A senior Labour MP has called for Attorney General Lord Hermer to be removed from his role, criticising both his appointment to the House of Lords and his influence over key government decisions.
Graham Stringer, a veteran MP and former leader of Manchester City Council, said Lord Hermer lacked the democratic legitimacy required for such a powerful position. Stringer argued that the Attorney General should sit in the House of Commons, where they can be held directly accountable by elected representatives.
“He’s got no democratic experience,” Stringer said. “Particularly when he’s making such big decisions, demanding that every law effectively goes through him. He’s spent billions on the Chagos Islands, the Attorney General should be in the House of Commons. So in that sense, yes, he should go.”
Lord Hermer has faced growing criticism over his role in recent legal and political decisions. Most notably, he has been linked to the planned handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a move expected to cost up to £35 billion over 99 years.
Critics have also accused the Attorney General of undermining ministers by centralising legal authority. Last month, it was revealed that Lord Hermer had issued guidance requiring civil servants to alert him whenever ministers risk breaching the law – a move seen as giving himself an effective veto over government policy.
Concerns have also been raised about potential conflicts of interest from his previous legal work, including his representation of former Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams in a High Court case involving IRA bomb victims, which is set for trial next year.
Lord Hermer’s appointment has drawn fire from within Labour ranks as well as from political opponents. Lord Glasman, founder of the Blue Labour group, previously branded him a “progressive fool,” accusing him of treating the law as a substitute for politics.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, added his voice to the criticism, saying: “The public have had enough of Lord Hermer, and so have Labour MPs. Keir Starmer should never have appointed Gerry Adams’ lawyer as Attorney General. From the Chagos surrender to the betrayal of Northern Ireland veterans, Lord Hermer’s fingerprints are all over Labour’s anti-British decisions.
“Starmer has a choice: put the country first and sack Lord Hermer – or continue to defend his friend and donor despite all the damage he’s causing.”
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