Police had to escort British opposition leader Keir Starmer to safety on Tuesday after being harassed by an angry mob. Now Prime Minister Johnson is being criticized.
Keir Starmer (pictured) is also targeted by a mob over false claims made by Boris Johnson.
(dpa) British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has come under further pressure over false claims about opposition leader Keir Starmer. The Tory chief accused Starmer last week of being personally responsible for the failure to investigate BBC pedophile presenter Jimmy Savile, who has since died. Several MPs from Johnson’s Conservative Party on Tuesday demanded an apology from the prime minister after Starmer was confronted and harassed by protesters on the street the previous evening.
“Prime Minister please excuse me,” Tory MP Tobias Ellwood wrote on Twitter, adding, “Let’s stop this slide towards normalizing Trump-style politics.”
Videos circulating online Monday night show Starmer being attacked by protesters near Parliament in London. Among other things, calls such as “traitors” and the Savile allegations can be heard. Police officers finally maneuver the Labor politician into a patrol car, which drives away with the blue lights flashing. According to Scotland Yard, two people were arrested after throwing a warning cone at officers.
Johnson had described the incident on Monday evening as “absolutely disgraceful” and “completely unacceptable”, but has not yet apologized to the opposition leader. Digital Secretary of State Chris Phelps defended the prime minister on Tuesday. Johnson cannot be held responsible for the behavior of protesters, Philp told the BBC. Government sources also said Johnson had no intention of apologizing.