims deserve the “full implementation” of that report, which recommended that institutions that work with children should be required by law to report suspicions of child sexual abuse.

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As well as criticising government figures, Mr Musk has also become a vocal supporter of Tommy Robinson, the far-right activist who is currently serving an 18-month prison sentence for contempt of court.

Mr Musk endorsed the far-right activist and claimed Robinson was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.

Yesterday at a party conference Reform leader Nigel Farage distanced himself from Robinson, saying the jailed activist was “not what we need”.

Asked about Mr Musk’s support for Robinson, Mr Farage told GB News: “He sees Robinson as one of these people that fought against the grooming gangs. But of course the truth is Tommy Robinson’s in prison not for that, but for contempt of court.”