TORY minister Suella Braverman raged as she dodged questions on security advice around the appointment of Russian media mogul Evgeny Lebedev to the House of Lords.

Braverman, the Attorney General for England and Wales, was appearing on the BBC’s Question Time when she was challenged over Boris Johnson’s decision to ignore MI6 advice and grant Lebedev a peerage.

Lebedev, a close friend of the Prime Minister, was given a seat in the Lords despite the intelligence bosses having concerns about him as long as a decade ago.

The topic came up on the BBC after Braverman was challenged on the UK’s policy on allowing Ukrainian refugees into the country.

The top Tory was asked why refugees could not come to the UK first and then complete security checks. A safety first, paperwork second approach also promoted by the First Minister.

Braverman responded: “I’m sorry but that’s not in line with the security advice that we have. It’s really important that we do carry out these checks before they get here because if they don’t pass the standard it’s very hard to remove people who are here illegally.”

After she had finished, Labour MP and shadow health secretary Wes Streeting said: “Well you didn’t worry about security advice when Boris Johnson put Lord Lebedev of Siberia in the House of Lords, did you?”

A visibly annoyed Braverman asked Streeting to back the accusation up with “cogent evidence”.

He responded: “I think we need a straight answer from Boris Johnson about the advice he was given. We know Dominic Cummings says he was given security advice, we know Boris Johnson didn’t like the advice and put him in the House of Lords anyway.

“You’re a senior law officer … can you tell us categorically that Boris Johnson wasn’t given security advice about Lord Lebedev?”

Braverman avoided the question, instead accusing Streeting of “casting aspersions”.

READ MORE: Lebedev says he is ‘not some agent of Russia’ amid peerage scrutiny

“It’s very easy to get carried away given the heightened tensions and conflict at the moment to throw accusations around about people who are innocent law abiding Russian citizens,” she said.

Streeting said he agreed, but again asked what the security advice on Lebedev had been.

Again Braverman avoided the question.

Journalist and editor Max Hastings then interjected to say: “The Conservative party’s relationship with Russian oligarchs is a badge of shame.”

The Tory minister then claimed the UK had introduced “unprecedented” sanctions on Russian oligarchs.

Streeting cut in: “But slow enough that Roman Abramovich could fly his planes out of the country.”