Confused on what I should refer to him, I first greet Lord David Wolfson by his full title, before he immediately says “call me David”. Apparently, the sole individual who consistently calls him Lord Wolfson is his bank manager when his account is overdrawn. The interview takes place in Selwyn’s Kathleen Lyttelton room just before a talk chaired by Master Roger Mosey entitled ‘Politics and the Law’. As we settle in, I remember how I once used his resignation as an example in an A-Level Politics essay. It begins to feel surreal.

Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, KC, is a Selwyn alumnus (he studied Hebrew and Law), current Shadow Attorney General, and commercial barrister. From December 2020 to April 2022, he was Justice Minister in the House of Lords under Boris Johnson. Most notably, he was the first minister to resign in protest to the “Partygate” scandal, when the Prime Minister and other No. 10 officials attended a party during the COVID lockdown.

Wolfson, his brother Johnny, and his late sister Rina all studied at Selwyn. His grandparents were first-generation immigrants. His grandfather on his mother’s side “just loved Cambridge,” where visiting his grandchildren was a source of pride and joy.

This is the same Cambridge that Wolfson emphasises as having afforded students many opportunities, and having brought many people together regardless of their disagreements. A specific example he points out was how, before the Good Friday Agreement, people on both sides of the religious divide in Northern Ireland came together here; these were people he never would have met otherwise.

With his background in Hebrew and familiarity with the syllabus, Wolfson cruised through first year, with his Director of Studies saying that he probably had “the highest grade to work ratio” because of how little work he did. This free time afforded him time to commit to his extracurriculars, where he had a chance “to do politics”. He was also President of the Jewish Society, President of the Israel Society, and in a dining club called the Disraelians, which he labels as “sort of left-wing Tories.”

The lawyer’s journey on the barrister route began when the late John Hopkins, a former Law fellow at Downing, asked him what he was going to do upon graduating. He announced his plans to “apply to various solicitor firms,” despite wanting to go to the bar. His apprehension was caused by how he didn’t “really know anybody [at the bar]” and the fear that it was too “risky” and “difficult”. He credits Hopkins for believing in him and introducing him to people, realising “how much I owe him” for where he is today within the field of law.

“He was used to the format of being interrupted by people”

However, Wolfson’s transition into politics was never intended. He refers to himself as “just a lawyer who got into politics, rather than a politician.” On a random Friday afternoon, he was asked to join the Lords as Justice Minister by “a woman named Nat,” who left a voicemail on his phone. He found it suspicious, joking that “women don’t usually leave messages on my phone.” As it turns out, it was Natalie Evans, the former Leader of the House of Lords.

At this point, Wolfson’s career as a barrister meant that he had work in his diary set for the next two and a half years. Baroness Evans asked for an answer by Sunday afternoon. Within 48 hours, he made the life-altering decision to take on this role. He acknowledges his privilege played a role in being able to afford to do this, as he “made a good living at the bar.”

Coming from the bar unexpectedly helped his ministerial role, as he discovered that “being a minister is not so dissimilar to being a barrister.” He was used to the format of being interrupted by people (judges) who would continuously question him if he didn’t answer the question. Nonetheless, he notes a great difference to those in the Commons whose “life work is politics.” In contrast, he is “a lawyer who has come into politics.” However, his role in government still meant that it is “critical for the government and its ministers to obey the law”.

This was the reason Lord Wolfson resigned in protest to the “Partygate” scandal. He is most well known for being the first minister to do so, as we laugh about how “the most memorable thing I did in government was to resign from it.” Crucially, “there was a principle at stake.”

“The most memorable thing I did in government was to resign from it”

As he highlighted in his resignation letter, a breach of law itself is not a challenge to the rule of law. But the downplaying of this breach was however, where government officials were “explaining it away” as if “it doesn’t really matter.”

His current role as Shadow Attorney General under Kemi Badenoch, an unpaid role, means that he can continue with his commercial bar practice as he is no longer in government. Apart from shadowing the Attorney General and other law officers, he also provides legal advice to members of the Shadow Cabinet.

Although the Conservative Party lost the General Election, Lord Wolfson would rather people “voted for another party,” than to not vote at all. This echoes the message he has for Cambridge students to “get involved […] regardless of your party or beliefs”.

There were and always will be people in Cambridge with views antithetical to his. One day, they could even be a problem for his party because of how impressive of an individual they become –  but Lord Wolfson would still say to them, “get involved”.

Want to share your thoughts on this article? Send us a letter to letters@varsity.co.uk or by using this form.