Senior Labour figures are turning against Attorney General Lord Hermer amid an escalating row over his refusal to declare financial interests.
The Prime Minister's ethics advisor, Sir Laurie Magnus, is being urged to investigate potential breaches of the Ministerial Code.
A senior Cabinet source has condemned Hermer's lack of "political nous" and questioned whether he could remain in post, saying: "If he's going to survive, he's got to figure out how to be a politician."
The Attorney General has broken with convention by refusing to declare possible arrears payments from former clients.
Senior Labour figures are turning against Attorney General Lord Hermer
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Lord Hermer has also refused to clarify whether he recused himself from Government decisions involving former clients, including ex-Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
His refusal to follow transparency practices common to previous attorneys general has drawn sharp criticism from within Labour ranks.
"If you've got financial interests you should be declaring them, that's a given. From the local councillor up to the Cabinet minister," one Labour MP said.
"It's an absolute aberration to have a senior minister avoiding that transparency. I'm surprised this still hasn't been sorted," they added.
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Graham Stringer, a veteran Labour MP, has called for Sir Laurie Magnus to investigate Hermer's lack of transparency.
"There are clearly important questions about these potential breaches of the code that demand comprehensive answers," Stringer told The Telegraph.
"Now is the time for the Prime Minister's independent advisor on ministerial interests, Sir Laurie Magnus, to intervene," he added.
"I hope that these questions will be answered as quickly as possible by Sir Laurie so that we can end the current uncertainty around the Attorney General's position."
Graham Stringer, a veteran Labour MP, has called for Sir Laurie Magnus to investigate Hermer's lack of transparency
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Other Labour MPs have expressed concern, with one stating: "It's clearly a cause for concern. Some of us feel he's not assisting the Government's cause."
Former defence secretary Sir Gavin Williamson has written to the Prime Minister demanding a formal investigation into Lord Hermer.
In his letter, Williamson cited potential breaches of articles 3.1 and 3.8 of the Ministerial Code. These sections relate to conflicts between personal and ministerial interests.
He wrote: "Lord Hermer's lack of transparency on this issue has led to the widespread perception of a conflict of interest and as such is a breach of the obligation under the Ministerial Code."
Allies of the Attorney General maintain he has followed House of Lords procedures for declaring interests.
A Cabinet source criticised Hermer's approach to the role, saying he was "thinking as a lawyer, not as a politician."
"He thinks 'what are the rules in the Lords, I'll follow them so there's no problem'. He doesn't think about how it looks," the source said.
The source added there was a fundamental "clash of ideas about politics and the law" which Hermer embodied.
Former defence secretary Sir Gavin Williamson has written to the Prime Minister demanding a formal investigation into Lord Hermer
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Lord Glasman, an influential Labour peer, delivered particularly harsh criticism earlier this week too, calling the Attorney General an "arrogant, progressive fool" and declared "he's got to go."
Recent revelations about Lord Hermer's past legal work have created difficult headlines for the Government.
On Saturday it emerged he had represented a terrorist involved in plotting the 9/11 attacks in a compensation claim.
Earlier in the week, it was revealed he had acted for an al-Qaeda chief with links to the 7/7 London bombings.
The Government has responded to the growing controversy by insisting there are rigorous processes in place to prevent conflicts of interest.
However, pressure continues to mount over the Attorney General's refusal to fully declare his financial interests and past client relationships.
