Elon Musk’s abuse of Jess Phillips has pushed real victims into game of political point scoring

Published

5 months ago

January 9, 2025

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The treatment of Jess Phillips over recent days tells me all I need to know about the epidemic of misogyny, abuse and violence against women and girls that still plagues our culture.

The domestic violence campaigner-turned politician, who has spent her career fighting for victims, has found herself the subject of abuse on an industrial scale over the past week that has put her in danger.

In dark moments, it has left her wondering whether she should give up frontline politics for good and go back to the women’s hostels where her work with vulnerable women and girls began.

Outspoken and a women’s campaigner, Phillips has long been a lightning rod.

But when the world’s richest man, who owns a social media platform with 211m followers, starts trolling you as a “rape genocide apologist” – complicit in a what he claims is a cover-up of the most disgusting and sickening abuse – that’s a different order of attention, and danger.

This week, the female politician charged with trying to protect the actual victims of these unspeakable crimes became subject to an avalanche of abuse – and threats – herself.

It was undoubtedly horrific for Phillips, who tells me she felt physically sick and hunted as the tweets came raining down.

And, as everyone piled in with their outrage and indignation, where were the voices of the actual victims themselves?

It has been so vicious, noisy and fraught as the very serious matter of grooming gangs and the exploitation, rape and torture of young victims turned into a political battleground of finger pointing and point scoring.

Imagine for a moment you’re a victim of grooming, rape, or torture and you’re seeing your own trauma being bandied around. Let down once before, how might this furore feel for those victims now?

The Conservatives are now calling for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

Labour shout hypocrisy, but find themselves on the receiving end of an online movement criticising safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and Keir Starmer’s record as the country’s former chief prosecutor.

It prompted The Times’ investigative reporter Andrew Norfolk – who revealed the wide scale abuse of young white girls predominately by Asian men of Pakistani descent back in 2012 – to this week to defend Starmer, who he said had been instrumental in making more prosecutions possible.

He added that there was a “huge increase in convictions” when Starmer was Director of Public Prosecutions back in the early 2010s.

This is a scandal that has run for decades and was properly exposed by Norfolk, who’s reporting led to a string of independent inquiries, resignations, police investigations and successful prosecutions.

But it was re-ignited last week by a decision by Philips, revealed by GB News, not to hold a government-led inquiry of grooming gangs in Oldham.

This is because previous investigations, in towns including Telford, Rochdale and Rotherham, were all independent investigations led by the local authority.

That’s not to say Phillips doesn’t want a inquiry in Oldham – she’s encouraged the council leader to set one up. However, the evidence is clear that victims are more likely to come forward when it’s a local inquiry rather than a national one.

But somehow this lit the touch paper for Elon Musk – a tech billionaire strong on tweeting, but light on knowledge of the actual situation in the UK – who launched an avalanche of claims over grooming.

He galvanised opposition politicians to call for action and created a storm that has brought movement from the government too.

This week, Labour committed to implementing some of the recommendations of the Jay Review into child sexual exploitation.

The Jay Review was published in 2022 under the Conservative government, but its suggestions were not enacted by the relevant ministers.

Phillips is also setting up a victims’ board that will sit in the Home Office and advise and give feedback on changes that need to be made to get the truth and justice for victims.

There remain questions about whether there should be more? Reform and the Conservatives want a national inquiry into the specific question of grooming gangs – what is their prevalence, their root causes and the institutional failings that let tens of thousands of victims down?

Andrew Norfolk, while stopping short of calling for a national public inquiry, does believe the root causes of grooming gangs have not been properly examined.

He believes they will never be fully stamped out until there’s proper research into what allowed these gangs to flourish.

In her 2022 report into child sexual exploitation, referencing her 2014 inquiry into grooming gangs in Rotherham, Professor Alexis Jay noted “the majority of perpetrators were described as ‘Asian’ by their victims, yet throughout the entire period, councillors didn’t engage directly with the Pakistani-heritage community to discussion how they could jointly address the issue”.

Norfolk, in The Times this week, puts it like this: “It is very difficult to talk about this stuff without being accused of being Islamophobic. That is not going to change.

“Why one very small sub-section of one minority ethnic community was so overwhelmingly, disproportionately responsible for these crimes – that is work that would be vital in bringing about understanding that could enable changes to take place.”

Jess Phillips argues that another inquiry is not what is needed, pointing to the Jay Review, and a string of other independent investigations.

She tells me she wants to get on with getting justice for victims and stamping out sexual abuse.

“There is nothing I will not consider going forward,” she told me, be it prevention programmes, working on community relations, tackling peer-on-peer abuse. And, if the victims want it, a national inquiry.

More on this story:
Jess Phillips hits back at Elon Musk
Why is Musk so interested in UK politics?

