London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Oct 28, 2025

Boris Johnson Under Fire Over "Trumpian" Attack On Rival

Boris Johnson Under Fire Over "Trumpian" Attack On Rival

The UK PM accused opposition leader Keir Starmer of failing in 2013 as head of the country's prosecution service to take action against notorious celebrity paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Britain's embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson faced renewed pressure Tuesday to apologise to opposition leader Keir Starmer for what critics have called a misleading "Trumpian" attack on him last week.

Johnson -- already facing calls to step down after months of scandals -- accused Starmer of failing in 2013 as head of the country's prosecution service to take action against notorious celebrity paedophile Jimmy Savile.

Labour leader Starmer, who led the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) from 2008 to 2013, was not personally involved in the case but has previously apologised on behalf of the CPS for its failures.

Critics, including numerous Conservative MPs, have decried Johnson's claim -- made during a fractious parliamentary session -- noting it has been propagated by far-right conspiracy theorists.

Johnson later clarified the remark, saying he accepted Starmer played no direct role in the decision but noting his apology and apparent acceptance of responsibility.

The prime minister has refused to say sorry or retract his accusation.

However, it has come under fresh scrutiny after several dozen anti-lockdown demonstrators mobbed Starmer outside parliament Monday, with one protestor heard claiming he was "protecting paedophiles".

A video posted online showed the Labour leader being jostled before police, who arrested two people, intervened and escorted him to a car.

Within hours, Tory and other lawmakers were repeating calls for Johnson to say sorry.

"PM -- apologise please," Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood wrote on Twitter.

"Let's stop this drift towards a Trumpian style of politics from becoming the norm. We are better than this."

 'Inflame opinions'


Green Party MP Caroline Lucas said Tuesday that Johnson's attack was "utterly shameful" and "straight out of (the) Trumpian playbook".

"Words have consequences -- we saw that on (the) streets of Westminster yesterday evening. He's poisoning our politics & must apologise or go."

Johnson himself took to Twitter to criticise Starmer's treatment Monday as "absolutely disgraceful".

"All forms of harassment of our elected representatives are completely unacceptable," he said, adding: "I thank the police for responding swiftly."

His spokesman told reporters the British leader would not be apologising to Starmer, and insisted he "always seeks to engage with people in the right way".

However, House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, a non-partisan administrator of parliamentary business, warned MPs their "words have consequences" and reiterated that Johnson's original claim was "inappropriate" and could "inflame opinions".

 Dogged by 'Partygate'


But the incidents appear to have heightened unease within the restive Conservative Party at Johnson's conduct -- just as he attempts a major reset after months of tumult.

Ellwood is one of 13 Tory MPs to have publicly submitted a no-confidence letter in Johnson to a committee of backbench lawmakers with the power to call a leadership contest.

More are thought to have sent letters in without declaring them, sparked mostly by damaging allegations of parties in Downing Street during the pandemic in a scandal dubbed "partygate".

The committee requires at least 15 percent, or 54, of the 360 Conservative MPs to write such letters to trigger a party leadership challenge.

Johnson has sought to move beyond the scandal by changing his top team, with several senior aides departing and a new chief of staff and director of communications hired.

As part of a minor reshuffle on Tuesday, Johnson named Jacob Rees-Mogg as Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency.

When Johnson's longtime chief policy advisor Munira Mirza unexpectedly quit last Thursday, she specifically cited the Jimmy Saville claim in her resignation letter made public.

Meanwhile, Johnson is awaiting the outcome of a Metropolitan Police Service investigation into the numerous Downing Street gatherings and whether lockdown rules were breached.

The under-fire British leader could face the humiliation of being fined by police -- an outcome likely to prompt a flurry of further no-confidence letters.

He is also heading into UK local elections in May with Labour enjoying a double-digit lead over his ruling Tories, on the back of "partygate" and a squeeze on living standard.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
×