Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Pressure is mounting on a senior Tory who is representing sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in court.

Shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson is part of the former Chelsea owner’s legal team in a dispute with the government of Jersey about more than £5.3 billion of his frozen assets.

Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Labour says the legal dispute is holding up attempts to transfer the money Abramovich made from the sale of Chelsea to the victims of the war.

Justice minister Jake Richards told Times Radio that Lord Wolfson being part of Abramovich’s legal team while also sitting on the Conservative front bench “could not be a clearer conflict of interest”.

He said: “It’s perfectly reasonable for him to represent Roman Abramovich or he can act as shadow attorney general. But he cannot do both.”

Tory leader

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