The Prime Minister has repeatedly denied that the advice to give the businessman and owner of the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers a seat in the House of Lords in 2020 has been canceled. Dominic Cummings, a former senior aide to the prime minister, has said in the past that he was “in the room” when Johnson was briefed on security concerns about Lebedev’s prospective appointment. Live updates on the war in Ukraine as Russia hints at major collapse Mr Cummings said intelligence officials had told the prime minister they had “serious reservations” about the proposed move. Labor calls for advice and documents to be made public Labor has repeatedly pressed the government for a decision to award Lord Lebedev, the son of a former KGB agent, a position in the Lords, particularly in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Initial reports in The Sunday Times suggested that the Prime Minister had received advice from the House of Lords Appointments Committee, which oversees the appointments to the Lords, which later changed its advice. In a letter issued this month, the commission confirmed that it had reviewed the appointment of Lord Lebedev and briefed the Prime Minister on the matter, but declined to comment further. Image: Boris Johnson appoints Lord Lebedev to the House of Lords in 2020 Mr Lebedev insisted it was not a “security threat” to the United Kingdom. On Tuesday, Labor successfully used parliamentary procedures to try to force the publication of advice given to and from the Prime Minister’s private office and the Cabinet Office to the committee on Lord Lebedev’s resemblance. Using a “humble leadership” move previously used by the opposition in 2017 to force the government to release Brexit documents, Labor’s goal was to ensure that all relevant correspondence, including emails and minutes of meetings, was published. . Once the proposal has been approved, the government now has until April 28 to submit the documents. Sky News understands that the government will respond soon and will consider the wider public interest and the Freedom of Information principles raised in the debate. “Openness and transparency are pillars of our democratic system” In a post on social media before the debate over his peers, Lord Lebedev said for reasons of “openness and transparency” that he supported calls for information about his position in the Lords. “Transparency and transparency are pillars of our democratic system, so I welcome the call for security advice about me at HOLAC. I have nothing to hide,” he said. Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker In a second tweet, he added: “And in the spirit of transparency, here is a text to me by Keir Starmer.” Congratulations on your promotion to the House of Lords. Best wishes, Keir “. He continued: “There is a war in Europe. Britain is facing the highest cost of living since the 1950s. And you choose to talk to me without facts and with clear implications. What happened to the UK Workers? #Shadowofyourformerself.” Lebedev’s Putin links “deeply worrying” Opening the debate, Labor Vice President Angela Reiner said “Lord Lebedev’s deeply troubling relationship with Putin is well known.” Image: Opening the debate, Angela Rayner said it was a “matter of national security” He said: “The British public has a right to know if – and how – a person who is obviously concerned about our intelligence services has taken a seat in the heart of Parliament on the personal orders of the Prime Minister. “Either the prime minister was aware of this security advice, but he chose to ignore it, bypass it or even demand a change.” He concluded: “This is a matter of national security and there can be no delay in there being transparency in this case.” Council of Ministers Minister Sir Michael Ellis accused the Labor Party of seeking to “incite anti-Russian sentiment” and warned that “not all Russians are our enemies”. He said the government was “sorry” for the Labor Party proposal, telling lawmakers that the Commons had historically “exercised restraint” by demanding that the documents be made public. Referring to Lord Lebedev’s tweet that Sir Keir sent him a congratulatory message when he was awarded the prize, Sir Michael added: “Now, this must be rather embarrassing for the opposing party.”
