The attorney general has expressed regret over his remarks comparing calls for the UK to withdraw from international courts to 1930s Germany.
In a statement, Lord Richard Hermer’s spokesperson said that he acknowledged his “choice of words was clumsy” and “regrets” them, but rejected “the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives”.
Lord Hermer faced backlash for a speech on Thursday in which he criticised politicians who argued that Britain should abandon “the constraints of international law in favour of raw power”.
Arguing that similar claims had been made “in the early 1930s by ‘realist’ jurists in Germany”, Lord Hermer added that abandoning international law would only “give succour to [Russian president Vladimir] Putin”.
He also said that because of what happened “in 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law”.
That was the year that Adolf Hitler became German chancellor.
The speech prompted Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who has suggested the UK would have to leave the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) if it stops the country from doing “what is right”, to accuse Lord Hermer of “starting from a position of self-loathing, where Britain is always wrong and everyone else is right”.
In a post on social media, she said: “The fact is laws go bad and need changing, institutions get corrupted.
“Our sovereignty is being eroded by out-of-date treaties and courts acting outside their jurisdiction.
“Pointing this out does not make anyone a Nazi. Labour have embarrassed themselves again with this comparison and unless the Prime Minister demands a retraction from his Attorney General, we can only assume these slurs reflect Keir Starmer’s own view.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said he would get rid of the ECHR, and told ITV in April that “we have to get back the ability to decide, can we really control our borders?”.
Lord Hermer’s spokesperson said: “The attorney general gave a speech defending international law which underpins our security, protects against threats from aggressive states like Russia and helps tackle organised immigration crime.
“He rejects the characterisation of his speech by the Conservatives. He acknowledges though that his choice of words was clumsy and regrets having used this reference.”
In his same speech to the Royal United Services Institute on Thursday, the attorney general said that “we must not stagnate in our approach to international rules” and that officials should “look to apply and adapt existing obligations to address new situations”.
“We must be ready to reform where necessary,” he added.
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