Sir Gavin Williamson MP has written to the Prime Minister raising his concerns that the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, has breached the Ministerial Code.
Mr Williamson posted to X:
The Attorney General has breached the Ministerial Code. Lord Hermer's legal advocacy against British interests while serving as our chief legal officer makes his position untenable.
The law serves justice, not the lawmaker's agenda.
Mr Williamson's letter in full:
RT. HON. SIR GAVIN WILLIAMSON CBE MP
HOUSE OF COMMONS
LONDON SWIA OAA
The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer MP
The Prime Minister
10 Downing Street
London
SWIA 2AA
15th February 2025
Dear Prime Minister
I am writing to you to raise concerns that the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, has breached the Ministerial Code, and to ask you to refer him to the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Standards.
According to paragraph 3.1 of the Ministerial Code, ministers "must ensure that no conflict of interest arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise".
Similarly, according to paragraph 3.8 of the Ministerial Code, "ministers must scrupulously avoid any danger of an actual or perceived conflict of interest between their ministerial position and their private interests".
There are a number of incidents concerning the Attorney General that could be considered, or at the very minimum, reasonably perceived to be conflicts of interests:
1) On 15th January 2025, the Attorney General refused to say whether he advised the Government on their decision to repeal the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, sections of which would have denied figures such as the former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams payouts over his detention in prison in the 1970s for suspected involvement in terrorism.
Prior to his appointment as Attorney General, Lord Hermer represented Gerry Adams in 2023 in a lawsuit brought against him by three victims of provisional IRA bombings. He was paid £30,000 for this engagement.
2) On 19th January 2025, it was reported by The Telegraph that Lord Hermer had represented a group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers who had landed at Diego Garcia in an unsuccessful action against the British government in 2023.
Following Lord Hermer's appointment as Attorney General, a "one-off" deal was agreed to give the wider 61-person group asylum in Britain. Moreover, he is said to have been involved in talks to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
3) On 7th February, it was reported by the Telegraph that the Foreign Office was preparing to meet representatives of the Reparations Commission of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) in April in order to discuss slavery reparations.
On 9th February 2025, it was reported by The Telegraph that Lord Hermer had previously assisted Caricom prepare legal cases seeking slavery reparations from the UK in as early as 2013. These reports are corroborated by claims made by Lord Hermer in a podcast in 2020 that he recalls "representing Caribbean nations on a potential reparations case".
The Attorney General has refused to confirm whether he recused himself from advising on the above cases, claiming that he is "constrained by the law officers' convention which prohibits [him] from identifying particular instances in which law officer advice has been sought".
However, the Government's lack of transparency on this issue has led to the widespread perception of a conflict of interest and as such is a breach of the obligation under the Ministerial Code to "scrupulously avoid any danger of actual or perceived conflict of interest" (paragraph 3.8).
The obligation to avoid any danger of actual or perceived conflict of interest has been further breached by the Attorney General's decision to not disclose payments received after taking office. Previous barristers who have become MPs, including you, have made these disclosures and the decision to not do so has been termed an "irregular and clear break from "normal practice"" by two former Attorney Generals.
It is clear from these instances that either a conflict of interest has arisen, or at the very minimum, can be reasonably perceived to have arisen and that no action has been taken to "scrupulously avoid" this happening. As such, Lord Hermer is in breach of paragraphs 3.1 and 3.8 of the Ministerial Code.
Therefore, could you confirm the following:
1) Did the Attorney General recuse himself from advising on the decisions to:
a) Repeal the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023;
b) Cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius;
c) Open negotiations with Caricom on slavery reparations?
2) If he did not recuse himself from the above decisions, or will not reveal this information, will he refer himself to the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Standards for breaching paragraphs 3.1 and 3.8 of the Ministerial Code?
3) Will he adhere to the precedent set by previous Attorney Generals by disclosing. payments received after taking office?
4) If he does not voluntarily disclose the above payments, will you, as Prime Minister, insist that he adheres to the standards imposed on all other ministers by mandating a clear declaration of payments received since becoming Attorney General?
I look forward to your prompt response.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Sir Gavin Williamson CBE MP
https://twitter.com/GavinWilliamson/status/1891109674822332490
