MPs have slammed "out of touch" Sir Keir Starmer for "smearing" people demanding a national inquiry into rape gangs which abused thousands of girls.

Politicians from the Conservative and Reform parties are among those demanding a fresh probe into the scandal.

But the Prime Minister accused them of amplifying what the far-right is saying" and "jumping on the bandwagon" to gain attention.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp 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 on Sunday, 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."

Mrs Badenoch's party will on Wednesday try to force Labour MPs to vote on a full public inquiry when they put forward an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing Bill.

The Prime Minister was forced to defend his record prosecuting grooming gangs following a barrage of accusations from tech billionaire Elon Musk.

The Tesla boss accused Sir Keir of being "complicit in the crimes" of child sex offenders.

The Prime Minister was the director of public prosecutions between 2008 and 2013 when many of these gangs were active.

But he said today that when he left office, "we had the highest number of child sexual abuse cases being prosecuted on record".

The Prime Minister also accused Mr Musk and others of "spreading lies and misinformation", adding they were "not interested in victims, they are interested in themselves".

Speaking at Epsom Hospital in Surrey, he criticised comments in which Mr Musk described Home Office minister Jess Phillips as a "rape genocide apologist", saying "a line has been crossed" leading to threats against the minister because of the "poison of the far-right".

But Mr Musk continued his attacks on Sir Keir following speech, describing him as "utterly despicable" and accusing the Prime Minister of refusing demands for a national inquiry because it would show he was "deeply complicit in the mass rapes in exchange for votes".

Mr Musk continued his extraordinary attack on the UK by asking if America should "liberate the people of Britain from their tyrannical government".

He also took aim at former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, saying he "sold those little girls for voters"

A spokesman for the former PM said there is no foundation for Mr Musk's allegations about how Mr Brown dealt with child grooming gangs.

Meanwhile Robert Jenrick MP said: "Millions of people in this country want justice and answers for the thousands of young girls who were raped and abused in the most evil ways imaginable.

"They want an end to the abuse that victims say continues to this very day. They are not the far-right - and to suggest otherwise is outrageous.

"They are normal people - including mothers and fathers who hear the testimony of the victims, and imagine it was their own children or grandchildren. They are rightly furious about the most appalling abuse of incredibly vulnerable little girls and the subsequent cover up.

"In seeking to smear individuals demanding an inquiry - which is supported by many victims - as 'far-right', Starmer displays the same attitude that led to this scandal continuing for so long."

The former Tory leader hopeful added: "Starmer's Government has launched more than 60 reviews since taking office, but won't launch a national inquiry into rape gangs. Why?

"There is no acceptable excuse."

Mr Musk's latest intervention on UK politics came after Ms Phillips instructed Oldham Council to launch its own local inquiry into historic child sexual abuse in the town, similar to inquiries set up in Rochdale and Telford.

The local authority had called for a government-led inquiry. The decision was taken in October but first came to light last week.

Professor Alexis Jay, the former chair of a national inquiry into child sexual abuse, called for the "full implementation" of reforms set out in her 2022 report, which warned of "endemic" abuse across society in England and Wales.

A campaign group chaired by Prof Jay, called Act on IICSA, said ministers must commit to a "clear timeline" to adopt the recommendations laid out by the Independent Inquiry Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA). The government says it supports the changes.

Ms Jay, who chaired the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse, distanced herself from calls for a new national inquiry, saying it was "critical" that her own recommendations were fully implemented.

Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said he would support a national inquiry into grooming gangs, but stressed that a review into Greater Manchester Police which he launched in 2017 was ongoing.

He said: "Nobody has turned away, we have faced up directly to the failings," Mr Burnham said, adding that the review has led to arrests, charges and convictions.

"For us, we must complete the Greater Manchester review, the police investigations are ongoing, I wouldn't want anything to cut across those police investigations. But I wouldn't stand against a further national review if that was deemed necessary."

Child groomers will be given longer prison sentences under a crackdown announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.

The tough new law was proposed by the Tories in their Criminal Justice Bill but the legislation fell through when Rishi Sunak called the election.

The Government will also be establishing a "victims and survivors panel" to advise on "wider work around child sexual exploitation and abuse".