Good Morning Britain viewers were outraged today after host Richard Madeley repeated Boris Johnson's discredited claim linking Keir Starmer with Jimmy Savile.
Richard and co-host Susanna Reid had been joined by Shadow Mental Health Minister Dr Roseana Allin-Khan, who addressed video of the Labour leader being bundled into a police car as a baying mob echoed a lie spoken by Prime Minister.
Sir Keir was in Westminster with Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy when he was surrounded by anti-vaxxers shouting "traitor".
Dr Roseana called for Mr Johnson to apologise "unreservedly" in parliament for his remarks.
"Words really matter and I think nobody really wants to see what happened yesterday happen to any MP of any political party," she said. "It's dangerous and it's damaging and I think it really disturbs people to see it."
Richard responded: "But isn't it a bit much to accuse the prime minister of inciting these scenes that we've seen being replayed from last night? I mean, yes they did shout 'Jimmy Savile' and they used the paedophile word and all of that, but they were making lots of other remarks as well with what Boris Johnson said in the Commons.
"So those scenes could have been exactly the same, minus references to Jimmy Savile."
Dr Rosana pointed out that she was not there but said that "a prime minister needs to take leadership and not delve into the dark depths of the corners of the web, using conspiracy theories that are being flouted by far-right extremists in our country".
However, Richard said: "Can I just pick you up on something? You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to know that the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile, which was a terrible mistake, did happen on Keir Starmer's watch when he was running the DPP, for something that he did actually apologise. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to think that."
Dr Roseana almost groaned as she replied: "Oh come on, Richard. This is just a deep deflection of what Boris Johnson is trying to do."
Sir Keir led the Crown Prosecution Service when it decided not to prosecute Savile in 2009 due to insufficient evidence, a decision it later apologised for.
But the Full Fact website investigated in 2020 and found it had never actually been suggested that Sir Keir was personally involved in the decision.
Instead, the CPS said: “The reviewing lawyer at the time set out their own reasons for the decisions they took”.
Viewers were disgusted over Richard's comments and demanded that he or Good Morning Britain apologise.
One tweeted: "GMB news needs to apologise and clarify Richard Madeley’s remarks immediately. He just repeated and affirmed the lie that caused the attack on prime time TV, What the f**k is going on?"
While another commented: "So Richard Madeley just said Starmer is responsible for the Saville debacle because he apologised. Shame on you @GMB for letting such a slur be aired. Very unprofessional. @susannareid100 please put him right."
A third pleaded: "Please #GMB get Richard Madeley off of the air. The joke isn’t funny any more.."
"#GMB FFS! Is Richard Madeley really pushing that Starmer was responsible for Saville not being prosecuted?? Come on GMB do better please," another raged.
One fumed: "Did Richard Madeley just say that? - ‘it doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to know that it happened on his watch’."
Another blasted: "What kind of an interview is this? Is Richard Madeley the new Comms Director for No. 10? His political bias is overwhelming. Even ex MP's @edballs @campbellclaret keep a cap on their politics. And he needs to look up the word incitement."
*Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV
