Sir Keir Starmer is expected to defend his record on tackling 'grooming gangs' after Elon Musk continued his string of attacks on the Prime Minister.
On Monday morning, the tech mogul tweeted: “Jail for Starmer” and claimed that former Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown had committed an “unforgivable crime against the British people” by allegedly failing to stop child sex trafficking while in power.
Sir Keir, who will set out the government's plans to cut NHS waiting lists on Monday, is expected to use questions after his speech to defend his record on prosecuting rapists when he led the Crown Prosecution Service.
Mr Musk has spent days using when he was director. of public prosecutions (DPP).
The world's richest man will take on a key role in President Donald Trump's administration later this month and there are fears the row could threaten the “special relationship” between Britain and the US.
Health Minister Karin Smyth said she disagreed with the comments but that diplomatic relations between the two countries would be maintained.
“The United States is an important ally with whom we have been working for many years,” she told LBC.
She added: “Of course our international interests are best served by working together and that is what we will do.”
Musk has also attacked other senior Labor MPs.
He said Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips “deserves to be in jail” after she rejected requests for the Home Office to lead a public inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Oldham, arguing that the research had to be done locally.
Ministers have hit back, labeling the Tesla owner's comments as 'misjudged and certainly misinformed', but Monday's press conference will be the first time Sir Keir has publicly challenged the comments.
As DPP between 2008 and 2013, Sir Keir deployed a national network of specialist child abuse and sexual exploitation prosecutors to monitor the convictions of grooming gangs and changed Crown Prosecution Service guidelines to focus on credibility of allegations rather than whether victims would be good witnesses. .
Ms Smyth said Musk was “wrong” about the Prime Minister and Ms Phillips.
She told Times Radio: “Jess is an excellent colleague and we know that many women in politics in particular have been victims of these types of attacks before.
“She will continue the work she has done throughout her career in supporting the victims of this crime.”
