Yahoo News Brexit: Keir Starmer turns down job offer from law firm that challenged Government over Article 50
Sir Keir Starmer, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, has rejected a job offer from a law firm that challenged the Government over Article 50.
The move came after the Labour MP – a former director of public prosecutions – was accused of a “conflict of interest” by a Conservative MP due to the law firm Mishcon de Reya’s previous work and his role as Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit spokesman.
In a statement Sir Keir said: “I am grateful to Mishcon de Reya for discussing a possible role advising the Mishcon Academy with me, but, given my other commitments, I have decided not to further the discussions”.
A spokeswoman for Mishcon de Reya told The Independent it had received the rejection from Sir Keir but declined to add any further comment.
While it is understood the role would not have included Sir Keir working directly with clients at Mishcon, in a letter, the Tory MP James Cleverly told Sir Keir that “members of the public will rightly detect a conflict of interest between your paid work for a law firm and your important role on the front bench”.
He continued: “The firm acted for Gina Miller in her case against the Government regarding the triggering of Article 50, even though your party leader Jeremy Corbyn called for Article 50 to be triggered immediately following the referendum, without the consent of Parliament.”
The Article 50 case ultimately prevented Theresa May from bypassing Parliament and from triggering the mechanism for kickstarting Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union without the consent of MPs.
Recent figures revealed that the cost of the Government’s failed case – after they sought to overturn a High Court ruling at the Supreme Court – amounted to £1.2m in legal fees.
Sir Keir had previously worked for Mishcon de Reya before becoming an MP, joining the firm as a part-time consultant in its disputes practice in 2014. He also held a similar position last year, receiving £4,500 a month for legal advice provided to the Mishcon de Reya Academy between June and September.
