Breaking: Boris Johnson’s policy chief quits over Starmer Savile slur

One of the prime minister’s closest allies has quit following his use of a discredited claim that Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer failed to prosecute serial sex offender Jimmy Savile. Policy chief Munira Mirz has resigned from her £145,000-a-year role after Mr Johnson declined to apologise for the attack in the Commons this week.
In a resignation letter to the prime minister, as published by The Spectator magazine, Ms Mirza wrote: “I believe it was wrong for you to imply this week that Keir Starmer was personally responsible for allowing Jimmy Savile to escape justice.
“There was no fair or reasonable basis for that assertion. This was not the usual cut and thrust of politics; it was an inappropriate and partisan reference to a horrendous case of child sex abuse.
“You tried to clarify your position today but, despite my urging, you did not apologise for the misleading impression you gave.”
Ms Mirza’s departure as policy chief will come as a fresh blow to Mr Johnson as he seeks to shore up his position in Number 10 amid the partygate scandal. She has been a longtime ally of the prime minister and previously worked with Mr Johnson when he was London mayor.
Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s estranged former chief adviser, praised Ms Mirza’s “moral courage”. He added on Twitter: “It’s also an unmistakable signal the bunker is collapsing & *this PM is finished*.”
The comments by the PM occurred in an appearance in the House Of Commons on Monday when he faced a grilling by MPs about the ongoing investigation into lockdown rule-breaking parties in Downing Street.
As he responded to Sir Keir in the Commons, Mr Johnson referred to the Labour leader’s former role as director of public prosecutions.
The prime minister claimed Sir Keir had “spent most of his time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile, as far as I can make out”.
With Mr Johnson’s remarks causing uproar in Westminster, including among some Conservative MPs, Sir Keir later accused the prime minister of “parroting the conspiracy theories of violent fascists to try to score cheap political points”.

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