Senior Tories pile pressure on Johnson over Savile ‘slur’

The Prime Minister is facing renewed calls to withdraw his discredited claim that Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute the TV presenter.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls from senior Tories to withdraw his discredited claim that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile while DPP (House of Commons/PA) (PA Wire)

Boris Johnson is facing fresh calls from senior Tories to withdraw his discredited claim that Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile

Former minister Tobias Ellwood said the Conservative Party needs to “improve our standards”, while Simon Hoare, chairman of the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, said the “false allegation” should be withdrawn.

However Communities Secretary Michael Gove defended the Prime Minister insisting that he had nothing to apologise for.

Mr Johnson has been heavily criticised after claiming that, when Labour leader Sir Keir was director of public prosecutions, he used his time “prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile”.

The attack came during heated Commons exchanges on Monday following the publication of the interim Sue Gray report on lockdown parties in Downing Street.

It led to widespread condemnation, including from lawyers representing many of Savile’s victims.

Speaking on Sky News, Mr Ellwood, who became the latest Tory MP to call for Mr Johnson to resign, said: “Who advised the Prime Minister to say this?

“We’re better than this, we must seek to improve our standards and rise above where we are today.”

Mr Hoare tweeted: “The Jimmy Savile false allegation should be withdrawn.”

On Tuesday, Sir Charles Walker, vice chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee, told Channel 4 News that the comment had been a “mistake” and Mr Johnson should apologise.

“I wish he hadn’t done it. I suspect he wishes he hadn’t done it,” he said.

“I think it might have been at the time in the heat of battle, because it gets very heated on the floor of the House. It’s very febrile. But I think it was a mistake.

“Of course he should withdraw it. It didn’t add to the overall debate. It’s really good though to be able to apologise. I think you never get marked down for an apology. It’s not a sign of weakness.”

Tobias Ellwood said the Tories need to improve their standards (Yui Mok/PA) (PA Archive)

Mr Gove however said that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had issued an apology for its handling of the case.

“I think this is a uniquely sensitive issue and it does need to be handled with care, and I listen with enormous respect to those who act for victims of the actions of a terrible, terrible criminal,” he said.

“But – and it’s not a subject that I want to dwell on because it is uniquely sensitive – it is the case that the CPS apologised for the handling of this case and what happened in 2009, and I think we should acknowledge that an apology was given at the time and respect that.”

He added: “Keir Starmer acknowledged that mistakes had been made by the organisation of which he was head, to his credit. He was very clear about those mistakes.”

In 2020, fact-checking charity Full Fact looked into the claim that Sir Keir had stopped Savile being charged in 2009.

It said Sir Keir was head of the CPS when the decision not to prosecute 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 Mr Starmer was personally involved in the decisions made.”

Savile – who is now thought to have been one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders – died in 2011 aged 84, having never been brought to justice for his crimes.