As Starmer attempts to disclaim any responsibility for the failure to prosecute Jimmy Savile, this morning Guido asked whether he’d similarly refused to take credit for CPS victories in which he played no part as DPP. New footage unearthed this afternoon however shows Starmer boasting during the Labour leadership election about carrying the can when his team dropped the ball:

“Hear me out: I had 8,000 staff for five years as the director of public prosecutions. And I acted, I hope, in the right way with them, which is when they had victories I celebrated victories on their behalf, I picked up awards on their behalves. When they made mistakes, I carried the can. I never turn on my staff and you should never turn on your staff… I will carry the can for mistakes of any organisation I lead.”

Now it seems Starmer is not only passing the buck onto his former staff in the CPS for the failure to prosecute Savile, he’s accusing anyone of saying as Director of Public Prosecutions he carried the can for the mistakes of the organisation he led, of being “far right”. A claim the video shows he himself first made.

He didn’t just emphasise his total control and responsibility over the CPS during his leadership campaign. To this day his profile on the Doughty Street Chambers website reads:

“As DPP, Keir was responsible for all criminal prosecutions in England and Wales.”

Once again, we’re now supposed to pretend Sir Keir has no questions to answer, nor any responsibility to shoulder, over the Savile handling by the CPS. It seems to look bang to rights, m’lud…