Sturgeon urges PM to refute false slur on Savile

Boris Johnson must apologise for claiming Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute paedophile Jimmy Savile, Nicola Sturgeon has insisted.

The first minister accused her Tory rival of “weaponising online conspiracy theories” after the Labour leader was swarmed by protesters in London.

Sir Keir was mobbed by anti-vaccine demonstrators branding him a “traitor” as they repeated the false slur from Mr Johnson.

The Labour chief was given a guarded escort from police due to concerns for his safety.

But the prime minister has repeatedly refused to say sorry for the remark despite anger from his own benches.

Ms Sturgeon wrote online: “Any politician choosing to weaponise online conspiracy theories against opponents knows fine well that they risk stirring up the kind of hate and abuse that Keir Starmer experienced.

“If he has any decency at all, the PM will now apologise unreservedly.”

The Conservative leader hit out with the untrue jibe last Monday after he made a statement to parliament over the Downing Street parties scandal.

He said Sir Keir failed to take action against notorious predator Savile when he was director of public prosecutions.

His outgoing No 10 policy chief Munira Mirza cited the slur as the reason for her departure after she quit her post last week.

Labour’s foreign secretary, David Lammy, was also heckled by the mob alongside Sir Keir as he hit out at Mr Johnson.

He wrote: “No surprise the conspiracy theorist thugs who harassed Keir Starmer and I repeated slurs we heard from Boris Johnson last week.”