Labour justice minister puts pressure on Tories over shadow attorney general representing Russian oligarch

Parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Ministry of Justice, Jake Richards MP has written to Kemi Badenoch expressing concern regarding a conflict of interest over the court case of former Chelsea football club owner, Roman Abramovich.

This is due to Badenoch’s Shadow Attorney General, and senior Conservative peer, Lord Wolfson KC, being part of Mr Abramovich’s legal team in his appeal over £2.5 billion in frozen assets from his sale of Chelsea FC. The government wishes to distribute this money once claimed to support the people of Ukraine following continued Russian aggression.

In a letter to the opposition leader, posted to his X account on 29 December, Richards points out that Shadow Attorney General is a “crucial role in formulating Conservative Party policy”. He then states that as “a paid representative of Mr. Abramovich, he has a financial interest in the question of whether and when Mr Abramovich’s assets are transferred to benefit the people of Ukraine”.

READ MORE: ‘Carol of the Bells: Christmas, Ukraine’s resistance and the fight for freedom’

Richards goes on to ask four important questions of the Conservative leader in his letter.

Firstly, whether the Conservative Party agrees with the government position that the £2.5 billion should be transferred to benefit the people of Ukraine without delay?

Secondly, what role Lord Wolfson specifically played in formulating Conservative policy on this matter, did he declare an interest during any such discussions or recuse himself from such discussions?

Richards then asks specifically of Badenoch, When or if Lord Wolfson informed her about the role he was playing in this court case.

Subscribe here to our daily newsletter roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment– and follow us on Bluesky, WhatsApp, X and Facebook.

Finally he asked what her position is in regard to a Shadow Cabinet member having “a financial interest in a case that has direct bearing on the Government, and therefore Opposition, policy?”

The justice minister concludes his letter by asking that if Wolfson is to continue to represent Mr Abramovich, he should not do so whilst serving in the Shadow Cabinet, leaving both the shadow minister and the leader of the opposition with a decision to make.

Share your thoughts. Contribute on this story or tell your own by writing to our Editor. The best letters every week will be published on the site. Find out how to get your letter published.

The letter was posted to his Richards’ X account and he also reposted from @LabourPress who call this matter “indefensible” stating, “Lord Wolfson can either be Shadow Attorney General or Roman Abramovich’s lawyer. He can’t be both.”

How Badenoch and the Conservative Party choose to respond remains to be seen.

• • SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour– contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
  • SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
  • DONATE: If you value our work, please chip in a few pounds a week and become one of our supporters, helping sustain and expand our coverage.
  • PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or projects, email [email protected].
  • ADVERTISE: If your organisation would like to advertise or run sponsored pieces on LabourList‘s daily newsletter or website, contact our exclusive ad partners Total Politics at [email protected].