Thursday, February 24, 2022
Tough talk on Ukraine but little effective action
With Russia having launched its assault on Ukraine last night, one would expect that the UK Government will ratchet up the sanctions against Putin and his pals in government. However, it seems that there is one area Boris Johnson will not venture into, even though it has the potential to be especially painful.
As the Mirror reports, Boris Johnson is relaxed about Russia-linked cash flowing into Tory coffers and won't review the Conservative Party's policies. The Prime Minister is under pressure to order party chiefs to hand back around £2m of donations from Russia-linked sources given to the party since he became leader:
Labour Leader Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of presiding over an "era of oligarch impunity" in the Commons, and underlined that individuals or companies with links to Russia have donated £2m to either the Conservative Party, individual Tory MPs - some of which are Cabinet ministers - or Conservative associations.
But the PM's Press Secretary confirmed on Wednesday he is “completely comfortable” with the donations, adding there will be no review of party policies because “we believe all due diligence is in place".
She added: “The Conservative Party does not accept foreign donations - that is illegal.
“And as you know, donations are all properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission".
“But I would make the point that there are people in this country of Russian origin who are British citizens, and many are critics of Putin. So it’s wrong and discriminatory to tar them all with the same brush.”
The paper outlines where some of the money has gone:
Records show Alexander Temerko and his firm Aquind Energy have made a string of donations.
Some £10,000 went to Treasury Secretary Simon Clarke’s Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. Aquind is seeking permission to build a huge energy interconnector under the English Channel and in 2012 it got a £4.5m government grant.
In 2015 Mr Sunak also saw a £6,000 donation to his Richmond, Yorks, constituency from Mr Temerko, a former aide to ex-Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan removed herself from decisions on the Aquind plan because of £17,000 in donations from Mr Temerko during her days as a business minister.
COP26 president Alok Sharma accepted £10,000 in donations from Aquind in 2019, plus £15,000 from Mr Temerko’s old venture Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN), in 2014. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis received a donation of £10,000 from banker Ms Lubov Chernukhin, the Tories’ biggest individual donor.
Dominic Raab declared a £25,000 donation to his Esher and Walton constituency from Dmitry Leus – whose £500,000 gift to royal charities triggered a row over claims foreigners could “buy” residency.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Temerko, Ms Chernukhin or Mr Leus – all British citizens.
There is a huge anount of property belonging to Russian oligarchs in London, which is also the centre of much of Russian financial activity. Surely, it is time to hit Putin where it will really hurt.
As the Mirror reports, Boris Johnson is relaxed about Russia-linked cash flowing into Tory coffers and won't review the Conservative Party's policies. The Prime Minister is under pressure to order party chiefs to hand back around £2m of donations from Russia-linked sources given to the party since he became leader:
Labour Leader Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of presiding over an "era of oligarch impunity" in the Commons, and underlined that individuals or companies with links to Russia have donated £2m to either the Conservative Party, individual Tory MPs - some of which are Cabinet ministers - or Conservative associations.
But the PM's Press Secretary confirmed on Wednesday he is “completely comfortable” with the donations, adding there will be no review of party policies because “we believe all due diligence is in place".
She added: “The Conservative Party does not accept foreign donations - that is illegal.
“And as you know, donations are all properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission".
“But I would make the point that there are people in this country of Russian origin who are British citizens, and many are critics of Putin. So it’s wrong and discriminatory to tar them all with the same brush.”
The paper outlines where some of the money has gone:
Records show Alexander Temerko and his firm Aquind Energy have made a string of donations.
Some £10,000 went to Treasury Secretary Simon Clarke’s Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. Aquind is seeking permission to build a huge energy interconnector under the English Channel and in 2012 it got a £4.5m government grant.
In 2015 Mr Sunak also saw a £6,000 donation to his Richmond, Yorks, constituency from Mr Temerko, a former aide to ex-Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan removed herself from decisions on the Aquind plan because of £17,000 in donations from Mr Temerko during her days as a business minister.
COP26 president Alok Sharma accepted £10,000 in donations from Aquind in 2019, plus £15,000 from Mr Temerko’s old venture Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN), in 2014. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis received a donation of £10,000 from banker Ms Lubov Chernukhin, the Tories’ biggest individual donor.
Dominic Raab declared a £25,000 donation to his Esher and Walton constituency from Dmitry Leus – whose £500,000 gift to royal charities triggered a row over claims foreigners could “buy” residency.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Temerko, Ms Chernukhin or Mr Leus – all British citizens.
There is a huge anount of property belonging to Russian oligarchs in London, which is also the centre of much of Russian financial activity. Surely, it is time to hit Putin where it will really hurt.
