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Boris Johnson refuses to apologize for Starmer slur despite crowd protest

Boris Johnson has refused to apologize for his claim that Sir Keir Starmer did not prosecute pedophile Jimmy Savile, despite widespread outrage at the the lament of the Labor leader at Westminster.

Starmer had to be taken into a police van on Monday night as crowds mocked him, including shouting “pedophile” and “Jimmy Savile”, as well as protests over Covid measures. .

The incident prompted Labor and Tory MPs to demand a full apology from Johnson, with claims that the prime minister used “Trump-style” rhetoric that was dragging British politics into danger.

But on Tuesday, Johnson’s allies argued that it was unreasonable to link the protests to Johnson’s comments last week, when he said Starmer had spent “much of his time” as The chief prosecutor did not prosecute Savile.

The Labor Leader was not directly involved in the incident, as Johnson then admittedbut a government official told the BBC the prime minister would not apologize: “He has other things to go on today.”

Johnson’s defiance will anger some Tory MPs and the Labor opposition and the issue is likely to dominate the prime minister’s questions again on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister has vowed to “reset” his operations, but new advisor – including new communications director Guto Harri – doesn’t seem to be in the mood to step back into the “Savile slur” front row.

Johnson on Monday condemned the “absolutely disgraceful” behavior of the crowd, but his supporters insisted it was unreasonable to blame their behavior on the prime minister.

About half a dozen Tory MPs have demanded a full apology, with cabinet ministers deeply upset about Johnson’s tactics in recent days, raising concerns about his leadership. grandfather.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last week said he would not bring charges by Savile and Sajid Javid, the health secretary, praised Starmer’s role as head of the Crown Prosecution Service.

Despite the Conservative Party’s displeasure, none of the new Tory MPs have publicly announced in recent days that they have submitted a letter demanding a vote of no confidence in Johnson.

A total of 54 such letters are required to trigger a vote; About 15 Tory MPs have so far publicly called for Johnson’s resignation, and Tory insiders guess that as many as 30-40 letters have been sent.

However, the Commons increased the midterm break on Thursday, offering the prospect of a brief respite for Johnson. In the meantime, he is expected to complete his No 10 overhaul and political activism.

Starmer has claimed that Johnson upended his claims about Jimmy Savile from the dark web, saying he was “likening violent fascist conspiracy theories” to political gain.

Right-wing groups in the US also allege that pedophiles are at the forefront of American politics, while Trump regularly makes false statements about his opponents.

Tobias Ellwood, Tory, chair of the Commons defense committee, tweeted: “We claim to be the Mother of all parliaments. Let’s stop this drift towards a Trump political style becoming the norm. We are better than this.”

Anthony Mangnall, another Tory MP who has urged Johnson to step down, said: “Debate and discussion in this country is essential.” “We are not America,” he added.

Brendan Cox, husband of the murdered former Labor MP Jo Cox, told the BBC that Britain has “a long way” from a culture of political violence in the US, but politicians must be careful not to go down that road.

“When you make accusations against pedophile defenders or not against pedophiles, it creates a visceral argument and an emotionally violent reaction,” he said.

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