Sir Keir Starmer had to be bundled into a police car after he was accosted by protesters outside parliament.
The group called the Labour leader a ‘traitor’ and shouted at him about Jimmy Savile, just days after the Prime Minister linked Sir Keir with the decision not to prosecute the paedophile children’s entertainer.
Boris Johnson and home secretary Priti Patel were among those to condemn what happened but the incident has increased pressure on the PM to apologise for his controversial comments.
Footage shared online showed Sir Keir walking with colleague David Lammy when he was suddenly surrounded by a group shouting abuse.
Some of the protesters were seen holding signs opposing mandatory vaccination and the use of restrictions to prevent Covid-19 deaths.
‘Why did you go after Julian Assange, why did you go after journalists?’ one man is heard shouting, while others accused him of ‘protecting paedophiles’.
As the scenes became increasingly angry, the footage shows officers trying to protect the Labour leader.
They then decide to get him away from the area by leading him into the back of a police car.
It was understood Sir Keir was not harmed during the incident.
Mr Johnson last week accused his rival of having used his time as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) going after journalists and ‘failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile’, in comments he later backtracked on.
Responding to tonight’s incident, the PM said the abuse hurled at Sir Keir was ‘absolutely disgraceful’.
He tweeted: ‘The behaviour directed at the Leader of the Opposition tonight is absolutely disgraceful. All forms of harassment of our elected representatives are completely unacceptable. I thank the police for responding swiftly.’
But Tory MP Julian Smith said it showed that the Savile claims should be withdrawn in full.
‘What happened to Keir Starmer tonight outside parliament is appalling,’ he said.
‘It is really important for our democracy & for his security that the false Savile slurs made against him are withdrawn in full.’
Mr Lammy added that it was ‘no surprise the conspiracy theorist thugs’ repeated ‘slurs’ used by Mr Johnson at the despatch box.
He said: ‘Intimidation, harassment and lies have no place in our democracy. And they won’t ever stop me doing my job.’
Scotland Yard said two arrests were made during the clashes.
A Metropolitan Police statement said: ‘Shortly after 5.10pm on Monday, February 7, a man who had been surrounded by a group of protesters near to New Scotland Yard, was taken away from the scene by a police car.
‘A man and a woman were arrested at the scene for assault of an emergency worker after a traffic cone was thrown at a police officer. They have been taken into custody.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
