Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir Starmer of lying in a row over the shadow attorney general representing sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. The Prime Minister used PMQs to hit out at Lord Wolfson, who is acting as a lawyer for the former Chelsea owner in a case in Jersey.
But his attack prompted the Conservative peer to write him a letter claiming Sir Keir was “wrong” in what he said. He also accused the PM of going back on previous comments he made that lawyers do not necessarily agree with the views of their clients.
Mrs Badenoch added: “I’m not allowed to say it in Parliament, but I can here: today the Prime Minister lied and lied and lied again.
“And he did so to smear a man defending our veterans in court against the Labour government.
“Labour have attacked everyone from farmers, to businesses, to veterans, so now they attack David Wolfson, a brilliant KC, to take the attention away from their terrible decisions.
“I’m proud to have David in my team. He doesn’t deserve to have his name smeared by low-rent politicians trying to distract from their own failures.
“What little integrity the Prime Minister held he surrendered with that shameful performance today.”
Speaking during PMQs, Sir Keir said: “How can someone sit in her shadow cabinet, advising someone trying to escape sanctions, and pretend that their policy is to support us on sanctions?”
But in his letter, Lord Wolfson highlighted that he was not advising Mr Abramovich about UK sanctions or the proceeds of the sale of Chelsea.
He also pointed out that the Tories agree with Labour that the cash from the sale of the football club should go to humanitarian causes in Ukraine.
Mr Abramovich, was sanctioned by the UK government in 2022 following Russia‘s invasion of Ukraine, is caught up in a legal battle with the Channel island’s government after it launched an investigation into the source of more than £5.3 billion assets linked to him which are held there.