Starmer backtracks on claim Boris Johnson attacked BBC over Ukraine

Labour leader sparked furious Commons row by alleging prime minister had ‘accused the BBC of not being critical enough of Vladimir Putin‘

Keir Starmer has withdrawn his criticism that Boris Johnson attacked the BBC over its Ukraine coverage, after Conservative pressure.

The Labour leader sparked a furious row in the Commons when he referred to a newspaper report that the prime minister had “accused the BBC of not being critical enough of Vladimir Putin”.

Sir Keir said Mr Johnson had since “corrected the record” and made clear his criticism “only referred to the Archbishop”, Justin Welby.

“So, I am more than happy to echo that correction and withdraw my comment of yesterday,” he told MPs.

The concession – as the debate began on whether Mr Johnson should be investigated for his Partygate “lies” – will be seen as an attempt to put pressure on him to also correct previous false claims.

Oliver Dowden, the Tory party chair, had leapt on Sir Keir’s comments, at prime minister’s questions, suggesting he had no “evidence whatsoever to support this inaccurate claim”.

The clash was overshadowed by the prime minister stoking his clash with the Church of England over the Archbishop of Canterbury’s criticism of his “one way ticket to Rwanda” policy for asylum seekers.

The Church accused Mr Johnson of a “disgraceful slur” on Mr Welby, after he told MPs that he had been more “vociferous” in his criticism of the policy than of the Ukraine invasion.

But the prime minister refused to back down, telling reporters: “All I was saying was that I think we have an excellent policy to try to stop people drowning at sea in the Channel.

“I was surprised to find it criticised. I think it’s the morally right thing to do to stop criminal, cynical gangs from exploiting people and sending them to a watery grave.”

Human rights group have dismissed the claim that sending refugees to Rwanda will do anything to curb trafficking across the Channel – and the Home Office’s top civil servant said there was no evidence to back it up.

Sir Keir had suggested Mr Johnson had also accused the BBC of “not being critical enough of Putin”, adding: “Would the prime minister have the guts to say that to the face of [the BBC journalists] Clive Myrie, Lyse Doucet and Steve Rosenberg, who have all risked their lives day in, day out, on the front line in Russia and Ukraine uncovering Putin’s barbarism?”

The prime minister hit back, telling the Labour leader he “must be out of his tiny mind” in thinking he had attacked the BBC.