Controversial Attorney General Lord Hermer has been accused of making clandestine visits to the Prime Minister’s flat to water down government policies that would impinge on human rights law.
Ministers have voiced frustration that Lord Hermer is exploiting his close personal friendship with Keir Starmer to bypass normal Cabinet government and lobby the PM to ditch ideas that offend his liberal principles.
Two government sources told the Daily Mail that the lifelong human rights lawyer is the only Cabinet minister routinely invited to the PM’s flat for political discussions.
One described him as the ‘most powerful man in government’, adding: ‘He’s one of the PM’s few friends in politics – he’s the only Cabinet minister who is invited up to the PM’s flat and he uses that to his advantage.
‘Things will get agreed with the PM in his office and then the Attorney goes up to the flat and the PM changes his mind.
‘The PM is actually more pragmatic than people give him credit for but Hermer brings out the human rights lawyer in him every time.’
The arrangement echoes the much-criticised ‘sofa government’ run by Tony Blair in which key decisions were often taken by a handful of ministers at informal meetings, which were not minuted by officials and which excluded the wider Cabinet.
It will also put a fresh spotlight on the role of Lord Hermer, who has become a lightning rod for those critics of the Government who accuse Labour of putting international human rights law ahead of the public interest.
Lord Hermer has been a close friend of Keir Starmer for decades
An ally of Lord Hermer on Tuesday dismissed the claims as ‘baseless’, saying it was normal for ministers to speak to the PM about policy concerns.
But shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said Lord Hermer appeared to be effectively running the Government, to the detriment of the country.
‘The Prime Minister has been reduced to a puppet of the hard Left with Lord Hermer left pulling strings,’ he said.
‘From the surrender of the Chagos Islands to an ally of China to the betrayal of veterans who have served in Northern Ireland, Hermer has consistently subverted the interest of the British people. He epitomises everything wrong with this Labour Government.’
Lord Hermer was a surprise appointment as Attorney-General after last year’s election, supplanting veteran Labour lawyer Dame Emily Thornberry who had been expected to continue in the role she held in opposition.
The 57-year-old is a former head of Matrix Chambers, which was co-founded by Cherie Blair. He has never been elected and was parachuted into the House of Lords within hours of Labour’s election victory.
He and Sir Keir had worked closely for years at the liberal barristers’ set Doughty Street Chambers, which the PM co-founded. They remained close friends after Sir Keir entered politics, with Lord Hermer donating to his leadership campaign in 2020.
A source close to Lord Hermer did not dispute claims that he holds policy discussions in the PM’s flat but dismissed suggestions that he wields undue influence
The source said: ‘Cabinet minister speaks to Prime Minister isn’t a story. The Attorney General’s job is to work with other ministers to ensure this Government delivers the promises we made to the British public in the most effective way possible. That’s what his focus is.
‘If some ministers haven’t managed to persuade the PM or No 10 of their idea, that is on them. Claims otherwise are baseless and the fact no examples are able to be given of what alleged policies have been watered down speaks volumes.’
Guantanamo Bay prisoner Abu Zubaydah, a former client of Lord Hermer, is reported to have received a ‘substantial’ compensation payment from the UK this week
Lord Hermer represented Jihadi bride Shamima Begum before joining Government
Former Sinn Fein boss Gerry Adams is another of Lord Hermer’s controversial former clients
Lord Hermer’s time in Government has been marked with controversy.
Concerns have also been raised over ‘conflicts of interest’ issues, with the Attorney General coming under fire earlier this year for refusing to disclose his earnings for representing the likes of Gerry Adams and Shamima Begum.
This week it emerged that Guantanamo Bay detainee Abu Zubaydah, whose case was taken on by Lord Hermer before he joined Government, has been handed ‘substantial’ compensation following allegations that the UK was complicit in his torture.
Lord Hermer has previously indicated he is recused from dealing with cases he was involved in before joining Government.
He is said to have been a key player in the decision to hand Mauritius £9billion to take control of the Chagos Islands. Whitehall sources believe he is also behind recent curbs on intelligence sharing with the US in protest at the Trump administration’s hardline tactics against drug gangs operating in the Caribbean.
The peer has vowed to put respect for human rights ‘at the heart’ of Government, even arguing that they are essential for economic growth. He has pledged that Britain will ‘lead on international law issues’ and vowed the UK will never leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), despite Home Office concerns it is hampering the fight against illegal migration.
Last year he was forced to apologise for a ‘clumsy’ speech in which he likened those calling for withdrawal from the ECHR to the Nazis.
