Starmer refuses to condemn Grimes inquiry
SIR KEIR STARMER has refused to criticise the criminal investigation into interviewer Darren Grim es, saying that “there is a line that can be crossed”.
When asked whether the police should be investigating the conservative commentator for a comment Dr David Starkey made during an interview, the former director of public prosecutions said that when the line was crossed there should be “involvement” and “in some cases prosecutions”.
He made the comments hours after Lord Macdonald of River Glaven, one of his predecessors as DPP, said the investigation looked like a “political stunt” which was “sinister and foolish”.
It put Sir Keir at odds with figures from across the political divide who warned of the impact the investigation could have on freedom of speech, which Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said was “important” that the law protected.
Mr Grimes, 27, is due to be interviewed under caution by the Metropolitan Police on Friday, accused of a public order offence of stirring up racial hatred by broadcasting the interview on his Reasoned UK Youtube channel.
Dr Starkey, who has since lost all of his positions in public life, said on the podcast that slavery was not a genocide as there are so many “damn blacks”.
Asked on LBC if police s hould i nvestigate, t he Labour leader said: “I think it does s ometimes have to involve the police unfortunately. When I was DPP there was a lot of focus on whether what people say on s ocial media s hould be policed or not.
“There has got to be a level of tolerance of course, but there is a line that can be crossed and it is very important that when it is crossed that there is involvement, in some cases prosecutions.”
Mr Grimes said: “Make no mistake. This is the Leader of the Opposition supporting the arrest of a journalist for something his guest has said. Absolutely extraordinary, with terrifying repercussions for freedom of the press.”