Attorney General should be probed over conflicts of interest, Cabinet Secretary told

The shadow justice secretary has urged the Cabinet Secretary to investigate potential conflicts of interest the Attorney General may have in connection with his past clients. Robert Jenrick said that Lord Hermer’s refusal to reveal whether he had advised ministers on cases involving his past clients “risks undermining public confidence in the Attorney General’s Office and rule of law”. Lord Hermer represented former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams – Labour is now reversing legislation that barred Adams and others from claiming compensation. There are also questions about his role in the Government’s decision to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and a one-off deal to allow Sri Lankan migrants who had landed there asylum in Britain. They had preciously lost their High Court bid to come to the UK. Hermer also represented Liberty, the human rights group, when it was acting for Shamima Begum in her bid to return to Britain after leaving the county to join Isis, and represented Afghan families at the SAS killings inquiry in 2023. Jenrick said it was urgent that the conflicts be probed as “these matters represent some of the most contentious issues in our political and legal life at present, with significant implications for public expenditure and national security.”