Keir Starmer must answer this question about John Worboys

A Martian visiting Britain in recent months might be a little confused as to the nature of human morality – not to mention as to where on the body we have our sexual organs. First the country becomes consumed by the wicked behaviour of man who lightly touched a woman’s knee. Then, a man who was found guilty of drugging and raping 19 women is quietly approved for release by the Parole Board as if his offences were no big deal. It emerges that he was suspected of 100 more rapes, too, but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) never even bothered to charge him with those.

The scandal of John Worboys’ planned release – which former Director of Public Prosecutions and now shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has been struggling to explain today – has at least made the front pages. The story of Theodore Johnson, jailed this afternoon for 26 years for killing a third female partner – that after twice being released following previous killings, has until now passed with little comment.