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Boris Johnson has nominated a Russian newspaper owner for a seat in the House of Lords without giving any official reasons for his appointment, according to newly revealed information from the oversight commission. candidates.
Evgeny Lebedev, also a British citizen, was granted a life seat in the upper house of parliament as part of the former prime minister’s political peerage in July 2020, becoming Baron Lebedev of Hampton London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Siberia in Russia.
His appointment as a peer caused controversy when it emerged from media reports that the House of Lords Selection Commission (Holac) had warned against Lebedev’s nomination due to national security risks associated with Evening Standard and family background of independent owners.
The eight Holac commissioners, three of whom represent major political parties and the rest are non-political, usually receive a letter of intent for each candidate, but “they did not receive a letter of Mr. Lebedev during his appointment”, according to a response to a freedom of information request sent by the Financial Times.
Alexander Lebedev, Evgeny’s father, was an officer of the KGB and one of its successor agencies, the FSB. Alexander has since been sanctioned by Canada for enabling “Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine” with Ukraine being “directly or indirectly controlled by foreign nationals”.
The Security Service also gave Johnson a personal briefing in Downing Street about the risks associated with Evgeny’s appointment to the Lords, after the former Prime Minister decided to go ahead with it despite find out about the security advice provided by Holac.
Holac declined to comment on the specifics of Lebedev’s selection. But it welcomed the government’s recent decision to publish citations for candidates. The civil society, which cannot prevent the chosen people, examines them by looking at possible evil after asking for their permission.
Lord Michael Jay, who was chairman of Holac between 2008 and 2013, said: “I don’t recall any wordless suggestions at all – but others I think said whether the person was and who without much explanation or why he was there in the first place.”
Lord George Foulkes, a Labor peer who sat on parliament’s science and security committee, said: “I have expressed concern about Lord Lebedev’s peers, mainly for security reasons but also because they have never I am still thinking about the best way to take this matter forward, including referring it to the Honors Forfeiture Committee.”
A spokesman for Johnson said: “This is nonsense, everyone who is appointed to the Lords follows a proper bureaucratic process. Lord Lebedev’s outstanding contribution to British journalism was highlighted in the process. The security services did not advise against this option.”
Evgeny Lebedev’s private office did not respond to a request for comment.
