A German broadcaster has called Boris Johnson a “stubborn child” after he refused to apologise for his Jimmy Savile comments.
The prime minister has embarked on a mini-reshuffle as he continued to resist calls to apologise for his controversial attack on Sir Keir Starmer.
Abuse targeted at Sir Keir outside parliament has prompted renewed calls for Mr Johnson to back down over his claims that Starmer failed to prosecute Savile when he was director of public prosecutions, which critics said was completely unfounded.
They included at least six Conservative MPs – including one former Cabinet minister – after the PM’s long-standing aide Munira Mirza quit last week in protest at his refusal to withdraw the comments.
Downing Street, however, made it clear that he would not be apologising, prompting the following comment from Germany’s NTV:
They said: “It is becoming increasingly obvious that politically there is not much left of the time-honoured “British Empire”.
“However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson still manages to top it all off.
“Like a stubborn child, he does not want to apologise for false statements.”
It follows similar coverage published in January following revelations of lockdown-busting parties.
Newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung printed an opinion piece under the headline “Boris Johnson does not govern. He only plays premier”, while the Italian Corriere della Sera said “even the Conservatives” are ready to kick out the “overwhelmed” PM.
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