Boris Johnson says he's 'said more than enough' on Savile slur after Starmer gets death threats

Police are investigating death threats aimed at Sir Keir Starmer, with the Labour leader being targeted by online trolls after a group of protesters mobbed him in the street last week, repeating a false Jimmy Savile slur used by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Documents, including a batch of messages from users of the Telegram app who appear to be identifiable, were sent to Scotland Yard by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) on Friday.

The police investigation was reported over the weekend by the Observer after Sir Keir was harassed last Monday, by protesters using the prime minister's discredited claim that the Labour leader failed to prosecute paedophile Savile.

Asked if he has received death threats in the wake of Mr Johnson’s comments, Sir Keir said: “Yes. I do not like talking about this because I have got young children.”

Mr Johnson again refused to apologise to Sir Keir after being asked about the death threats, telling broadcasters he'd "said more than enough" about the issue.

Sir Keir told BBC Radio Newcastle that Mr Johnson "knew exactly what he was doing" when he made the accusation.

He said the claim was "very wrong", adding: “There has been a right-wing conspiracy theory for some time that’s a complete fabrication.

“He fed into that, and that has caused difficulty, but my preference, if I may, is not to talk about that because, as I say, I have got young children and I don’t particularly want them to hear too much of what may or may not be said about me.”

Death threats include calls for Sir Keir - who along with shadow foreign secretary David Lammy were confronted by a mob in Whitehall last week shouting “paedophile protector” - to be executed, reports the Observer.

ITV News Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports on the evening Sir Keir and David Lammy were confronted by the mob

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “On Friday 11 February, police received a third party report relating to allegations of malicious communications made against a serving Member of Parliament.

“An investigation is ongoing.”

No arrests have yet been made.

Sir Keir told broadcasters on Monday morning that he's concerned about threats being made against politicians, "but this is not about me".

"There are threats to too many politicians, particularly women, actually, we've all got a duty to bring that level down and return to the politics where we have strong debate, strong arguments, but it's rational. It's honest and it's done with integrity."

A Labour source said: “Of course extremists of all stripes don’t like Keir – he spent years helping to put them and their ilk in prison and keep Britain’s streets safe from them.”

The material from the CCDH, shown to The Observer, includes responses to footage of last week’s incident posted by English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon – better known under his pseudonym Tommy Robinson – and conspiracy theory group Resistance GB.

Last week, in a slur which caused widespread criticism and calls for him to apologise, Mr Johnson accused his rival of failing to prosecute Savile while he was director of public prosecutions.

On Monday, Sir Keir and Mr Lammy, who were walking back from the Ministry of Defence after a briefing on the situation in Ukraine, had to be escorted away from the demonstrators by police.

Although Sir Keir was head of the Crown Prosecution Service in 2009 when a decision was taken not to prosecute Savile, he had no personal involvement in the deliberations.

In an interview with The Times this week, Sir Keir said he had never been called a “paedophile protector” before.

He added: “If others want to argue that this is unconnected with precisely what the Prime Minister said one week before then let them make that case. But they’ll never persuade me that there is no link.”

Mr Johnson tweeted on Monday evening that the “behaviour directed” at the Labour leader was “absolutely disgraceful”.

Critics have said the PM’s jibe is completely unfounded and have blamed the remark for anti-Covid restriction demonstrators targeting Sir Keir outside Parliament.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid, speaking on a visit to east London on Tuesday, said the images of the opposition leader being bundled into a police car to be escorted away from protesters were “completely disgraceful”.

But the Cabinet minister, who has previously distanced himself from the PM’s Savile comments, said “the people that are to blame are the protesters themselves” rather than Mr Johnson.