Lord Hermer reported for 'misconduct' after being accused of 'witch-hunt' of British troops

Lord Hermer has been reported to the barristers' watchdog over alleged serious professional misconduct for his role in a so-called "witch-hunt" against British soldiers.

A former Defence Minister and the Shadow Justice Secretary have requested the Bar Standards Board investigate the Attorney General for his role in Iraqi clients' legal battles against UK troops.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, meanwhile, has separately reported the Attorney General to the House of Lords' standards commissioner.

The Attorney General acted as leading counsel in a case where UK troops were accused of murdering Iraqis who were held as prisoners of war at a British Army base.

The claims centred around the Battle of Danny Boy in 2004, and resulted in the Al-Sweady Inquiry held 10 years later.

The inquiry found the claims to be "wholly without foundation" and a result of "deliberate lies, reckless speculation and ingrained hostility".

Lord Hermer denies acting for the Iraqis knowing their claims were false.

Sir Gavin Williamson, the former Defence Secretary, urged the Bar Standards Board to open an investigation - and accused Lord Hermer of "advancing claims that were ultimately discredited as egregious and unfounded".

He said the Attorney General's obligations to "honesty and integrity" appeared "at the very least, to sit in stark and uncomfortable tension" with those traits.

Nick Timothy, the Shadow Justice Secretary, wrote to the Bar Standards Board saying Lord Hermer's role in the case "may constitute serious professional misconduct" and the "the public interest in thorough and independent regulatory scrutiny could scarcely be higher".

Mr Farage then accused Lord Hermer of being "a deeply unpatriotic man, a man of questionable judgment and a man who is very happy to prosecute the very people who are prepared to give their life for King and country to keep us safe".

"The actions Lord Hermer has taken in the legal cases against British veterans is treacherous, and a full investigation should now take place," he added - and labelled the Attorney General "a national security threat".

A spokesman for the Attorney General said: "Over a 30-year legal career, the Attorney General represented many clients - including British military personnel, such as a British soldier killed by IRA terrorists, and injured servicemen in the Iraq War.

"Any suggestion that the Attorney acted improperly during his private career is false."

The AG's spokesman added that he was "not involved substantially in the Al-Sweady claims after 2008, beyond less than a day’s work where he made clear further investigation was needed".

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He continued: "The Attorney did work on a different set of group civil cases involving a wider range of victims, that was ultimately settled by the Ministry of Defence".

The reports come as former military chiefs have called for Lord Hermer to step back from Labour's contentious Troubles Bill, which will scrap immunity protections for Northern Ireland veterans.

The protections were awarded under the Tory Government's Legacy Act.

But Sir Keir Starmer scrapped that as it was "incompatible" with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as it "prevented potential rights violations from being properly investigated".

The Troubles Bill, as a result, has long prompted warnings that Special Forces' ability to act rapidly and effectively would be neutered.

Months ago, ex-SAS leaders warned the spectre of legal action at home could even prove fatal on the battlefield.

"Commanders turn risk-averse, soldiers hesitate where boldness saves lives, wars drag on, spilling more blood and costing more lives," they wrote.

And now again, two former SAS commanders have now insisted Lord Hermer must quit - while Tory MP Sir David Davis has urged the Attorney General to step back from dealing with the Bill.

Lt Col Richard Williams, who used to lead 22 SAS, the regular special forces unit, said: "What we long suspected is now proven: Attorney General Hermer has been part of a group of ideologically motivated human rights lawyers that have acted in a vexatious and biased way to persecute British soldiers, not because they broke any law, but to serve some twisted anti-military, anti-British agenda. He must step down."

Col David White, another retired SAS commander who is part of the Special Air Service Regimental Association said it represented a "new low" for the relationship between Britain's elite forces and Government.

Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland Secretary, admitted to Parliament on Wednesday that the Government "must do more through the legislation to safeguard our veterans community".

A Government spokesman said: "The last Government’s Legacy Act offered the false promise of conditional immunity from prosecutions for Troubles-era crimes. It was found to be incompatible with international law, thrown out twice by the courts and left veterans without any protections.

"In contrast, we are bringing forward a substantial package of amendments at committee stage to further safeguard our veterans, in addition to the vital new protections already in the bill so there is no question of veterans being prosecuted for having followed the rules.

"We will continue to speak to veterans’ organisations so that the amendments we bring forward are robust, workable and lawful."

Regarding the AG being reported to the Bar Standards Board, a spokesman for the watchdog said it does not comment on "whether or not it has received any information about potential misconduct by a barrister, regardless of how any information comes to our attention".