Chris Philphas been accused of courting Elon Musk after he responded to a social media post from the tech billionaire offering funding to bring private legal action relating to the grooming gangs scandal.
The shadow home secretary replied to an X post in which Mr Muskannounced plans to âhelp fund legal actions against corrupt officials who aided and abetted the rape of Britain, per the official government inquiryâ.
He added: âPlease reply below for consideration.â
Responding, the shadow home secretary â who was a minister in the Home Office until last year â claimed to have âdetails of a senior police officer who deliberately covered up evidence of the rape and sexual assault of young girls by mainly Pakistani origin taxi drivers, with evidence of thatâ.
âI think a private criminal prosecution is possible and likely to succeedâ, he added.
The intervention has prompted questions over why he hasnât yet handed his evidence over to the police.
Liberal Democrat MP Paul Kohler, who sits on the Home Affairs Select Committee, said: “If Chris Philp has such evidence he should pass it to the Police Anti-Corruption & Abuse Reporting Service immediately.
“I am dismayed that, as shadow home secretary, he appears to be misusing such information to court Elon Musk, rather than ensuring the allegations are investigated.”
Meanwhile, a Home Office source expressed concern that Mr Philp is âpotentially interfering in really important live police investigation.”
Asked whether Mr Philp will be handing his evidence over to the police, a Conservative Party official said âChris is working to prepare [an] evidence file at the momentâ.
It comes after an unofficial inquiry into grooming gangs, conducted by ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe, claimed it had found evidence of child sexual exploitation in as many as 85 local authorities.
The MP, who now sits as an independent, set up his probe before Sir Keir Starmer announced there would be a new government-backed inquiry in June.
A fundraiser to carry out Mr Loweâs inquiry has raised nearly ÂŁ620,000, and hearings to hear from victims and survivors and experts are expected later this year before a final report.
The crowd funder said costs will be kept minimal and transparent, covering costs such as panel and legal advisor fees, venue hire, travel expenses for witnesses, and that any left over funds would be donated to grooming exploitation survivor charities.
The focus on grooming gangs comes after the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) led by Professor Alexis Jay found institutional failings and tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales.
The seven-year probe made 20 recommendations in the final report published in 2022, as it described child sexual abuse as an âepidemicâ across the two nations.
The wait for the recommendations to be implemented hit the headlines in January, after criticism from billionaire X owner Elon Musk over the UKâs handling of child grooming scandals.
The government then announced plans including for a rapid audit looking at the scale of grooming gangs across the country to be carried out by Baroness Louise Casey.
The crossbench peer published a report in June that found the lack of data showing the ethnicity and nationality of sex offenders in grooming gangs was âa major failing over the last decade or moreâ and listed 12 recommendations, including for a national inquiry.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs the findings from the report were âdamningâ and the government will take action on all of the 12 recommendations immediately.
In January, ministers also vowed to establish at least five local inquiries into grooming in those areas, but Mr Philp criticised them, adding the Conservatives believe âas many as 50 towns could have been affectedâ.
