Kemi Badenoch calls on Prime Minister to sack Lord Hermer after he compared calls to leave ECHR with 1930s Germany
30 May 2025, 15:21 | Updated: 30 May 2025, 15:35
Kemi Badenoch has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Lord Hermer after he compared calls to leave the European Court of Human Rights with 1930s Germany
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Lord Hermer has faced criticism for a speech on Thursday in which he compared calls for the UK to leave international courts with 1930s Germany.
The Attorney General criticised politicians who argued that Britain “abandons 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 (Vladimir) Putin”.
He said that because of what happened “in 1933, far-sighted individuals rebuilt and transformed the institutions of international law”. That is the year that Adolf Hitler became German chancellor.
Leader of the Opposition, Ms Badenoch has called on the Prime Minister to sack Lord Hermer over his "dangerous" comments.
Read more: Attorney general 'regrets' comparing Tories and Reform to Nazis following calls to quit ECHR
She said: “From refusing to fight the case against Kneecap, to advising the government to hand over £30 billion and our territory in the Chagos Islands, Lord Hermer has shown appalling judgment time and again. Now he’s calling people who disagree with him Nazis.
“This isn’t just embarrassing, it’s dangerous. Hermer doesn’t understand government. He believes in the rule of lawyers, not the rule of law.
“If Keir Starmer had any backbone, he’d sack him. But will he risk upsetting his old friend and former donor? I doubt it.”
The Attorney General “regrets” remarks in which he compared calls for the UK to leave international courts with 1930s Germany, his spokesman has said.
Lord Hermer’s spokesman 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.”
