David Starkey says that if he was black, no one would have complained about his comments that ‘black gangster culture’ turned whites into looters

HISTORIAN DAVID Starkey, who sparked controversy by claiming that white rioters were influenced by ‘gangster culture’, said his comments wouldn’t have provoked public outrage if he was black.

In an exclusive interview with The Voice, the Cambridge-educated academic hit back at his critics who dubbed the historian a ‘racist’ over his remarks on the BBC’s Newsnight show. His involvement in a discussion about what prompted the recent riots resulted in 700 viewer complaints to the BBC.

However the 66-year-old who describes himself as an advocate of plain speaking said “I’m a white man not black , therefore I’m not allowed.” (to speak about race issues).

On the programme, Starkey blamed ‘black gangster culture’ for turning white youngsters into looters and made reference to the late MP Enoch Powell’s infamous ‘rivers of blood’ speech....