Robert Jenrick has become the latest figure to call on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer.
The Shadow Justice Secretary took aim at the Labour peer in a social media video, which garnered more than 1.5 million views on X, formerly known as Twitter, in less than 24 hours.
He said that Lord Hermer’s previous clients included former Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, “ISIS bride” Shamima Begum and Osama Bin Laden’s “right-hand man” Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
Mr Jenrick, a qualified solicitor, also highlighted how the barrister previously helped Caribbean nations prepare legal cases seeking slavery reparations from the UK.
Gerry Adams. Shamima Begum. Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man.
— Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) June 3, 2025
Lord Hermer has spent much of his life defending those who hate Britain.
Why on earth did Starmer hand-pick him to be Attorney General? pic.twitter.com/UKhoNfyWxl
His comments on Tuesday come a week after he posted a viral clip of himself challenging people walking through the barriers without paying at Stratford Station.
Lord Hermer has come under increasing pressure over several controversial moves in Government, including a key role in Britain’s surrender of the Chagos Islands.
He was also forced to apologise for a “clumsy” remark that compared Conservative and Reform calls to quit the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) with the early days of Nazi Germany.
Sir Keir has faced further calls to sack his Attorney General, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch arguing he “believes in the rule of lawyers, not the rule of law”.
Meanwhile, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp argued Lord Hermer should be fired for having “appalling judgment” by allowing the early release of rapists while Lucy Connolly remains imprisoned for inciting racial hatred online following last year’s Southport riots.
Mr Jenrick claimed Lord Hermer “spent much of his life defending those who hate Britain”, such as suspected terrorists and illegal migrants.
He rejected claims Lord Hermer only represented these figures as a result of the “cab rank rule”, an ethical principle that requires lawyers to accept instructions from clients, even if they disagree with the views or alleged crimes.
The Tory frontbencher also accused Lord Hermer, a former colleague of the PM at Doughty Street Chambers and donor to his 2020 Labour leadership campaign, of being “riddled with potential conflicts of interest” because he previously attempted to sue the Government.
Starmer should never have appointed him in the first place
In the video set next to Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, Mr Jenrick said: “Lord Hermer was a top human rights lawyer. He would have been inundated with cases, able to choose the pick of the bunch. And what’s more, he often worked on a pro-bono or no-win no-fee basis.”
He added: “Starmer should never have appointed him in the first place. Why did he? Because they share exactly the same views. Britain deserves better than the pair of them.”
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said: “Law Officers such as the Attorney General will naturally have an extensive legal background and may have previously been involved in a wide number of past cases.
“Barristers do not associate themselves with their clients’ opinions.”
