69 per cent of public think PM is responsible for harassment of Keir Starmer, snap poll suggests

A snap poll produced by Savanta ComRes suggests that over two-thirds of British adults think Boris Johnson bears responsibility for the harassment of Sir Keir Starmer in Westminster yesterday evening.

Sir Keir and shadow foreign secretary David Lammy were set upon by a group of protestors outside parliament at around 17:00 last night, and escaped via a police car.

Jack Elsom of the Sun newspaper witnessed the event, and reported that many of the attendees were shouting about Savile, while further videos circulating social media  show members of the protest shouting about  the “new world order,” and accusing Sir Keir of being a “traitor” and a “pedophile protector.”

Boris Johnson has faced calls to apologise and recant his remarks made last Monday, when he accused the Labour leader of spending more “time prosecuting journalists and failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile”.

Today’s poll suggested that 69 per cent thought the prime minister was responsible for Starmer’s harassment; and 54 per cent of people who voted Conservative in 2019 agreed

68 per cent of those surveyed said Johnson ought to publicly apologise to Starmer, and 68 per cent said he should withdraw the remarks.

Of those asked, 64 per cent also said that politics has gotten nastier in last 5 years.

Ex No 10 pollster James Johnson said via Twitter: “We are now in a world where the public will automatically side against the government on most things, even if they’re not that aware of the issue. This is what happens when a leader is viewed overwhelmingly negatively and their brand with the public is spent.”