You have probably read the headlines over recent days, and you might have felt battered by the noise.

You might be confused about what is going on as politicians trade blows in the Commons and Musk rants online.

You have perhaps read some of the court transcripts of historic cases circulating online that document crimes against young girls so disgusting and barbaric that it makes you want to weep.

That’s why on this week’s Electoral Dysfunction we try to take a step back and spend quite a bit of time talking to Jess Phillips about not just the events of the past few days, but the long shadow of grooming gangs and child abuse.

We talk about Phillips’ own feelings when those Musk tweets landed and what being in the eye of the storm meant for her safety. We talk about the criticisms levelled at her and the prime minister.

I ask her about accusations of cover-ups in order not to stoke racial tensions in local communities, why she doesn’t support a national inquiry and her frustrations at those in positions of authority – be it councillors, social workers, police officers – who failed to protect girls and still haven’t faced a reckoning.

After all the heat and noise, I hope it can offer a bit of explanation and a little light too.

You can listen to Beth’s full interview with Jess Phillips in a special episode of Electoral Dysfunction released on Thursday.

Politics

US-UK trade deal ‘done’, says Trump as he meets Starmer at G7

Published

4 hours ago

June 17, 2025

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US-UK trade deal 'done', says Trump as he meets Starmer at G7

The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is “done”, US President Donald Trump has said as he met Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit.

The US president told reporters: “We signed it, and it’s done. It’s a fair deal for both. It’ll produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income.”

As Mr Trump and his British counterpart exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, the US president held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters.

Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Mr Starmer quickly bent down to pick them up, saying: “A very important document.”

Sir Keir said the document “implements” the deal to cut tariffs on cars and aerospace, adding: “So this is a very good day for both of our countries – a real sign of strength.”

Mr Trump added that the UK was “very well protected” against any future tariffs, saying: “You know why? Because I like them”.

However, he did not say whether levies on British steel exports to the US would be set to 0%, saying “we’re gonna let you have that information in a little while”.

What exactly does trade deal being ‘done’ mean?

The government says the US “has committed” to removing tariffs (taxes on imported goods) on UK aerospace goods, such as engines and aircraft parts, which currently stand at 10%.

That is “expected to come into force by the end of the month”.

Tariffs on car imports will drop from 27.5% to 10%, the government says, which “saves car manufacturers hundreds of millions a year, and protects tens of thousands of jobs”.

The White House says there will be a quota of 100,000 cars eligible for import at that level each year.

But on steel, the story is a little more complicated.

The UK is the only country exempted from the global 50% tariff rate on steel – which means the UK rate remains at the original level of 25%.

That tariff was expected to be lifted entirely, but the government now says it will “continue to go further and make progress towards 0% tariffs on core steel products as agreed”.

The White House says the US will “promptly construct a quota at most-favoured-nation rates for steel and aluminium articles”.

Other key parts of the deal include import and export quotas for beef – and the government is keen to emphasise that “any US imports will need to meet UK food safety standards”.

There is no change to tariffs on pharmaceuticals for the moment, and the government says “work will continue to protect industry from any further tariffs imposed”.

The White House says they “committed to negotiate significantly preferential treatment outcomes”.

Mr Trump also praised Sir Keir as a “great” prime minister, adding: “We’ve been talking about this deal for six years, and he’s done what they haven’t been able to do.”

He added: “We’re very longtime partners and allies and friends and we’ve become friends in a short period of time.

“He’s slightly more liberal than me to put it mildly… but we get along.”

Sir Keir added that “we make it work”.

The US president appeared to mistakenly refer to a “trade agreement with the European Union” at one point as he stood alongside the British prime minister.

Mr Trump announced his “Liberation Day” tariffs on countries in April. At the time, he announced 10% “reciprocal” rates on all UK exports – as well as separately announced 25% levies on cars and steel.

In a joint televised phone call in May, Sir Keir and Mr Trump announced the UK and US had agreed on a trade deal – but added the details were being finalised.

Ahead of the G7 summit, the prime minister said he would meet Mr Trump for “one-on-one” talks, and added the agreement “really matters for the vital sectors that are safeguarded under our deal, and we’ve got to implement that”.

Politics

Abortion debate reignited as Sky poll reveals public’s view on decriminalisation ahead of Commons vote

Published

4 hours ago

June 17, 2025

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Abortion debate reignited as Sky poll reveals public's view on decriminalisation ahead of Commons vote

A small group have gathered in the main square in the centre of Birmingham, and it’s a real mix of people. There are older figures from the community, young students, as well as groups of friends and some families.

On closer inspection, you can make out candles and rosary beads, signalling it’s some kind of vigil. As hymns start to be sung, it’s revealed to be a gathering to protest against abortion.

