Boris Johnson failed to provide citation for Evgeny Lebedev peerage

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Boris Johnson nominated a Russian newspaper owner for a seat in the House of Lords without giving any formal rationale for his appointment, according to newly disclosed information from the commission that vets nominees.

Evgeny Lebedev, also a British citizen, was given a seat for life in the upper chamber of parliament as part of the former prime minister’s list of political peerages in July 2020, becoming Baron Lebedev of Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and of Siberia in the Russian Federation.

His appointment as a peer triggered a backlash when it emerged in media reports that the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) had been warned against Lebedev’s nomination because of the national security risks associated with the Evening Standard and Independent owner’s family background.

Holac’s eight commissioners, three of whom represent the main political parties while the rest are non-political, usually receive a letter of citation for each nominee, but “did not receive a citation for Mr Lebedev at the time of his appointment”, according to a response to a freedom of information request submitted by the Financial Times.

Alexander Lebedev, Evgeny’s father, was an officer in the KGB and one of its successor agencies, the FSB. Alexander has since had sanctions imposed upon him by Canada for directly enabling “Vladimir Putin’s senseless war in Ukraine” and by Ukraine for being “directly or indirectly controlled by residents of a foreign state”.

The Security Service also gave Johnson an in-person briefing in Downing Street about the risks associated with Evgeny’s nomination to the Lords, after the former prime minister decided to go ahead with it despite knowing about the security advice that had been given to Holac.

Holac declined to comment on the specifics of Lebedev’s nomination. But it welcomed a recent decision by the government to publish citations for nominees. The public body, which cannot veto nominees, vets them by looking at potential misconduct after asking for their consent.

Lord Michael Jay, who chaired Holac between 2008 and 2013, said: “I don’t recall proposals with no citation at all — but some I think just said who the person was without much or any explanation as to why he or she was being put forward.”

Lord George Foulkes, a Labour peer who sat on parliament’s intelligence and security committee, said: “I have expressed concern about Lord Lebedev’s peerage, principally on security grounds but also because he hardly ever attends. I am considering the best way to pursue this further, including referring it to the Honours Forfeiture Committee.”

A spokesperson for Johnson said: “This is nonsense, every person nominated to the Lords goes through the appropriate process which is conducted by officials. Lord Lebedev’s outstanding contribution to British journalism was made clear in that process. The security services did not advise against this appointment.”

Evgeny Lebedev’s private office did not respond to a request for comment.