MSP: Don't leave it to Elon Musk to 'shed light' on child sexual abuse

Parliamentarians must not "leave it to people like Elon Musk" to "shed light" on child sexual abuse, MSPs have heard.

Billionaire X owner Musk, who is set to take up a US government position under Donald Trump, has accused Keir Starmer in being "complicit" in sex crimes perpetrated in the UK, a claim rejected by the prime minister.

The allegation comes after Labour safeguarding minister Jess Phillips rejected calls from councillors in Oldham for a Home Office-led review into offences against children in the town, saying such a review should be conducted locally.

A prior report on grooming gangs, led mainly by men of Pakistani descent, found thousands of girls had been abused and exploited in English towns.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has since announced that the Labour government will criminalise the cover-up or failure to report of abuses against children.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, Conservative MSP Pam Gosal backed a call by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch for a national inquiry into child sexual abuse. 

Gosal said it was not her intention "to label any ethnic groups" and stated she wanted to "shed a light on this issue as a whole, rather than leaving it to people like Elon Musk", telling the chamber that police had uncovered the existence of grooming gangs in Scotland.

Gosal said "it would be wrong to think we are immune from this problem", asking children's minister Natalie Don-Innes: "If there is to be a national inquiry into grooming gangs, will the Scottish Government do its bit to help facilitate its work?"

Don-Innes said the independent Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, which is ongoing, has been set up to "identify any systemic failures" that allowed abuses to be carried out against children in care.

Describing child sexual abuse and exploitation as "abhorrent crimes which have devastating impacts on victims", Don-Innes told MSPs that the Scottish Government established a child sexual abuse and exploitation national strategic group in October. Those involved include Professor Alexis Jay, former chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse in England and Wales.

She said: "The Scottish Government will carefully consider any recommendations made by the inquiry to improve the protection of children in Scotland."