Nearly 90% of this country is pro-choice, but a small, vocal minority is becoming more organised in the UK.

Energised by the Trump administration, young and old activists in the UK anti-abortion movement have become more motivated to get their message across.

And all this is happening just as abortion laws in the UK could be about to go through the most significant change in over 50 years.

Nearly three years on from the ruling reversing Roe v Wade – a landmark case that once made abortion legal in the US – the age-old abortion debate has become even more political in the UK.

A breakthrough moment came when Vice President JD Vance criticised the UK laws on abortion buffer zones – areas outside clinics where police are allowed to use their discretion to stop anyone harassing women entering abortion clinics.

Explained: What are the UK’s abortion laws?

One of the cases cited by the vice president was that of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce.

She’s a lifelong anti-abortion activist who has been handing out leaflets outside clinics for 20 years. Since buffer zones came into force, she now visits to silently pray once a week. In 2022, she was arrested outside an abortion clinic for silent prayer and taken to court, although the charges were later dropped.

She also received £13,000 in a civil claim against West Midlands Police, which did not admit liability.

“They actually asked me what I was doing, and I said, well, I’m just physically standing here. I might be praying in my head, but nothing out loud. And on that basis, they made an arrest. I was heavily searched, I was taken to the police station, locked in a police cell for hours before being questioned under caution. And then, eventually, I went to court.

“I believe that abortion centres are like the modern-day Calvary. This is where the innocent are being put to death. I might not be physically interacting with anybody or stopping anyone or talking to anyone, just to be there in prayer is really, really important from a spiritual perspective.”

For people like Ailish McEntee, any type of protest is a distraction, which she says is not wanted by the women who come to the clinic she works at in London. She’s hoping that this week MPs will go further on abortion laws and pass an amendment through the Commons to decriminalise abortion for anyone seeking an abortion up to 24 weeks.

“The law itself works very well for the majority of people, but for those individuals in those kind of really high-risk domestic abuse situations… they maybe can’t make it to a clinic, they might seek abortion care from those kind of unregulated providers.

“So this amendment would take away that decriminalisation of women themselves. And it’s a really strange part of the law that we have.

“I think particularly in recent years, with Roe v Wade overturning and Donald Trump winning the election again, I think it’s really pushed forward the anti-choice rhetoric that has always been there, but it’s absolutely ramping up.”

According to polling by Sky News and YouGov, 55% of people are in favour of the law changing to stop women being criminalised for their own abortion before 24 weeks.

Surprisingly though, 22% said they believe women should be investigated or imprisoned for abortion after 24 weeks.

Stella Creasy is one of the MPs laying down an amendment to try to decriminalise abortion.

“There’s no other health care provision that we see with a criminal foundation in this way and it has a very real practical consequence.

“We’ve seen some incredibly vulnerable women and girls who didn’t even know that they were pregnant who have late-term miscarriages finding themselves with police officers rather than counsellors at their hospital beds finding themselves under suspicion for months, if not years, and I just don’t think that’s where the British public are at.”

But Rachel is concerned by this amendment. She runs sessions at the UK arm of Rachel’s Vineyard – a faith-based organisation originally founded in the United States, dedicated to, in their words, “healing the trauma of abortion”. They frame abortion not as a medical procedure, but as a harm to mothers and fathers.

“With all sudden deaths, whether you are 80 years of age or you’re 26 weeks born, you know, out of the womb, and you’ve died, you’ve sadly died, we need to be able to investigate that. For us to have compassion, we need to have justice.”

In Northern Ireland, where the decriminalisation battle was won in 2019, I met Emma, who fought on the campaign at Alliance for Choice.

She says police searches were a daily routine for her, and since 2019, she has been able to continue helping women navigate abortion care without the threat of being investigated.

Orfhlaith Campbell should have been one of the lucky ones. She was able to seek a medical abortion at 23 weeks in Northern Ireland, two years after it had been decriminalised, but she says she had to fight to get the care she needed.

She was on the cusp of the medical time limit when she suffered a premature rupture of membranes, went into labour and was told she would likely develop sepsis.

“I would have died and my daughter was dying, I could feel her dying, and it was a compassionate choice. When we got the post-mortem after, the infection had went into her wee body too, and she had nuclear debris in her lungs. If she had survived at all, it would have been a very, very painful existence.

“So yes, I had to break through the stigma that had been ingrained in me in Northern Ireland. I had to break through legal fights and the barriers that were being put in place. But I was strong enough to know that that was compassionate and that healthcare was needed both for me and her.”

The UK is majority pro-choice, and our polling shows the majority are for decriminalising abortion.

But activists who are against abortion are energised by the changing landscape of the debate in the US.

As parliament sets to vote on two amendments on abortion laws this week and potentially pulls in one direction, activists will likely only get louder and become more effective at getting their message across.