Boris Johnson is under renewed pressure over the Jimmy Savile smear he aimed at Sir Keir Starmer after the Labour leader was targeted by a mob near Parliament.
Sir Keir had to be bundled into a police car for protection after facing baseless allegations of “protecting paedophiles” and chants about the sex offender from protesters.
On at least two videos posted to social media, a man and a woman were heard shouting about Savile to the MP as he walked with shadow foreign secretary David Lammy.
Officers stepped in to protect Sir Keir as the group, including some protesting against Covid measures, followed him from outside Scotland Yard.
It comes days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson falsely claimed in the House of Commons that Sir Keir failed to prosecute Savile.
He later backtracked on the comments but stopped short of apologising.
Former Cabinet minister Julian Smith said the Prime Minister must withdraw the Savile slur for the sake of Sir Keir’s security in the wake of the incident on Monday.
Mr Smith, who previously served as Mr Johnson’s Northern Ireland secretary, tweeted: “What happened to Keir Starmer tonight outside parliament is appalling.
“It is really important for our democracy & for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full.”
Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons Committee on Standards, said: “This is appalling. People were shouting all sorts at Keir, including ‘Jimmy Savile’.
“This is what happens when a Prime Minister descends into the gutter and recycles lies from hard-right conspiracy theorists. Political poison has an effect. Johnson has no moral compass.”
Labour’s Dame Angela Eagle tweeted: “Proud of yourself stoking up the worst Internet conspiracy theories PM? Disgusting new low.
“PM must now personally & unconditionally apologise for his disgusting lie on the floor of the House of Commons where he first made it.”
Mr Johnson tweeted: “The behaviour directed at the Leader of the Opposition tonight is absolutely disgraceful. All forms of harassment of our elected representatives are completely unacceptable.”
The PM first shared the falsehood in the Commons on January 31.
Under vast pressure, he later clarified his remarks, insisting he had not been referring to Sir Keir’s “personal record”.
But he did not apologise for the “scurrilous” smear, which long-standing adviser Munira Mirza cited as the reason for resigning as No 10’s head of policy.
Sir Keir apologised while director of public prosecutions in 2013 for the CPS having failed to bring Savile to justice four years earlier.
But there is no evidence that Sir Keir had any personal role in the failure to prosecute the man who was one of Britain’s most egregious sex offenders before his death in 2011.
Two people arrested
Scotland Yard said two arrests were made following clashes between police and protesters on the Victoria Embankment after Sir Keir was taken to safety.
A Metropolitan Police statement said: “Shortly after 5.10pm on Monday, February 7, a man who had been surrounded by a group of protesters near to New Scotland Yard, was taken away from the scene by a police car.
“A man and a woman were arrested at the scene for assault of an emergency worker after a traffic cone was thrown at a police officer.
“They have been taken into custody.”
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
