3 days ago
Lord Hermer defended suspected Iraqi bomber
Sir Keir Starmer's law chief represented a suspected Iraqi bomb maker who won more than £33,000 in compensation from the Government.
Court documents show that Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, represented Abd Ali Hameed Ali Al-Waheed, who was arrested by British troops after a partly assembled IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and explosives were found at his sister's home in Basra.
In the case, Al-Waheed won a total of £33,500 for unlawful detention by the British forces, beating by soldiers and 'inhuman and degrading' treatment after an internal review cleared him of any involvement in the insurgency against the British.
It is the latest case highlighted by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, who last week published a video claiming Lord Hermer was unfit to be Attorney General because he had spent his life 'defending Britain's enemies.'
The Attorney General has previously defended his record by pointing to the 'cab rank' principle, which requires barristers to accept cases within their area of expertise regardless of the client.
Allies also maintain that his extensive previous private practice as a barrister does not impinge upon his current role providing independent legal advice to the Government.
However, Mr Jenrick said: 'Even Hermer's colleagues acknowledge he is an activist lawyer that made his career acting against the British Government. He is uniquely ill-suited to being Attorney General.
'But Sir Keir Starmer won't sack him because he's cut from the same cloth as Hermer: his loyalty is to the human rights brigade, not the British people.'
List of clients
The shadow justice secretary has previously criticised Lord Hermer for acting for Gerry Adams, Shamima Begum and Al-Qaeda chief Rangzieb Ahmed, Osama bin Laden's right-hand man.
A professional friend of Lord Hermer last week noted how the 'cab rank' principle did not prevent barristers from picking and choosing cases.
Al-Waheed was arrested after soldiers raided his sister's house looking for his brother-in-law, Ali Jaleel, who was suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. Ali Jaleel was out, but a partly assembled IED and a large quantity of explosives were found in the house.
Al-Waheed claimed he was 'systematically beaten and tortured' by soldiers on his arrest and subjected to multiple forms of inhuman and degrading treatment during his detention, including sleep deprivation and denied sight and hearing by being hooded.
Despite an internal review clearing him of involvement, he claims he was held for 33 days unlawfully in breach of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
A spokesman for the Attorney General said: 'Over a 30-year career the Attorney General has represented very many people including victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, military veterans killed and injured in service, victims of rape and serious sexual abuse, victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, the Ukrainian Legal Taskforce as well as thousands of victims of environmental disasters.
How barristers work
'It is a feature and cornerstone of our legal system that legal professionals operate the cab rank rule when it comes to clients, and barristers do not associate themselves with their clients' opinions. The Code of Conduct for Barristers prohibits them from refusing instructions on the basis of their views of the character, reputation, cause, conduct, guilt or innocence of the client.
Some Conservatives have criticised the attacks on Lord Hermer as unfair. Dr Ben Spencer, a shadow minister, said: 'It's absolutely right to question Lord Hermer's judgement based on his decisions in role. But, even the worst of us must have legal representation.'
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said Mr Jenrick's video was a 'disgraceful' attack on the UK's 'principles of justice and freedoms', which relied on a 'level playing field' for individuals' legal representation under the cab rank rule.
Lord Hermer has, however, faced a barrage of criticism in recent days after comparing calls by Tory and Reform politicians to leave the ECHR to the rise of Nazism.
