Boris Johnson shouldn't apologise over Jimmy Savile remarks, says Michael Gove

The Prime Minister has been criticised for making the claim in Parliament in Monday - including by victims of Savile. Sir Keir described the comment as a "lie" and “a ridiculous slur peddled by right-wing trolls".

Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle said on Tuesday he was "far from satisfied that the comments in question were appropriate” but also said “procedurally nothing disorderly occurred".

There were calls from senior Yorkshire Conservatives including former chip whip Julian Smith and previous Tory party co-chair Baroness Warsi for Mr Johnson to withdraw the remarks but the Prime Minister has subsequently doubled down on the remark by telling The Sun: “As far I’m aware, it’s fairly accurate.”

Speaking on Wednesday morning on Sky News, Mr Gove backed the Prime Minister's position and said there was no need for Mr Johnson to apologise.

He said: “I think this is a uniquely sensitive issue and it does need to be handled with care, and I listen with enormous respect to those who act for victims of the actions of a terrible, terrible criminal.

“But – and it’s not a subject that I want to dwell on because it is uniquely sensitive – it is the case that the CPS apologised for the handling of this case and what happened in 2009, and I think we should acknowledge that an apology was given at the time and respect that.”

He added: “Keir Starmer acknowledged that mistakes had been made by the organisation of which he was head, to his credit. He was very clear about those mistakes.”

Mr Johnson originally made the comments on Monday when he lashed out at the Labour leader, a former director of public prosecutions, during Commons clashes about the report on alleged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”.

Sir Keir had been 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 in 2009.

Nazir Afzal, who was Chief Crown Prosecutor in the CPS for North West England from 2011-15, told the BBC that Sir Keir would not have known about the decision, with the CPS dealing with 900,000 cases a year at the time.Following Savile's death in 2011, it emerged Savile had abused hundreds of children and women.

Sir Keir then ordered an independent review into the decision not to prosecute him in 2009.

It found 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”.

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.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today. Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you'll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers. Click here to subscribe.