The Labor Party is stepping up pressure on Boris Johnson to resign as prime minister immediately, claiming he is a risk to the nation’s security. It follows the prime minister’s admission that he met with a former Russian spy during his time as foreign secretary, without his security team or officials present. Deputy Labor leader Angela Rayner and shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper have written to senior cabinet minister Keith Malthouse demanding a full investigation. They want MI5 to carry out a damage assessment of a meeting between Johnson and Alexander Lebedev three years ago, the Mirror reports. Mr Johnson admitted to the Community Relations Committee that he had visited the former KGB officer on April 28, 2018 at his son Eugene’s luxury country home in Italy. Evgeny now owns the London Evening Standard and was given a ride by the outgoing Prime Minister. Lebedev is a former KGB agent. Known close ties to the Kremlin. Investments in Crimea. Sanctions from Canada. Boris Johnson now admits he met him without officials or security as Foreign Secretary. @YvetteCooperMP and I have written to the Minister asking for immediate action. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/ZQ7iPUgzS1 — Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) July 10, 2022 Mr Johnson resigned as leader of the Conservative Party this week (Image: AP) Alexander Lebedev is currently in Canada over his ties to Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty images) Labor also wants MI5 to investigate Mr Johnson’s phone to see if it had been hacked and if secret documents from the Nato summit he attended were breached. The senior Lebedev is currently being punished by Canada for his ties to Vladimir Putin amid the war in Ukraine. At the time of the meeting, Theresa May’s cabinet and the United Kingdom were in crisis over the Novitok attack in Salisbury. Ms Rayner said: “If the Prime Minister is found to have breached national security protocols, he has no choice but to step down immediately and face the full consequences of the law. Angela Rayner has voiced her concerns about Boris Johnson (Image: PA) So has Yvette Cooper (Image: PA) “It is a constant threat to national security. This dark case has been covered up for too long.’ State Department records show that Mr. Johnson arrived for the visit with a mystery guest but left alone. Ms Rayner and Ms Cooper want the visitor identified and also want Parliament’s Intelligence and Security committee to review the investigation’s findings. A Number 10 spokesman said: “Boris Johnson, as Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister, has led the way in dealing with Russian aggression.” Contact our news team by emailing us at [email protected] For more stories like this, check out our news page.
