Farage refuses to condemn Musk's controversial remarks on Jess Phillips

Nigel Farage has refused to condemn Elon Musk over his comments about Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips, stating that the Prime Minister, in particular, has questions to answer regarding his failure to prosecute individuals involved in the abuse of young girls.

This comes as Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, gave the government’s most robust response to Musk’s rhetoric, accusing the billionaire businessman and confidant of Donald Trump of spreading “disgraceful defamation” about Phillips, the Minister for Safeguarding.

Farage, the leader of Reform UK, defended Musk, who referred to Phillips as a “genocide apologist for rape” and Starmer as an “accomplice in the rape of Britain,” claiming Musk had restored free speech on social media platforms since purchasing Twitter, now rebranded as X.

"I don’t agree with everything he stands for," Farage told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg. "But I believe in free speech. I think he’s a hero."

He added, “Free speech is back. You might find it offensive, but it’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”

Later, speaking to the BBC, Streeting condemned Musk’s remarks about Phillips, amid a series of controversial messages Musk sent to his 210 million followers on X in recent days.

“It’s shameful defamation of a great woman who has spent her life supporting victims of the very violence that Elon Musk and others claim to oppose,” Streeting said.

Streeting criticized what he called “keyboard warriors on social media,” contrasting them with figures like Starmer and Phillips, who have done the difficult work of prosecuting domestic abusers, rapists, and pedophiles.

When asked about Musk, Streeting said: “If you want to roll up your sleeves and do something about violence against women and girls, then online platforms, whether it’s X or others, have a role to play in keeping people safe, helping authorities take decisive action against perpetrators of violence, and people who want to exploit children online.”

Farage, speaking after addressing supporters at the Reform East of England conference in Chelmsford on Saturday, acknowledged that Musk’s language was "very, very harsh," but suggested it would only be deemed unacceptable if seen as incitement to violence.

“You know, in public life, tough things are said,” Farage remarked. “Those on the left have thrown these kinds of punches at the right for many, many decades and will continue to do so.”

Farage maintained that Musk was right in calling Starmer an accomplice for failing to swiftly prosecute gangs involved in the sexual abuse of vulnerable girls in various cities across the UK, citing Starmer’s role as Director of Public Prosecutions before entering politics.

“What he’s specifically referring to is that in 2008, Keir Starmer had just been appointed Director of Public Prosecutions, and a case of alleged mass rape of young girls was presented to them but did not lead to a prosecution,” Farage explained. “I don’t know the pros and cons of that, just like you don’t, but if you believe in free speech, people are entitled to an opinion.”

Farage denied that his reluctance to criticize Musk was connected to reports that Musk could donate up to $100 million (£80 million) to Reform UK. Although Farage acknowledged that Musk “could very well” make a donation, he rejected the idea of a $100 million contribution.

Not distancing himself from Musk’s increasingly frequent and inflammatory comments on UK politics poses risks for Farage. Polls indicate that Musk is personally unpopular among many UK voters, and several of the issues he discusses—such as supporting far-right anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson and suggesting that the King should dissolve Parliament and call for elections—have remained largely confined to the bubbles of social media.

Musk’s interest in sexual exploitation in the UK follows reports that Phillips told the Oldham council that it would be better to conduct her own investigation into the local failure, rather than ordering a national one.

Streeting defended Phillips’ decision, telling Sky News that a national investigation into the matter had already been conducted, led by child welfare expert Alexis Jay. “What I believe is that victims, both past and present, as well as those of the future, deserve the full implementation of Alexis Jay’s recommendations. Our predecessors failed to implement any of them,” Streeting said.