Evgeny Lebedev releases note from Keir Starmer congratulating him on getting peerage from PM as he accuses Labour of relying on ‘no facts and pure innuendo’ to question his loyalties
- Lord Lebedev said he has ‘nothing to hide’ over his appointment to the Lords
- Criticised opposition for attacking him based on ‘no facts and pure innuendo’
- Revealed text from Sir Keir Starmer congratulating him on the appointment
Newspaper tycoon Evgeny Lebedev blasted Labour today over its attempts to discover why the security services tried to block his peerage.
Lord Lebedev, who owns the Standard and Independent newspapers, insisted he has ‘nothing to hide’ as he backed the publication of security advice linked to his appointment to the House of Lords.
In a series of tweets the Russian-born businessman, whose father was a KGB agent, criticised the opposition for attacking him based on ‘no facts and pure innuendo’.
And he revealed ‘in the spirit of transparency’ that party leader Sir Keir Starmer has congratulated him on his peerage in a text message in 2020.
His remarks came as Labour tabled a House of Commons motion in a bid to force the Government to release documents about Boris Johnson’s involvement in the appointment.
The Prime Minister’s former aide, Dominic Cummings, has claimed he was in the room when Mr Johnson was told by Cabinet Office officials that the ‘intelligence services and other parts of the deep state’ had ‘serious reservations’ about the PM’s plan to appoint the media mogul to the Lords.
They want Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay to put all relevant information provided to the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) before the Commons by no later than April 28.
The Tories also attacked Labour over its own links to Mr Lebedev tonight. MP Peter Gibson has written to Labour asking Sir Keir to disclose his meetings with ‘media proprietors, editors and senior executives.
In his letter, the Darlington MP claims Labour has failed to honour a 2012 pledge made by former leader Ed Miliband, by not releasing the information for six years.
Lord Lebedev, who owns the Standard and Independent newspapers, insisted he has ‘nothing to hide’ as he backed the publication of security advice linked to his appointment to the House of Lords.
In a series of tweets the Russian-born businessman, whose father was a KGB agent, criticised the opposition for attacking him based on ‘no facts and pure innuendo’.
Lord Lebedev wrote on Twitter: ‘Openness and transparency are pillars of our democratic system, so I welcome the call for security advice about me provided to Holac (House of Lords Appointments Commission) to be released.
‘I have nothing to hide.’
In separate tweets, Lord Lebedev added: ‘And in the spirit of transparency here is a text to me from @Keir-Starmer: ‘Congratulations on your elevation to the House of Lords. All best wishes, Keir.’
‘There’s a war in Europe. Britain is facing the highest cost of living since the 1950s. And you choose to debate me based on no facts and pure innuendo. What’s become of you @UKLabour #shadowofyourformerself.’
Labour tonight dismissed Lord Lebedev’s attempt to draw them into the row over his peerage, with a source saying: ‘It was Boris Johnson who secretly overruled the security services to give Lord Lebedev a seat in our parliament. None of this was publicly known at the time.’
They called on the peer to also release his text messages with the Prime Minister.
Mr Johnson has previously denied reports he influenced the intelligence services after they advised against giving a Lords’ seat to Lebedev, who also denies any wrongdoing.
Reports claimed MI5 and MI6 warned that granting the peerage in 2020 posed a risk to national security. But they are said to have withdrawn their opposition after the direct intervention of Mr Johnson, who accused them of ‘anti-Russianism’.
Lebedev, 41-, whose father is the former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev, took his seat in December 2020 as Baron Lebedev of Hampton and Siberia.
He is a friend of the PM and was part of a peerages list which included the Conservative leader’s close political allies, party donors and his own brother, Jo.
He moved to London aged eight to be with his billionaire father, Alexander, and has remained in the UK ever since.
In 2009, the pair bought a 65 per cent stake in the Evening Standard. A year later, he bought The Independent and launched the i newspaper.
It is expected Conservative MPs will abstain if Labour presses its motion to a vote.
Opening the debate, Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner spoke of ‘serious questions’ over Lord Lebedev’s peerage.
She said: ‘The commission concluded it could not support his nomination. Forty-eight hours later, the Prime Minister visited Lebedev at his home in London.
‘Details of that meeting have never been released to the public and questions remain about whether the security services knew about this meeting or whether their assessments show that the Kremlin were keeping tabs on these activities.’
In July 2020, Lord Lebedev’s appointment as a peer was announced, she said, adding: ‘So the question is this, what changed between the security warning and the appointment?
‘The British public have a right to know if and how an individual of apparent concern to our intelligence services was granted a seat at the heart of Parliament by personal order of the Prime Minister.
‘Whether the Prime Minister was aware of that security advice but chose to ignore it, overrule it, or even demand that be changed.’
But Cabinet Office minister Michael Ellis accused Labour of seeking to ‘whip up anti-Russian feeling’.
He said: ‘Not all Russians are our enemy. Many British citizens of Russian extraction came to this country with a view to an opposition to President Putin. People cancelling Tchaikovsky concerts is not appropriate and Labour seeking to whip up anti-Russian feeling, casting all persons of Russian extraction in a negative light is wrong.’
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