Victims of Jimmy Savile 'appalled' at Boris Johnson over Keir Starmer smear, says lawyer for survivors

Victims of Jimmy Savile are "appalled" by Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrongly claiming in Parliament that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer had failed to prosecute him, a lawyer who helped represent more than 160 of his survivors in civil cases has said.

Richard Scorer, head of abuse law and public inquiries at the Slater and Gordon law firm, said Mr Johnson should withdraw the discredited remark and apologise for it.

"I've spoken to a handful of clients today and they are universally appalled at what Johnson did," he said.

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"What angers them more than anything is the idea of Johnson, who has not got any track record of supporting child abuse victims, using this as some way of getting out of a political hole and weaponising what happened to them."

Boris Johnson has been strongly criticised for claims he made about Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile in Parliament.Boris Johnson has been strongly criticised for claims he made about Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile in Parliament.
Boris Johnson has been strongly criticised for claims he made about Keir Starmer and Jimmy Savile in Parliament.

Mr Johnson made the comments on Monday when he lashed out at the Labour leader, a former director of public prosecutions, during Commons clashes about the report on alleged lockdown-busting parties in No 10.

As he battled to defend himself from the Partygate row, Mr Johnson claimed Sir Keir “used his time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile”.

Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said on Tuesday he was “far from satisfied that the comments in question were appropriate” but also said “procedurally nothing disorderly occurred but such allegations should not be made lightly”.

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In 2020, fact checking charity Full Fact looked into the claim that Sir Keir had stopped Savile being charged in 2009.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was previously in charge of the CPS before his move into politics.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was previously in charge of the CPS before his move into politics.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was previously in charge of the CPS before his move into politics.

Full Fact said Sir Keir was head of the Crown Prosecution Service when the decision not to prosecute Savile was made on the grounds of “insufficient evidence” by local police and a reviewing lawyer for the CPS.

Following Savile's death in 2011, it emerged he had abused hundreds of children and women.

Sir Keir ordered an independent review into the decision not to prosecute him in 2009. It said the accounts of the victims were treated “with a degree of caution which was neither justified nor required” and with a different approach, a prosecution may have been possible. But there was no evidence found of any “improper motive on the part of either police or prosecutors”.

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Following the publication of the findings in January 2013, Sir Keir said they represented a "watershed moment" for the CPS and later that year, the organisation updated its guidance on prosecuting child sexual abuse in England and Wales.

Mr Scorer said that in total contrast to what Mr Johnson had said in Parliament on Monday, victims of Savile had in fact been generally appreciative of the steps taken by Sir Keir on the issue when he was in charge of the CPS.

"He instituted a review which examined the whole history and then made recommendations about how to avoid a similar situation arising," he said.

"From the point of view of my clients, Savile was dead and couldn't be prosecuted. But what they wanted to see was people learning lessons from mistakes that had been made.

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"They could see that he [Starmer] was absolutely trying to do that. He was being very responsive to the things that had come to light, he saw the problem and he was trying to fix it."

Mr Scorer, who subsequently contributed to a victims' law report done by Sir Keir in 2014, said he was concerned about the implications of Mr Johnson not withdrawing the remarks.

"He should withdraw it. He has no business in spreading a lie. Of course, we have vigorous political debate but when the Prime Minister starts spreading lies from obscure corners of the internet, we are getting into Donald Trump territory.

"In public office, there has got to be a basic level of integrity and this is a smear, it is untrue. Anyone who troubled to acquaint themselves with the facts will know it is untrue and he should withdraw it. It is polluting our country and political system with something very poisonous if this is allowed to stand."

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Downing Street has been contacted for comment.

But earlier today, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Mr Johnson “stands by what he said in the House”.

The spokesman declined to repeat the Prime Minister’s assertion, arguing that it would clash with the principle of civil service impartiality.

“As a civil servant it wouldn’t be right for me to repeat something which relates to a political aspect of the Prime Minister’s work,” the spokesman said.

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Sir Keir told Sky News: “It is a ridiculous slur peddled by right-wing trolls… this is where I saw the faces of the Conservative MPs, the disgust on their faces that their Prime Minister was debasing himself by sinking so low in the Chamber was clear.

“They knew that he was going so low with that slur, with that lie – he had been advised not to do it because it’s obviously not true, but he does it because he doesn’t understand what honesty and integrity means.”

Savile died in 2011 aged 84 having never been brought to justice for his crimes.

He is now believed to be one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.

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A 2016 report into his abuse found staff at the BBC missed numerous opportunities to stop him.

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