Dominic Raab earlier refused to be drawn on reports surrounding the peerage awarded by Boris Johnson to Russian billionaire businessman Evgeny Lebedev
But the PM reportedly insisted the peerage "go through", complaining: "This is anti-Russian-ism."
He insisted there is "a very stringent and exacting set of requirements" in the awarding of a peerage, "and they were all followed". Mr Johnson is said to have visited Lord Lebedev at his home just two days after the initial rejection of the peerage, in the weeks before the first Covid lockdown."You'd have to ask No10 that, I'm afraid I just don't know the veracity or the content of it," the Justice Secretary said.
Mr Raab again swerved giving a straight answer, saying he did not know "whether that's true, accurate or the context of it".