Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of inciting mob who hurled ‘Jimmy Savile’ abuse at him
Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of inciting notorious mob of anti-vaxxers who hurled ‘Jimmy Savile’ abuse at him… but praises Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak for showing ‘moral courage’
Sir Keir Starmer has blamed Boris Johnson for being confronted by anti-vax mobLabour leader says Savile quip was a ‘deliberate slur without any basis in fact’It comes as Prime Minister has refused to apologise amid increasing pressure Mr Starmer praised ‘moral courage’ of Tory ministers Rishi Sunak and Said Javid
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Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of inciting a notorious mob of anti-vaxxers who hurled ‘Jimmy Savile‘ abuse at him – but has praised Sajid Javid and Rishi Sunak for showing ‘moral courage’.
Dramatic footage showed police officers shielding the Labour leader towards a marked car as protesters shouted baseless allegations about him ‘protecting paedophiles’ and branded him a ‘traitor’ in Westminster on Monday evening.
The mob was dominated by left-wing acolytes of Jeremy Corbyn‘s brother Piers, who spend most of their time urging Britons to ‘resist’ masks, vaccines and any Covid restrictions, MailOnline revealed on Tuesday.
It came after the Prime Minister, facing increasing pressure over the Partygate scandal, accused Mr Starmer of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile while director of public prosecutions last week.
Mr Johnson was subsequently warned by Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle that ‘words have consequences’ as the PM defied calls to withdraw the ‘slur’.
However, his refusal to apologise led to the resignation of policy chief of Munira Mirza, while Chancellor Mr Sunak and Health Secretary Mr Javid distanced themselves from the comment.
Mr Starmer has praised the two Tory Cabinet ministers for showing ‘moral courage’ and said he was ‘heartened’ by words of support he had received from some Conservative MPs.
And asked whether he believed the Prime Minister incited the mob, Mr Starmer said it was a ‘deliberate slur without any basis in fact’.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy were confronted by an anti-vax mob on Monday
Prime Minister Boris Johnson (pictured during PMQs in the House of Commons on Wednesday) has refused to apologise for the Jimmy Savile quip last week
Scotland Yard later said two arrests were made after Sir Keir was escorted to safety. Above: Sir Keir gets into a Police car
Sir Keir was joined by Labour’s shadow Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who appeared to help police shield his boss from the protesters
He told The Times: ‘I have never been called a paedophile protector before. That happened yesterday for the first time in my life.
‘If others want to argue that this is unconnected with precisely what the prime minister said one week before then let them make that case. But they’ll never persuade me that there is no link.
‘It was a deliberate slur without any basis in fact. The PM knew exactly what he was doing. It is a conspiracy theory of violent fascists that has been doing the rounds for some time.
‘It’s not about me, it’s the way we conduct our politics. I don’t want to see us go down the route that this potentially takes us.’
Former Cabinet minister Julian Smith was among senior Tories saying the the premier must withdraw the Savile slur for the sake of Sir Keir’s security. Another senior MP, Steve Brine, said an apology is ‘inevitable’.
Downing Street, though, has continually dismissed calls for an apology or retraction, insisting Mr Johnson was referring to Mr Starmer’s responsibility for the Crown Prosecution Service as a whole.
The Labour leader said many Conservatives were not prepared to ‘defend the indefensible’ when it came to the remarks Mr Johnson made in the Commons last week.
He added that the issue was creating a divide between Tories believing politics should not be ‘devalued’ and those willing to defender Mr Johnson ‘at all costs’.
Mr Starmer said politicians have a responsibility to ‘conduct ourselves in a way that minimises the risk of all politicians, whatever party they’re in’.
It comes as the anti-vaxx mob responsible for the attack outside Parliament has warned all MPs that they are no longer safe to walk the streets.
Some of those involved are members of militant group Alpha Men Assemble, whose activists have run military-style training sessions in preparation for a ‘war’ on the State.
Others who targeted Sir Keir have previously targeted Tory minister Michael Gove and BBC journalist Nicholas Watt, while calling on followers to arm themselves against the Government.
Piers Corbyn had, meanwhile, had earlier addressed the crowd outside New Scotland Yard before they chased the Labour leader.
Brendan Cox, the widow of Labour MP Jo Cox – who was murdered in 2016 – said the intimidation of Sir Keir was ‘absolutely vile’ and said politicians have a ‘responsibility’ not to encourage what he called ‘thuggery’ with ‘lazy lies’.
