How a lawyer who advised Sue Gray on her ‘Partygate’ probe attacked Tories and branded Boris Johnson a ‘reckless dangerous PM’
- Daniel Stilitz KC, 54, was a Labour member until 2019 and urged others to join
- The remain-supporting barrister advised Sue Gray before her Partygate report
A lawyer appointed to advise Sue Gray on her Partygate probe accused the Tories of ‘serving up bile’ and reposted a message online branding Boris Johnson a ‘reckless dangerous PM’.
Daniel Stilitz KC, who was a Labour member until 2019, was forced to delete his Twitter account after posts were uncovered urging his followers to join the party. The barrister, 54, said Labour MPs backing a Brexit deal were ‘mugs’ and also wrote: ‘Why not join Labour? Now seems as good a time as any.’
Commenting on Brexit in 2019, he said: ‘The future of the UK is collateral damage in this mad Tory fight to the death.’
In another post on EU negotiations, he wrote: ‘A salutary warning for Labour MPs considering backing the deal: if you trust Johnson, you’re a mug.’
The comments led several Tories to question why the Remain-supporting barrister had been given such a politically sensitive post advising Ms Gray.
Daniel Stilitz KC, who was a Labour member until 2019, was forced to delete his Twitter account after posts were uncovered urging his followers to join the party
Mr Stilitz was educated at William Ellis School in Hampstead, north London, and graduated from New College, Oxford, with a degree in politics, philosophy and economics in 1990.
He had two sons and a daughter with his first wife and remarried in 2019.
He was called to the Bar in 1992, took silk in 2010 and has represented government departments, Goldman Sachs and football manager Jose Mourinho.
When he deleted his Twitter account in April last year, the Cabinet Office defended Ms Gray’s report, saying: ‘Independent advice was provided by the Treasury solicitor and Daniel Stilitz.
‘He is bound by the code of conduct which sets out that all barristers maintain their independence and act in the best interests of their client.’
