Grooming gangs: what did Keir Starmer do as DPP?
Elon Musk has reignited a row over grooming gangs in his latest intervention in British politics

Elon Musk has reignited the row over grooming gangs, accusing Prime Minister Keir Starmer of being "deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes".
In a series of posts on X, Musk said Starmer had failed to deal with the scandal while head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) between 2008 and 2013.
In response, Starmer has accused critics – although without mentioning Musk – of "spreading lies and misinformation", claiming they are "not interested in victims, they're interested in themselves".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What is the grooming gang scandal?
The grooming gang scandal involved high-profile cases of sexual abuse where groups of men, primarily of Pakistani descent, were convicted of exploiting and raping girls as young as 13 in the UK.
The scandal was brought to public attention in 2012 when The Times newspaper investigated Rotherham grooming gangs, which led to a major inquiry.
In 2014, a report by Professor Alexis Jay revealed the extent of sexual exploitation of young girls by grooming gangs in the UK, finding that at least 1,400 children were abused in Rotherham between 1997 and 2013 – a figure the Financial Times said was "conservatively estimated".
Similar crimes were uncovered in Oldham, Oxford, Rochdale and Telford, raising serious concerns over systemic failures to protect victims and prosecute offenders. They spurred a national inquiry into child sexual abuse, again chaired by Jay. It published its final report in October 2022.
What did Keir Starmer do as DPP?
As director of public prosecutions (DPP) between 2008 and 2013, Starmer oversaw the CPS during the scandal's early days.
As a "leftwing lawyer" and "principled opponent of state power", he was not initially "an obvious choice" to lead the CPS, said David Renton, a fellow barrister, in The Guardian in 2020.
Criticism that Starmer bears responsibility for failings in bringing grooming gangs to justice largely stems from a 2009 decision by the CPS not to prosecute suspects in a Rochdale case, citing concerns about the victim's credibility.
Starmer had been in the role for nine months at the time, but "no evidence suggests he was made aware of the details of the case at the time", said the FT.
Nazir Afzal, chief prosecutor for northwest England, reversed that decision in 2011, leading to the conviction of nine men. "The only way we could bring that case was to admit that we had failed these victims when they had first made a complaint in 2008," said Afzal afterwards. He said that Starmer was "100% behind the decision to publicly admit that we had got it wrong in the past".
How many grooming gang cases were prosecuted under Starmer?
Successive inquiries into child sexual abuse in the UK have concluded that police officers, social services and councils consistently failed victims. But contrary to some claims circulating on the internet, "there is no evidence of any organised cover-up", said The Guardian.
No specific data exists for grooming gangs as there is no specific offence – offenders can be prosecuted for causing or facilitating sexual exploitation, or for committing offences such as rape and indecent assault. But there were several significant prosecutions between 2010 and 2014, including 35 during Starmer's tenure as DPP, according to a 2022 report from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.
What has Starmer said in response to criticism?
The prime minister has "robustly" defended his record as head of the CPS, said the BBC. He said his record included changing guidance on child sexual exploitation in 2013 to "challenge myths and stereotypes" that had stopped victims from being heard, leaving office when the CPS had the highest number of child sex abuse prosecutions on record, reopening cases that had been closed, and bringing the first prosecution of an Asian grooming gang.
What else did Starmer do as DPP?
Starmer's tenure involved other high-profile and controversial cases, including the death of Ian Tomlinson in 2009. The CPS initially declined to prosecute the officer involved, but reversed its decision following an inquest.
Starmer has also previously proudly pointed to his record of prosecuting MPs over the expenses scandal, ordering the courts to stay open 24/7 for emergency sessions after the London riots of 2011, and defending the Human Rights Act against Tory proposals to repeal it. He also launched plans to tackle female genital mutilation, although the first successful prosecution did not come until 2019.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Sorcha Bradley is a writer at The Week and a regular on “The Week Unwrapped” podcast. She worked at The Week magazine for a year and a half before taking up her current role with the digital team, where she mostly covers UK current affairs and politics. Before joining The Week, Sorcha worked at slow-news start-up Tortoise Media. She has also written for Sky News, The Sunday Times, the London Evening Standard and Grazia magazine, among other publications. She has a master’s in newspaper journalism from City, University of London, where she specialised in political journalism.
-
Trump is trying to jump-start US manufacturing. Is it worth it?
Today's Big Question The jobs are good. The workers may not be there.
-
TV to watch in June, including 'Stick' and 'Ironheart'
the week recommends The next great sports comedy, a young Marvel heroine and the conclusion of 'Squid Game'
-
Book reviews: 'Melting Point: Family, Memory, and the Search for a Promised Land' and 'No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson'
Feature A promised land in Texas and the takedown of a healthcare giant
-
Angela Rayner: Labour's next leader?
Today's Big Question A leaked memo has sparked speculation that the deputy PM is positioning herself as the left-of-centre alternative to Keir Starmer
-
How the civil service works – and why critics say it needs reform
The Explainer Keir Starmer wants to 'rewire' Whitehall, which he has claimed is too 'comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline'
-
Brexit 'reset' deal: how will it work?
In Depth Keir Stamer says the deal is a 'win-win', but he faces claims that he has 'surrendered' to Brussels on fishing rights
-
Elon Musk says he's 'done enough' political spending. What does that really mean?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The world's richest man predicted he'd do 'a lot less' electoral financing moving forward. Has Washington seen the last of the tech titan?
-
Starlink: what Elon Musk's satellite soft power means for the world
The Explainer The rapid expansion of his satellite internet company has given Musk a unique form of leverage in some of the world's most vulnerable regions
-
'The national appetite has been waning'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Are we entering the post-Brexit era?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer's 'big bet' with his EU reset deal is that 'nobody really cares' about Brexit any more
-
Can Starmer sell himself as the 'tough on immigration' PM?
Today's Big Question Former human rights lawyer 'now needs to own the change – not just mouth the slogans' to win over a sceptical public