• The government has failed to publish advice given to Boris Johnson about Lord Lebedev, citing "security challenges".
  • MPs voted for the security services' advice to be released by April 28, but the advice is still under lock and key.
  • Mark Spencer, the Commons Leader, insisted they would "not have very long to wait." 

The UK government has delayed publishing the advice Boris Johnson received from security services before handing a peerage to Evgeny Lebedev, citing "security challenges". 

Labour's binding motion on the government to publish the documents by April 28 was passed after government efforts to whip the Tory benches were scrapped at the last minute, amid widespread resistance to the move.

The Commons vote drew criticism from Lord Lebedev himself, who attacked Labour for deciding to "debate me based on no facts and pure innuendo." Lebedev also tweeted that shadow minister Matt Western should "either provide some evidence for this nonsense he speaks, or keep his mouth shut." 

But despite the deadline being passed two weeks ago, the documents remain unpublished. 

Challenged as to why by Labour's Thangham Debbonaire, Commons Leader Mark Spencer said "security challenges" had delayed the process. 

"I think I can share with the House that there are a number of security challenges in that information, which have been gone through in great detail," the minister told the Commons. 

It would be published "very soon," he added, saying MPs would "not have very long to wait." 

Lebedev's role has come under the spotlight in recent weeks, after the Sunday Times revealed Johnson – a long-time friend of the proprietor of the Evening Standard and i newspapers – had intervened after officials raised security concerns about Lebedev's peerage.  

Separately, Insider revealed that Lebedev had never contributed to a debate in the House of Lords aside from his maiden speech, and was attending the premises for the minimum required to avoid automatic suspension.

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