Keir Starmer, a long-time friend and ally of the Attorney General, delivered his final speech at Downing Street this morning
Lord Hermer has left the door open to a future role under Andy Burnham in the wake of Keir Starmer’s resignation as Prime Minister.
Speaking to GB News, the Attorney General refused to deny he was seeking to continue in post and defended Labour’s Chagos surrender deal.
Sir Keir, a long-time friend and ally of Lord Hermer, delivered his final address at Downing Street, leading Political Editor Christopher Hope to quiz the Attorney General on his future under Mr Burnham.
“I currently still am the Attorney General,” Lord Hermer responded with a grin.
“Whether I'm inside or outside Government, I've had the most extraordinary privilege to serve my country.
“I will be carrying on supporting this Government, whether I'm sitting on the backbenches in the House of Lords or not.”
When pressed on whether he wanted to stay in office, Lord Hermer refused to confirm what was next for him.
“Andy (Burnham) will have a wide pool of really brilliant people to pick from. Whatever happens, I just wish him the best of luck. Because if Andy succeeds, we all succeed in this country.”
The Attorney General also defended Labour's agreement to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while leasing back the strategically important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
Asked whether the deal was “dead” following Sir Keir’s departure, Lord Hermer insisted it had always been about protecting Britain's security.
“We're doing it because of security, not because we kneel down and pray at the altar of international law,” he said.
“Let me tell you what I'm about, which is putting the national security interest of this country first.”
Responding to criticism that Labour had “folded” after years of negotiations under the previous Conservative government, Lord Hermer argued ministers had simply completed a process already underway.
“The last Conservative government had 11 rounds of negotiation,” he said, adding: “We just picked it up and dotted the i's and crossed the t's.”
“There is nothing more important for any of us in Government than national security and defence. All those decisions have that at the forefront of our mind.”
Lord Hermer paid tribute to Sir Keir Starmer, insisting history would look kindly on the outgoing Prime Minister despite his abrupt departure from Downing Street.
“I think history is going to be very generous indeed,” he said, adding: “He took the Labour Party from a historic defeat to victory within one term, turning it from a party of protest into one serious about politics.”
The Attorney General also revealed that Sir Keir’s final moments with staff reflected the “human” side of his leadership.
He revealed the former Prime Minister personally thanked “everybody in this building”, from Cabinet ministers to “the lovely people who clean this building”.
