The Russian-born businessman said: ‘I have nothing to hide.’
29 March 2022
Evgeny Lebedev has insisted he has “nothing to hide” as he backed the publication of security advice linked to his appointment to the House of Lords.
Labour has tabled a House of Commons motion in a bid to force the Government to release documents about Boris Johnson’s involvement in the appointment.
They want Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay to submit all relevant information concerning Lord Lebedev’s elevation to the upper House to be put before the Commons by no later than April 28.
Openness and transparency are pillars of our democratic system, so I welcome the call for security advice about me provided to HOLAC to be released. I have nothing to hide.
— Evgeny Lebedev (@mrevgenylebedev) March 29, 2022
Lord Lebedev is a Russian-born businessman who owns the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers.
His ex-KGB father is oligarch Alexander Lebedev.
The independent crossbench peer has previously acknowledged his father was “a long time ago” a KGB officer but denied being “a security risk to this country”.
Questions have been raised over whether or not Mr Johnson asked anyone in the security services to revise, reconsider or withdraw their assessment of Lord Lebedev ahead of him joining the Lords in November 2020.
The Prime Minister’s former aide, Dominic Cummings, has claimed he was in the room when Mr Johnson was told by Cabinet Office officials that the “intelligence services and other parts of the deep state” had “serious reservations” about the PM’s plan to appoint the media mogul to the Lords.
Lord Lebedev wrote on Twitter: “Openness and transparency are pillars of our democratic system, so I welcome the call for security advice about me provided to Holac (House of Lords Appointments Commission) to be released.
“I have nothing to hide.”
It is expected Conservative MPs will abstain if Labour presses its motion to a vote.
