Boris Johnson has sought to “clarify” his widely criticised and debunked claim that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile when he was director of public prosecutions (DPP).
Speaking to broadcasters, the Prime Minister said: “I want to be very clear about this because a lot of people have got very hot under the collar, and I understand why.
“Let’s be absolutely clear, I’m talking not about the Leader of the Opposition’s personal record when he was DPP and I totally understand that he had nothing to do personally with those decisions.
“I was making a point about his responsibility for the organisation as a whole.
“I really do want to clarify that because it is important.”
Giving a statement on the update to MPs earlier this week on the Sue Gray report update, Boris Johnson lashed out at the Labour leader’s record when he was director of public prosecutions.
Mr Johnson said Sir Keir “used his time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile”.
Sir Keir accused the Prime Minister of using the “conspiracy theories of violent fascists” to score political points, after Boris Johnson accused him on Monday of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile.
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “I just want to say to the members opposite, theirs is the party of Winston Churchill.
“Our parties stood together as we defeated fascism in Europe. Now their leader stands in the House of Commons parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists to try and score cheap political points. He knows exactly what he is doing, it is time to restore some dignity.”
Sir Keir had said in a review in 2013 that Savile could have been charged for his crimes in 2009, two years before his death, had police taken victims more seriously, and he apologised for “the shortcomings in the part played by the Crown Prosecution Service in these cases”.
In 2020, fact-checking charity Full Fact found the Labour leader was the head of the Crown Prosecution Service in 2009 when a decision was made not to bring charges against Savile, who was later revealed to be a rampant paedophile and is believed to be one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.
Full Fact said: “The allegations against Savile were dealt with by local police and a reviewing lawyer for the CPS.
“A later investigation criticised the actions of both the CPS and the police in their handling of the situation.
“It did not suggest that Mr Starmer was personally involved in the decisions made.”
