Powerful commons committee urged to quiz Boris Johnson over Lebedev peerage

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has called on the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs to investigate Boris Johnson handing a peerage to media mogul Evgeny Lebedev

A Powerful committee of MPs has been urged to investigate Boris Johnson handing a peerage to Russian media mogul Evgeny Lebedev.

It follows claims Mr Johnson challenged warnings from security services to give a peerage to Mr Lebedev – who is the son of ex-KGB agent Alexander.

Mr Johnson himself has insisted it is “simply incorrect” that he personally or directly asked for the advice to be reversed.

But Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to Tory MP William Wragg, chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs committee, calling on him to use the body to investigate the circumstances surrounding the peerage.

And she urged him to invite Mr Johnson himself to give evidence before the committee.

She wrote: “Given that Mr Lebedev is still a sitting member of the House of Lords, and the wider issues continue to be of concern in relation to any future appointments, it is in the British public’s interest to ensure that these allegations can be thoroughly investigated.”

Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s former top aide last week used a blog post to claim he had been in the room when Cabinet Office officials informed Mr Johnson about the concerns.

“I supported these concerns and said to the PM in his study explicitly that he should not go ahead,” he wrote.

“He was very cross and as he does when cross he blustered nonsense.

“‘This is just … You’re just … [pause] ANTI-RUSSIAN!’”

Mr Cummings claimed two others who were in the room would back his version of events in court.