Serious new questions have emerged over Richard Hermer, the close ally of Keir Starmer, after documents revealed he discussed leaving "wriggle room" in explosive claims made against British troops.
The Attorney General, already under fire for his past legal work, was involved in a case brought by a small group of Iraqis who accused British soldiers of unlawfully killing their relatives. Those allegations were later torn apart, with the Al-Sweady Inquiry concluding they were based on lies.
Keir Starmer's ally Lord Hermer faces fresh scrutiny over discredited Iraq war claims
But internal emails, now brought to light, show Lord Hermer himself raised doubts at the time.
In a message sent in February 2008, he suggested a carefully balanced media approach, writing: "I think the line to Phil works in getting the balance between making sure that the big story is out there whilst giving us some wriggle room if the killings did not in fact happen."
The reference was to Phil Shiner, the solicitor later struck off for dishonesty and convicted of fraud, who played a central role in bringing claims against British forces.
Lord Hermer continued in the same email: "Do you need to be slightly more explicit in the press release about 'evidence raising serious concerns of executions of prisoners' in order to generate sufficient interest or will the Today interview naturally bring in the punters later that morning."
The language will raise eyebrows among critics who have long accused legal activists of hyping allegations against British troops, only for them to collapse under scrutiny.
At the time, even those working on the case appear to have had doubts. Separate internal correspondence shows a paralegal questioning key elements of the claimants' accounts, asking whether a farmer could fail to recognise nearby land and describing parts of the story as "counterintuitive".
They added: "These men may have been fighters ... Taxi story sounds counterintuitive: why ride to a remote location for a two-minute shopping expedition and dismiss your taxi? Why mop if you intend to kill multiple people in the same place afterwards?"
Those concerns proved well founded. The Al-Sweady Inquiry later found the most serious allegations, including claims of executions and torture, were "deliberate lies".
Despite this, allies of Lord Hermer insist his role was limited, claiming he spent only a small number of hours on the case between 2008 and 2013. They also deny he had any knowledge that the claims were false.
A spokesman said: "The attorney-general had minimal involvement in the Al-Sweady claims, limited to a small number of hours between 2008 and 2013. The attorney did work on a set of group claims involving a wider range of victims, that was ultimately settled by the Ministry of Defence. The attorney was not involved in the Al-Sweady inquiry."
The row feeds into a wider controversy surrounding both Lord Hermer and Sir Keir, whose past legal careers are now under intense scrutiny.
In a previous witness statement, Lord Hermer praised Sir Keir's role in what he described as "groundbreaking" cases that extended human rights law to Iraq. Those rulings allowed Iraqi claimants to sue the British government, a development critics say opened the floodgates to a barrage of claims against serving soldiers.
Sir Keir worked on key cases that established the principle that the European Convention on Human Rights could apply overseas, including in southern Iraq where British troops were operating.
He also acted in a high profile detention case alongside Shiner, representing a British Iraqi man held for more than three years without trial. The claimant was ultimately awarded compensation.
The Prime Minister's defenders argue he was simply doing his job as a barrister. But critics, including Johnny Mercer, say his work helped unleash a damaging wave of legal action against those who had served on the front line.
For many veterans, the issue remains deeply personal. Some were investigated for years over allegations that ultimately collapsed, leaving lasting damage to their lives and reputations.
Now, with fresh revelations about Lord Hermer's own conduct, pressure is mounting once again on one of the Prime Minister's closest allies, and raising further uncomfortable questions about the legal legacy both men carry into government.
READ: Shadow Justice Secretary refers Attorney General to regulator over Iraq war claims****
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