London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 04, 2025

Far right celebrates after Johnson repeats ‘Savile slur’ in parliament

Far right celebrates after Johnson repeats ‘Savile slur’ in parliament

The prime minister was widely criticised for repeating the slur that is widespread online – but extremists were delighted

A network of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and antisemites has celebrated Boris Johnson’s false claim that Keir Starmer failed to prosecute Jimmy Savile.

Johnson was roundly criticised, including by some Tory MPs, after he made the accusation during an ill-tempered exchange in the Commons last Monday.

His accusation led to renewed calls for him to resign, prompted chancellor Rishi Sunak to publicly rebuke the prime minister and saw one of his closest aides, Munira Mirza, quit over her boss’s “scurrilous accusation” and subsequent failure to apologise.

An Observer investigation can now reveal how Johnson’s comments have since been seized upon by notorious far-right groups including the Pie and Mash Squad, a network of football hooligans linked to the anti-Muslim English Defence League and violent Casuals United, as well as a white nationalist organisation called the Traditional Britain Group.

Munira Mirza, one of the PM’s closest aides, quit over Johnson’s Savile slur.


Other rightwing British figures to appreciate Johnson’s intervention include neo-Nazi Mark Collett, who leads the white supremacist Patriotic Alternative group, as well as Nick Griffin, former leader of the fascist British National Party.

The Savile accusation has long been touted among far-right groups, including the anti-immigrant neo-fascist Proud Boys, labelled a terrorist entity by Canada following its “pivotal role” in the US Capitol attack last year.

Other infamous far-right figures to have endorsed the allegation that Starmer failed to prosecute Savile when he was director of public prosecutions include EDL founder Tommy Robinson.

A statement from Tech Against Terrorism, an initiative launched by the UN counter-terrorism executive directorate, said the prime minister’s willingness to repeat discredited far-right tropes was disquieting. “We are gravely concerned by this recent example of extremist ideology manifesting in mainstream British politics,” it read.

Meanwhile the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), an international group that seeks to disrupt online hate, said the episode was a striking instance of how social media amplified information that was probably untrue.

Imran Ahmed, chief executive of CCDH, said: “It’s a very good example of disinformation that has benefitted from the specific amplifying dynamic of social media.”

Johnson’s repeating of the Savile slur was celebrated instantly by the extreme right, with CCDH recording that posts on rightwing channels on the messaging app Telegram had attracted 42,521 views in the two days after Johnson made the remark.

The prime minister’s comments also induced threats of violence with one account, whose avatar is a confederate flag, posting “hang the lot of them” in reference to Labour politicians on alt-tech platform Brand New Tube, while an anonymous poster on the 4Chan bulletin board suggested Starmer “should kill himself”.

Trump supporters storm the Capitol in January last year. Neo-fascist group Proud Boys, who are believed to have played a pivotal role, have long touted the false Savile accusation.


On Telegram, the Traditional Britain Group account, whose members have previously called for black people to return to their “natural homelands”, bemoaned the “synthetic outrage” around Johnson’s Savile comments.

Neo-Nazi Mark Collett, who once suggested Hitler’s Mein Kampf as one of three books people should read and has attended combat training with former members of the proscribed terrorist organisation National Action, posted about the “establishment” and “paedophilia”, a longstanding far-right obsession.

Another notorious figure to seize on Johnson’s comments was Mark Steele, a British conspiracy theorist with more than 20,000 Telegram channel subscribers, who posted: “Johnson ousts Keir the knight of the realm who blocked the police investigation against the knight Savile for his disgusting sex offences”.

Claims that Starmer failed to prosecute Savile have been shared on far-right Telegram channels as well as Facebook for years. In January 2021 it was also propagated by Official Proud Boys Britannia, who described Starmer as a “paedophile/serial killer protector”.

The group is affiliated to the US white nationalist misogynistic group and its Canadian wing that was last year named by Ottawa as a terrorist entity.

Before the prime minister’s Savile comments, CCDH said it had monitored a spike in the claim last month.

One reason is believed to be the US anti-vaccine conspiracist Sherri Tenpenny, who has 159,000 Telegram subscribers and reposted a message in January claiming that Starmer “decided there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to charge Saville”. That message had been viewed more than 220,000 times by the time Johnson repeated the slur.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
×