London politics news LIVE: Storm over Boris Johnson’s Jimmy Savile comments after Keir Starmer abuse

Andy Burnham accuses PM of playing ‘Trump handbook’ at the despatch box

Andy Burnham has accused the prime minister of playing “the Trump handbook at the despatch box”.

The mayor of Greater Manchester said that Boris Johnson’s “words have consequences” after footage emerged of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer being ambused by an angry mob of protesters in Westminster on Monday.

Mr Burnham told Sky News: “If you are going play the Trump handbook at the despatch box at the House of Commons, and incite people with untruths, they are going to be consequences, and we saw some of those consequences yesterday.

“The thing that surprises me most, about the situation we are in, we are a matter of a couple of months since a British MP was murdered in his constituency office and it just feels as though they have moved on and it hasn’t registered.”

He called on Mr Johnson to “face up to” the Jimmy Savile ‘slur’ he levelled against Sir Keir Starmer.

Mr Burnham said “if it was wrong, apologise”, adding that we all make mistakes and say things in the heat of the moment.

He said: “We all do things that we, perhaps on reflection wouldn’t have done in politics. In the heat of the moment, things come out.

“The best thing to do always, is to face up to it and say it was wrong and apologise.

“It was an extraordinary state of affairs to have a senior No 10 adviser, Johnson’s longest-serving aide, resigning on the back of this.

“That tells you a line has been crossed. I’m not saying he’s uniquely to blame, and there’s been inflammatory language amongst people on the left in recent times, so it’s not only his problem but he is the prime minister.

The mayor of Greater Manchester said that “words have consequences” and warned that the prime minister had a responsibility not to “decimate” parliamentary standards.

He continued: “When he speaks from the despatch box his words have consequences. And he can’t allow his desperation with regard to the situation he’s in to see up the decimation of all standards in politics. That really can’t happen.”

Addressing the recent attacks on the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, Mr Burnham said it was “not right” for leaders’ other halves to get drawn into the political debate – adding that he spoke from personal experience.

Mr Burnham continued: “Leave wives, husbands and other halves out of it”.

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/london-politics-latest-news-boris-johnson-apologise-keir-starmer-jimmy-savile-rishi-sunak-putin-ukraine-b981278.html

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