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Boris Johnson has nominated a Russian newspaper owner for a seat in the House of Lords without giving any formal justification for his nomination, according to information recently disclosed by the committee which vets the candidates.
Evgeny Lebedev, also a British citizen, was awarded a life seat in the upper house of Parliament as part of the former Prime Minister’s list of political peers in July 2020, becoming Baron Lebedev of Hampton in the London district of Richmond upon Thames and Siberia in the Russian Federation.
His appointment as a peer sparked a backlash when it emerged in the media that the House of Lords Appointments Committee (Holac) had been warned against appointing Lebedev due to national security risks associated with the Evening Standard and the family history of the owner of the Independent.
Holac’s eight commissioners, three of whom represent the major political parties while the rest are apolitical, typically receive a letter of citation for each candidate, but “did not receive a citation for Mr. Lebedev at the time of his appointment,” according to a response to a freedom of information request submitted by the Financial Times.
Alexander Lebedev, Yevgeny’s father, was an officer in the KGB and one of its successor agencies, the FSB. Alexander has since been sanctioned by Canada for directly enabling “Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine” and by Ukraine for being “directly or indirectly controlled by residents of a foreign state.”
The security detail also gave Johnson an in-person briefing at Downing Street on the risks associated with Evgeny’s nomination to the Lords, after the former prime minister decided to go ahead despite security advice which had been given to Holac.
Holac declined to comment on the details of Lebedev’s appointment. But he welcomed the government’s recent decision to publish candidates’ quotes. The public body, which cannot veto candidates, examines them for possible errors after requesting their consent.
Lord Michael Jay, who chaired Holac between 2008 and 2013, said: “I don’t remember any proposals without any citation – but I think some simply said who the person was without much or no explanation as to why. she was put forward.”
Lord George Foulkes, a Labor peer who served on Parliament’s intelligence and security committee, said: “I have raised my concerns about Lord Lebedev’s peerage, primarily for security reasons, but also because he almost never attends. I am considering the best way to continue this process, in particular by referring it to the Committee for Confiscation of Honors.
A spokesperson for Johnson said: “This makes no sense, every person appointed to the Lords goes through the appropriate process which is carried out by officials. Lord Lebedev’s exceptional contribution to British journalism was highlighted during this process. The security services have not advised against this appointment.”
Yevgeny Lebedev’s private office did not respond to a request for comment.