Boris Johnson has denied he intervened to ensure Russian-born businessman Lord Lebedev was given a peerage.
This weekend, The Sunday Times reported that security services withdrew an assessment that giving Evgeny Lebedev an honour posed a security risk after the prime minister pushed officials to override security concerns.
But speaking to broadcasters on Monday, Mr Johnson dismissed the claim as “simply incorrect”.
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a senior parliamentary committee to investigate the claim.
Meanwhile, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has written to the prime minister asking that he make available to the Intelligence and Security Committee all “advice and information” he received regarding the appointment of Lord Lebedev.
A conservative backbencher also raised a question in the House of Commons about steps the government could take to remove peerages – in what appeared to be a response to the Sunday Times story.
Newcastle-under-Lyme MP Aaron Bell urged the government to look at adapting the Titles Deprivation Act of 1917, which was used to remove peerages of members of the House of Lords who were seen to have supported Germany in the first world war.
Home Secretary Priti Patel did not respond directly to the question, but said “we have to rule nothing out.”
Lord Lebedev, who is the owner of the Independent and the London Evening Standard newspapers, was awarded a peerage in July 2020.
He took up his seat as Lord Lebedev of Hampton and Siberia the following December, although he has not voted since.
The son of a billionaire Russian banker and former KGB officer, Lord Lebedev came to London aged eight and holds both Russian and British citizenship.
The prime minister said it would “obviously be extraordinary” if the security…
Source : skynews
