Boris Johnson was rebuked by the House of Commons speaker and warned that “words have consequences” after a mob surrounded Sir Keir Starmer and shouted abuse, repeating slurs about Jimmy Savile.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle condemned the discredited claim made by the prime minister that the Labour leader “failed” to prosecute Savile, saying his remarks in Commons last week were “inappropriate” and “only inflame opinions”.
As criticism mounted from Tory backbenchers over the smear, the Archbishop of Canterbury also offered a veiled reproach to the prime minister, issuing an appeal for those involved in political disputes to “learn to disagree well”.
“When politicians are harassed and threatened it’s a threat not just to the MPs themselves, but to the health of our democracy,” said Justin Welby. “We must condemn it and stand united against it.
Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon also criticised Mr Johnson for failing to say sorry. “If he has a single shred of decency, he will withdraw the comments that he made completely and he will fully, unreservedly, unequivocally apologise.”
The interventions came after Monday’s incident reignited anger over Mr Johnson’s smear on 31 January, when he accused Sir Keir of “failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile” during a Commons debate.
Updating MPs on Tuesday, Sir Lindsay also revealed he had requested a “situation report” from the Metropolitan Police over the incident which saw officers protect Sir Keir from protesters shouting “traitor” and “Jimmy Savile”, and accused him of “protecting paedophiles”.
The Commons speaker said: “I know it has been reported that some abuse was directed at the leader of the opposition yesterday related to claims made by the prime minister in this chamber.
“But regardless of yesterday’s incident, I made it clear last week that while the prime minister’s words were not disorderly they were inappropriate.”
Sir Lindsay added: “As I said then, these sorts of comments only inflame opinions and generate disregard for the house and it is not acceptable. Our words have consequences and we should always be mindful of the fact.”
Downing Street later insisted that Mr Johnson would not apologise for his Savile comments. His official spokesperson acknowledged his original words in the Commons were “capable of being misconstrued”, which was why he subsequently issued a “clarification”.
Tory MP Caroline Nokes condemned Mr Johnson for failing to withdraw apologise for his “vile” Jimmy Savile slur against the Labour leader – linking it to the “completely acceptable” mob harassment suffered by Sir Keir.
Asked on Tuesday if the PM was to blame, the backbencher told Sky News: “We have to play back the language used in the House last Monday … [he] actually used a vile smear against Sir Keir Starmer.”
Ms Nokes added: “Do I want the prime minister to apologise? Of course I do ... I want him to own the mistake.”
At least 10 Tory MPs – including David Davis, Sir Roger Gale, Stephen Hammond, Tobias Ellwood and Julian Smith – have now tweeted criticism of the prime minister or spoken publicly condemning his remarks.
Meanwhile, Jacob Rees-Mogg said he did not “recollect” feeding Mr Johnson the smear about Sir Keir “failing” to prosecute Jimmy Savile.
Asked about a report in The Sunday Times that suggested he gave the PM the idea for using the attack line in the Commons, the cabinet minister told ConservativeHome’s podcast: “That isn’t my recollection.”
The former Commons leader, given the new role of Brexit opportunities minister, said: “I think it came from behind us, but it seemed to me a perfectly fair point to use. I wasn’t sitting next to the prime minister, so I wasn’t in a particularly good position to be feeding him lines.”
A snap poll by Savanta ComRes on Tuesday found that two thirds (68 per cent) of voters believed the prime minister should apologise for the Savile comments in the House of Commons. The survey also found that 69 per cent believed he was responsible for the behaviour of protesters who harassed Sir Keir.
A review of MPs’ security that was commissioned following the murder of Sir David Amess in October is ongoing, involving police, the Home Office and parliamentary authorities.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said MPs were also contacted individually after the alleged terror attack to discuss bespoke arrangements and offer advice.
A spokesperson said on Tuesday: “We continue to strongly encourage MPs to immediately report any security concerns to their local police force in order to keep themselves, their staff and others safe. Nobody should have to experience abuse or threats of harm, especially when they are simply doing their job.”
Anti-vax groups are currently considered mainly as a public order threat, because of the nature of their frequent protests and targeting of vaccination and testing centres.
However, the growth of Covid and vaccine-related conspiracy theories is also being monitored by counter-terror police, who are concerned about any potential for violence.
