Sir Keir Starmer joked that Line of Duty’s AC-12 should be brought in to investigate allegations of “sleaze” in the Conservative party.
The Labour leader used Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions to probe Boris Johnson over the Greensill Capital lobbying row.
Sir Keir joked that the police anti-corruption unit AC-12, which investigates corrupt police officers, should be called in to solve the problem.
He told the Commons the row was the “tip of the ice-berg” and added: “This is the return of Tory sleaze.
"It’s now so ingrained in this Conservative Government, we don’t need another Conservative Party employee marking their own homework.
“The more I listen to the Prime Minister, the more I think that Ted Hastings and AC-12 are needed to get to the bottom of this one.”
He added: “We know the Prime Minister will not act against sleaze, but this House can. So can I urge all members of this House to come together this afternoon to back Labour’s motion and start to clean up the sleaze and cronyism that is at the heart of this Conservative government.”
Mr Johnson replied, saying that was why they were setting up an “independent review” and why they have “tougher” laws on lobbying.
He added: “It’s a great shame Labour that Labour oppose them.
“We’re getting on with rooting out bent coppers. We’re also appointing and hiring thousands more police officers and fighting crime on the streets of our cities while they oppose the police and crime Bill.”
Mr Johnson took aim at Labour’s opposition to the policing legislation before Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle told him to “at least try and address the question”.
