Labour’s Shadow Attorney General Emily Thornberry said:

“Both the Attorney General and the Solicitor General are supposed to be senior lawyers of high standing who are required to give the Prime Minister legal advice that he may sometimes not want to hear. It makes a mockery of that position to have it occupied by someone who has been found guilty of professional misconduct and who also failed to disclose that to the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister himself urgently needs to set out what checks, if any, were made into the background of his law officers. Did he ask them about their disciplinary track records at the Bar? Did he approach the Bar Council as part of the pre-appointment due diligence? Was there any due diligence carried out at all? Most importantly, does the Prime Minister, still consider this appointment to be appropriate? This is a question of judgement and neither David Cameron nor his new Solicitor General come out of this well.”

Ends.