Boris Johnson has refused to withdraw his assertion in the House of Commons that Labour leader Keir Starmer failed to prosecute the detested Jimmy Savile.
The Prime Minister accused Starmer of having not prosecuted Jimmy Savile, who was widely accused of a litany of sexual offences dating back decades in Britain and beyond.
During Prime Minister’s Questions today, Starmer accused Johnson of “parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists to try to score cheap political points”.
In response, Johnson defended his comments made on Monday following the publication of the report on lockdown parties in Downing Street.
“I am informed that in 2013 he apologised and took full responsibility for what had happened on his watch. That was the right thing to do,” Johnson said.
In 2020, fact checking charity Full Fact looked into the claim that Starmer had stopped Savile being charged in 2009.
It said Starmer was head of the CPS when the decision not to prosecute Savile was made on the grounds of “insufficient evidence”, adding: “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 Starmer was personally involved in the decisions made.”
Savile died in 2011 aged 84.
Simon Hoare, the Conservative chair of the Commons Northern Ireland committee, tweeted: “The Jimmy Savile false allegation should be withdrawn.”
