Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has penned an “urgent” letter demanding answers over Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer’s potential conflicts of interests.
Jenrick, who sent the letter to Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald, is putting pressure on Lord Hermer over his role in the Government’s decision to drop a winnable appeal against paying Gerry Adams compensation.
The letter puts the Labour Government in the spotlight just days after Tulip Siddiq tendered her resignation over separate conflict of interest allegations concerning her links to her aunt Sheikh Hasina’s regime in Bangladesh.
In his letter to the Cabinet Secretary, seen by GB News, Jenrick said: “The Attorney General has properly declared his previous position as a barrister at Matrix Chambers in his ministerial interests.
Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer
PA
“However, it has been widely reported that Lord Hermer has recently represented clients in matters which remain live issues for His Majesty’s Government, and for which, in these or related matters, it is reasonable to assume the Attorney General’s Office would have been, or will be, asked to provide advice.”
The Shadow Justice Secretary also highlighted Lord Hermer’s representation of Sri Lankan asylum seekers in the Chagos Islands, ex-Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, Afghan families associated with the ongoing Afghan inquiry and parties interested in Shamima Begum’s citizenship case.
He added: “These matters raise serious questions about the management of potential conflicts of interest at the highest levels of Government legal service. The implications extend beyond the specific cases to any matters broadly connected to these areas of policy and law.”
Jenrick is demanding answers on whether formal procedures have been established to manage potential conflicts of interest and for a date as to when procedures were implemented.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick
PA
The Shadow Justice Secretary’s questions in full:
1. What formal procedures have been established to manage these potential conflicts?
2. When were these procedures implemented?
3. Has the Attorney General recused himself from any matters since taking office?
4. Given the public interest in the specific matters set out above, has the Attorney General recused himself from each of these and any related matter? For example, the decision of HMG not to appeal Dillon & Ors [2024] NIKB and the ongoing negotiations with the Government of Mauritius over the future of the Chagos Islands?
5. What mechanism exists to record and monitor such recusals?
6. Has any advice been provided on matters connected to his previous cases?
Jenrick specifically accused the Attorney General of not “fully” recusing himself after Lord Hermer described the UK as having an “obligation” regarding the Chagos Islands.
Lord Hermer has so far refused to disclose if he advised ministers on a series of cases, after Labour last week announced plans to repeal a law that blocked Adams from claiming compensation for his detention in the 1970s.
Concluding his letter, Jenrick said: “Refusing to provide direct answers to these questions and to those put to the Attorney General by the Justice Select Committee risks undermining public confidence in the Attorney General’s Office and the rule of law itself.
“I request that you investigate these matters and revert to me as a matter of urgency. The urgency is compounded by the fact that several of these matters represent some of the most contentious issues in our political and legal life at present, with significant implications for public expenditure and national security.”
GB News also understands that Jenrick could seek further correspondence with the Prime Minister independent adviser on ministers’ interests Sir Laurie Magnus in the future.
Speaking to the People’s Channel earlier this week, Jenrick raised concerns about the Attorney General’s potential role in the Government’s decision to drop its High Court appeal.
He said: “We need to know what was the role of the Attorney General, did he recuse himself or did he have a massive conflict of interests by getting involved in this case when he was previously the lawyer of Gerry Adams.”
Lord Hermer previously represented Adams in a case concerning the victims of three IRA bomb attacks.
He also unsuccessfully took the UK Government to court in 2023 on behalf of a group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers trying to get to Britain from the Chagos Islands.
The five migrants, who were part of dozens who had made it to the Anglo-American base at Diego Garcia, hoped to enter the UK before the action was dismissed by the High Court.
However, just months after Lord Hermer became Attorney General, the Government decided to grant a “one-off” deal to allow all 61 asylum seekers to come to Britain.
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said: “The public can be assured that there are rigorous systems in place to ensure that law officers (who have extensive legal background and a wider number of past cases) would not be consulted on any cases that could give rise to a conflict of interest.”
GB News has also approached the Cabinet Office for comment.
