A prominent British politician addressed Elon Musk’s recent criticism on Friday regarding the government’s handling of a historic child abuse scandal.

In recent days, Musk shared and reacted to posts on his social media platform X, condemning the UK government’s decision to reject a public inquiry into the child abuse scandal in Oldham, a town in northern England.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting dismissed Musk’s comments as “wrong and certainly misinformed” but extended an invitation to the tech mogul to collaborate with the government in combating child sexual exploitation.

The UK government argued that Oldham should follow the example of other cities by commissioning its own investigation into historical abuse. A 2022 report on safeguarding measures in Oldham between 2011 and 2014 highlighted failures by local agencies to protect children but found no evidence of a cover-up. The report noted “legitimate concerns” about far-right groups exploiting the high-profile convictions of predominantly Pakistani offenders across the country.

Musk has also criticized UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing him of failing to bring justice to what many describe as “grooming gangs” during his tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2008 to 2013. On Friday, Musk referred to the scandals as a “massive crime against humanity.”

Speaking to ITV News, Streeting emphasized the government’s commitment to tackling child sexual exploitation. He welcomed Musk’s potential involvement, stating, “Some of the criticisms Elon Musk has made, I think, are wrong and certainly misinformed. But we are ready to work with him. With his social network, he has a significant role to play in helping the UK and other countries address this serious issue. If he wants to roll up his sleeves and work with us, we’d gladly welcome him.”

Musk’s apparent interest in UK politics has grown since the Labour Party’s landslide victory in the July 2024 elections, ending 14 years of Conservative rule.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is battling “severe pneumonia” and has canceled her engagements for the next two weeks, her office announced on Friday.

Spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaeker confirmed that von der Leyen’s schedule has been cleared of meetings in Lisbon and Poland, the latter of which recently assumed the rotating presidency of the 27-nation European Union.

“She is dealing with severe pneumonia,” De Keersmaeker stated in a brief communiqué, providing no further details about her condition or how she contracted the illness.

The 66-year-old recently began her second five-year term leading the EU’s powerful executive branch.

French police detained an Algerian social media influencer in the port city of Brest on Friday, accused of urging his followers to carry out attacks in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced.

The arrest comes as France prepares to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the deadly January 2015 attacks in Paris targeting the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo and a kosher supermarket.

On January 7, 2015, two French-born Al-Qaeda extremists stormed the Charlie Hebdo newsroom, killing 12 people, including the editor-in-chief, cartoonists, and a police officer nearby. In the following days, an associate aligned with ISIS killed a police officer and later attacked a kosher supermarket in eastern Paris, murdering four hostages. All three attackers were killed in police shootouts.

Retailleau stated on social media platform X that the detained influencer, who used the alias “Zazouyoussef,” had “called on his community to commit attacks in France.”