The Tories have hit back at Keir Starmer, after the prime minister called the party out for not condemning Elon Musk’s recent attacks.

The X tycoon called for both the prime minister and his minister Jess Phillips to be jailed over the last week, prompting Starmer to launch a scathing takedown of Musk on Monday – and anyone who supports him.

The world’s richest man and ally of Donald Trump dubbed Labour’s safeguarding minister a “rape genocide apologist who should be put in jail” when Phillips reportedlyrejected calls for a public inquiry into historic child abuse in Oldham.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch then joined the calls for a full public inquiry into grooming gangs, which Musk later promoted on X, saying: “Good on Kemi Badenoch!”

But Starmer said this morning that he did not want to launch an enquiry as now is the time for “action” instead.

The Tory leader has also not actually endorsed Musk’s comments about Phillips, but she has not publicly criticised it either.

So the PM slammed Badenoch – and other politicians – this morning for not speaking out against the tech magnate, saying they were “jumping on the bandwagon simply to get attention”.

He added: “I’m very concerned about where the Tory party is going on this.”

Shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, hit back this afternoon.

He said: “It is disgraceful that Keir Starmer is smearing people who are concerned about rape gangs as jumping on a ‘far right’ bandwagon, rather than facing up to his own record on this and reconsidering his refusal as prime minister to hold a full national inquiry.

“As Kemi Badenoch said yesterday, a new inquiry must go beyond previous inquiries and focus specifically on the institutional and political failings that enabled the systematic and barbaric attacks to take place.

“If Keir Starmer can’t see why people across the UK are keen to have these questions answered and proper accountability for the victims of this heinous scandal, it just shows how out of touch he really is.

“We have heard reports from a former Labour MP that he was instructed by the then Parliamentary Labour Party Chair to avoid referring to child sex abuse allegations and the background of the perpetrators.

“I call on Keir Starmer to apologise for this on behalf of the Labour Party.”

Simon Danczuk, who represented Rochdale between 2010 and 2017, recently claimed then-parliamentary party chair Tony Lloyd, who has since died, warned him not to mention the background of members of grooming gangs.

Philp also told the BBC that Musk “is obviously right to be raising the general issue” about grooming gangs, but he added that “some of the specific language used about Jess Phillips is not appropriate”.

However, Starmer still told reporters this morning: “I think only a few months ago it would have been unthinkable for things to be said about Jess Phillips that were said recently without all political parties, and the leader of the opposition, calling it out in terms.”

He added: “That’s not good. That’s why I say a line’s been crossed.

“So this isn’t about America or Musk. I’m talking about our politics. I’m talking about the responsibility that our politicians have in calling this out for what it is, and distancing themselves and condemning it.

“Because if you’re not stand prepared to stand up as a Tory MP and denounce what’s been said about Jess Phillips, who’s now had threats made to her, then you need to seriously consider while you’re in politics in the first place.”

Speaking on Badenoch’s calls for an inquiry into grooming gangs specifically, he said the Tories “did nothing” about his calls for mandatory reporting for child sexual abuse “for 10 long years including when the Jay report came out nearly three years ago.”

His message was backed up health secretary Wes Streeting, who told the BBC at lunchtime: “What I do think is shameful is that, whereas we would have seen universal outcry across the political spectrum on this sort of rhetoric and this sort of attack on a good colleague like Jess Phillips … instead we have seen a combination of silent indifference from the more decent Conservatives and, worse still, active complicity from other Conservatives.”

Meanwhile, Lib Dem leader Ed Davey has suggested the US ambassador should be summoned over Musk’s attacks on the UK.

The X tycoon suggested this morning that  “America should liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government”.

Davey said: “People have had enough of Elon Musk interfering with our country’s democracy when he clearly knows nothing about Britain.

“It’s time to summon the US ambassador to ask why an incoming US official is suggesting the UK Government should be overthrown.”