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Boris Johnson nominated a Russian newspaper owner for a seat in the House of Lords without giving any formal justification for his appointment, according to newly revealed information from the committee that vets candidates.
Evgeny Lebedev, also a British citizen, was given a life seat in the upper house of parliament as part of the former prime minister’s political feather list in July 2020, becoming Baron Lebedev of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation.
His appointment as a peer sparked a backlash when media reports emerged that the House of Lords Appointments Committee (Holac) had been warned against Lebedev’s appointment because of national security risks linked to the family background of the owners of the Evening Standard and the Independent.
Holac’s eight trustees, three of whom represent major political parties and the rest are non-politicians, usually receive a citation letter for each candidate, but “did not receive an invitation for Mr Lebedev at the time of his appointment”, according to a response to a Freedom of Information request he filed Financial Times.
Alexander Lebedev, Evgeni’s father, was an officer in the KGB and one of its successor agencies, the FSB. Canada has since imposed sanctions on Alexander for directly enabling “Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine” and Ukraine for being “directly or indirectly controlled by residents of a foreign country.”
The security service also personally briefed Johnson in Downing Street about the risks associated with Evgeny’s Lords nomination, after the former prime minister decided to go ahead with it despite knowing the security advice he had given to Holac.
Holac declined to comment on the details of Lebedev’s nomination. But she welcomed the government’s recent decision to release citations for nominated candidates. The public body, which cannot veto nominated candidates, screens them for potential misconduct after seeking their consent.
Lord Michael Jay, who chaired Holac between 2008 and 2013, said: “I don’t recall the proposal being unquoted – but I think some just said who the person was without much or any explanation as to why he or she was put forward .”
Lord George Foulkes, a Labor peer who sat on parliament’s intelligence and security committee, said: “I have raised concerns about Lord Lebedev’s status, mainly for security reasons but also because he rarely comes. I am considering the best way to proceed with this, including a referral to the Impeachment Committee.”
Johnson’s spokesman said: “This is nonsense, every person nominated to the Lords goes through a proper process carried out by officials. Lord Lebedev’s remarkable contribution to British journalism clearly pointed to that process. This appointment was not advised by security services.”
Evgeni Lebedev’s private office did not respond to a request for comment.