CPS admits Mohamed Al Fayed twice escaped sexual assault charges

Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, defended Sir Keir's record on tackling crime against women in a round of interviews on Sunday morning. She told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “What has come to light, particularly in the last few days, is extremely serious. Violence against women is, you know, an issue that we absolutely need to tackle.”

“When Keir Starmer was Attorney General, this was a personal priority for him. I don't know the details of what happened in 2009, but sometimes there can be problems with the evidence presented by the police as to whether it can lead to a conviction.”

She added: “The first time I knew who Keir Starmer was was when I saw him on television as Attorney General talking about the personal priority he gives to tackling violence against women and girls, so he feels a personal commitment to this issue.”

“He turned the CPS around while he was running it to focus on that. But of course if there are issues that should be addressed, then that should be done.”

“Enabler” at Harrods

On Saturday, a former Harrods employee, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke on BBC Radio 4's “Today” programme about “supporters” in the luxury department store who she said were “just as guilty as Fayed because they were not just passive spectators”.

Harrods said in its statement that the company was “deeply appalled by the allegations of abuse of power” and said they represented “the actions of an individual who sought to abuse his power wherever he operated”.

The former department store employee said: “I know that Harrods has said in its statement that this is the actions of one individual, but I think it is also the inaction of several individuals and leaders.”