Sir Keir Starmer’s Attorney General has had a rather rocky start to his role. Richard Hermer KC has come under scrutiny over his links to Sir Keir Starmer’s controversial Chagos deal, his stance on slavery reparations and his position on Israel. And now, at Prime Minister’s Questions today, the Prime Minister had to fend off questions about his Attorney General’s rather, um, interesting list of former clients during his time as a barrister.
Responding to Tory attacks, Sir Keir told the Commons: ‘We’ve long had the principle that everybody is entitled to legal representation in this country. This means lawyers do not necessarily agree with their clients.’ Of course – but it’s rather curious just how unlucky the now-Attorney General got with his selection. Here’s a list of some of Hermer’s most notorious clients below…
Gerry Adams, former Sinn Féin president
The former Sinn Féin president was among Hermer’s clients while he worked as a barrister in 2023 – and questions have been raised about the Attorney General’s involvement with Labour’s plans to repeal the Legacy Act, which Adams could benefit from.

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