Boris Johnson has been accused of “risking national security” by handing a peerage to a Russian-born crony.
Keir Starmer today demanded Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee investigate the Prime Minister over the gong.
The Prime Minister made Evgeny Lebedev, the media mogul and son of billionaire ex-KGB agent Alexander, Lord Lebedev of Siberia at the height of Covid in 2020.
Now a bombshell report claims intelligence officials had raised concerns about the gong - leading the House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC) to advise against it.
A source told the Sunday Times Boris Johnson then personally intervened - meeting Lebedev in person while he was dithering over a lockdown - and that “particular quite damning bit of advice” was later withdrawn.
The PM is said to have insisted Lebedev’s peerage “go through” and complained: “This is anti-Russian-ism."
The source said: “Initial advice was that they considered that there could be a threat to national security.”
But following the PM’s intervention, the source claimed: “What the intelligence would say was, that with the extra information it got, they felt it wasn't as big a threat as they had initially thought.”
It would not be the first time the PM has defied advice to hand out a peerage. Last year he overruled HOLAC to put billionaire City tycoon Peter Cruddas in the Lords. Lord Cruddas gave the Tories £500,000 days later.
Labour leader Keir Starmer demanded an investigation by the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament. He warned the issue “goes to the heart of national security” and there is a suggestion the Prime Minister was “warned there was a national security risk”.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper tweeted: “For a PM to intervene on a national security assessment or to ignore intelligence agencies advice on an issue like this is extremely serious.
“His first responsibility is to uphold our national security. Essential there is an urgent investigation.”
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner added: “By dismissing the intelligence services' advice and disrespecting officials the Prime Minister has once again put personal interest before the public's.
“And this time he's risked national security.
"It is clear that Boris Johnson has never been serious about taking the tough measures needed to eradicate Putin’s influence in Britain, and his friendships raise questions about his failure to act.
“This Government’s dangerous links to Putin’s oligarchs are putting us all at risk.
"There must be an urgent investigation into how the Prime Minister was able to ignore security reports, including what requests were made of the intelligence services to overturn their decision, and whether parliamentary bodies were consulted.
"Boris Johnson's disregard for the facts is a threat to us all."
Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson tweeted: “Utterly damning. If No10 won't respond to questions from journalists, he must provide answers to Parliament.
“Allegations in today's Sunday Times re PM's interference in national security advice in awarding peerage to crony are truly shocking, even by this govt's standards.”
Official records show Boris Johnson personally met Lebedev’s firm Lebedev Holdings on 19 March 2020 while Covid was ripping through the UK.
According to the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson met the tycoon personally at his home - and it was two days after the initial rejection of the businessman’s gong.
No10 obscured the purpose of the meeting in official records, saying only it was a “general discussion” with ‘Lebedev Holdings’.
The meeting happened in the crucial week between Mr Johnson telling the nation to avoid social contact and imposing a full Covid lockdown.
Scientists have later said that if the PM had locked down earlier it could have prevented thousands of deaths.
Boris Johnson has for years been a guest at parties hosted by Evgeny Lebedev, a socialite who owns the London Evening Standard including when Mr Johnson was mayor.
As Foreign Secretary Mr Johnson declared an “overnight stay” with Evgeny Lebedev on 28 April 2018.
Reports later claimed the future Prime Minister had gone to Palazzo Terranova in Perugia for a “weekend-long party" - and was spotted dishevelled and without his security detail at San Francesco d’Assisi airport the next day.
He was accompanied by a “spouse, family member(s) or friend”, according to government transparency records.
Lord Lebedev has dual British citizenship, and last week pleaded personally to Vladimir Putin to stop the war.
He wrote: “As Europe stands on the brink of another world war, and the world on the brink of a possible nuclear disaster, I plead with you to use today’s negotiations to bring this terrible conflict in Ukraine to an end.
"As a Russian citizen I plead with you to stop Russians killing their Ukrainian brothers and sisters. As a British citizen I ask you to save Europe from war."
The Mirror contacted No10 for comment, including to ask if the PM raised the security services advice with aides or officials, and whether there will be an investigation.
A government spokesperson replied: “All individuals nominated for a peerage are done so in recognition of their contribution to society and all peerages are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission.”
It’s understood HOLAC does seek advice from government departments and agencies where appropriate.
Deputy PM Dominic Raab said there is a “very strict and stringent process” when anyone is granted a peerage and “it was applied very rigorously in this case”. But he admitted he did not know the facts of the case himself.
A spokesperson for Lord Lebedev’s office declined to comment.
