Labour has demanded that Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reveal whether she knew David Wolfson, a Tory peer and shadow attorney general, was representing Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in a legal case. Wolfson is part of the legal team helping Abramovich recover billions in frozen assets in the Channel Islands, despite UK sanctions against him.
The case involves over £5.3bn in assets linked to Abramovich held in Jersey, which is investigating their source. Ministers say the Jersey case is delaying the release of £2.5bn from Abramovich's sale of Chelsea Football Club, funds the UK government wants to use for Ukraine's reconstruction after Russia's invasion.
Anna Turley, Labour party chair, accused Badenoch of allowing a conflict of interest and demanded that nobody under sanctions serve in her shadow cabinet. Justice minister Jake Richards wrote to Badenoch, asking if Wolfson had recused himself from party policy on Abramovich's assets, stating his ability to advise was 'clearly compromised'.
The Ukraine Solidarity Campaign criticised Wolfson's role, highlighting 'profound questions about the Conservative party and its long‑standing entanglement with Russian wealth'. A Conservative spokesperson defended Wolfson, saying he is instructed on the Jersey case, not the Chelsea matter, and accused Labour of 'rank hypocrisy', pointing to Attorney General Richard Hermer's past clients.
