Starmer says PM facing ‘serious questions’ about peerage for son of KGB agent

SIR Keir Starmer has demanded to know more about the vetting of a Russian-born millionaire given a peerage by Boris Johnson despite long-standing security fears.

The Labour leader said the Prime Minister had “serious questions” to answer about Evgeny Lebedev, whose father is a Russian oligarch and former KGB agent.

The Sunday Times reported the security services had concerns about Mr Lebedev, who owns the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, as far back as 2013.

The paper also reported the then head of MI6, John Sawers, refused to meet Mr Lebedev.

However Mr Lebedev, a close ally of Mr Johnson, was ennobled regardless in December 2020.

Sir Keir said he had written to the Lords appointments commission to provide the advice it gave Mr Johnson when he nominated Mr Lebedev for a peerage.

Although the commission does not traditionally do so, he said the reports were “deeply troubling”.

The Prime Minister has denied ignoring security concerns about Mr Lebedev, who entertained Mr Johnson at his Italian castle when he was foreign secretary.

Lord Lebedev, 41, who became a crossbench peer in 2020, acknowledged on Friday that his father, the Russian billionaire Alexander Lebedev, had been a KGB agent “a long time ago”.

However he denied being “a security risk to this country”.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove defended the award of the peerage, and denied anyone had raised any security concerns with him about it.

He said: “I think it’s important to draw a distinction between Evgeny Lebedev’s father, who obviously, as you pointed out, worked for the KGB, and Lord Lebedev himself, who is someone who has made his home in this country.

“At no point did anyone ever say to me that it would be inappropriate to meet him and to talk to him.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for a full public inquiry into Lord Lebedev’s peerage.

Mr Gove also said he wanted to seize the homes of sanctioned oligarchs to house refugees.

He said: “I want to explore an option that would allow us to use the homes and properties of sanctioned individuals, for as long as they are sanctioned, for humanitarian and other purposes.”

He acknowledged there was a “quite a high legal bar to cross”.