Oliver Pieper. In 2016, however, he wrote a column in the Evening Standard defending Vladimir Putin after the Russian presidents close friend Sergei Roldugin appeared in the Panama Papers. It was active in the campaign calling on the UK Foreign Office to allow British Arctic Veterans of World War Two to receive the Russian Ushakov Medal. Back in 2012, the Foreign Policy journal noted that the websites news feedcontinued to feature only state-owned or state-subsidised outlets. Meanwhile, Russian-born oligarchs remain close to the Prime Minister and his entourage. She is the daughter of Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent. Until this point, Whittingdale had not commented on the Byline pieces or an article in Private Eye. The couple have an 8m London mansion, owned by an offshore trust, a jet and two yachts. [57], In December 2021, Politico Europe named her as one of the "disrupters" in its annual list of 28 people who will shape Europe in the year to come. The Covid-19 public inquiry is a historic chance to find out what really happened. While Yakovenko and Udod made overtures to UKIP and Nigel Farage, another expelled Russian diplomat, Sergei Nalobin, first secretary in the Russian Embassys political section, was reaching out to rebuild ties with the Conservative Party. According to the Observer, he was keen to get involved in fundraising for the Conservative Party and wanted to know of the rivalry between David Cameron and Boris Johnson. "We are in no way funded by either government," he said, "receive no other support or direction, and are solely interested in promoting stronger trade, cultural and people to people ties. Could he be their unwitting asset? Journalism in Britain is under threat. [31], Symonds was one of fourteen women who testified against Worboys at his trial. It is clear in retrospect that the Russian attempt to intervene in British politics was a two-pronged affair. Some have given money to political parties. [55] Writing in The Sunday Times, Marie Le Conte disagreed that such criticism is sexist. He described Russia's social life as "a dull and gloomy existence, devoid of strength and energy". The minister responsible for answering appears to have a penchant for women from ex-Soviet states and is a recipient of money from a source with the same address as a pro-Kremlin oligarch. Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski dubbed a Putin apologist by other MPs addressed the group in 2016, complaining There is very little debate in the House of Commons about Russia.. Boris Johnson's girlfriend and Tory PR guru, set to join new prime minister in 10 Downing Street", "Carrie Symonds: Who is Boris Johnson's fiancee? The organisation started life as the Conservative Friends of Russia - which Chairman Nic Cobb claims has been "dissolved" for years. Lubov Chernukhin (fourth from right, next to Theresa May) paid 135,000 to attend a dinner last year with senior female Conservatives at the Goring hotel in central London. The PR executive and former Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside has introduced several prominent Kremlin figures to senior Conservatives. The Scottish National party has called on Pritchard to resign from the committee or give the money back. He was chairman of Vnesheconombank (VEB), a bank and state corporation with reported close ties to the Kremlin security establishment. Ms Symonds previously worked as head of press at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. Ernest Reid, billed on the WRF website as its ambassador at large, has provided commentary for Russia Today and the WRF sympathetic to Russian foreign ministry objectives. The inquiry, which the Bow Group says should be "independent of the Government and the Conservative Party", needed to consider the specific role Ms Symonds plays in Downing Street, details of . The WRF did not respond to openDemocracys questions on whether the event on March 4 would still go ahead. Staines and his business partner, Jag Singh, who was active in Moscow during the 2011 election campaign, later worked for the Russian Embassy on political campaigning. The connections between Putins anti-EU agenda and Brexit politicians go much deeper. The Times has reported that a fourth, controlling figure in Aquind has been granted rare anonymity by Companies House, despite anti-corruption rules promoting greater transparency in 2016. Some of what follows is an investigation into Whittingdale I carried out for the BBC in 2016 and 2017, which was never broadcast. It is unclear whether the trip went ahead. One Conservative Party guest on the Russia trip told openDemocracy that the forums current setup had no meaningful connection to CFR but despite its rebrand to WFR, the group today still refers to itself as having been founded in 2012. openDemocracy has also obtained emails showing that in 2013, during the Tory coalition with the Liberal Democrats, Russian diplomat Sergey Nalobin attempted to organise a similar trip to Russia for senior Lib Dems. The committee estimated that the state-controlled channelsRTandSputniks pro-Leave websites garnered 134 million potential impressions nearly five times the reach of the two domestic campaigns combined (Vote Leave had 33 million impressions and Leave.EU had 11 million). Farage supports other European right-wing politicians such as Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini who have received Russian funding. Meanwhile, Lebedevs billionaire Moscow contemporary Alexander Mamut bought the bookshop chain Waterstones in 2011 for 53.5m. The group had several notable Parliamentarians on its board, including former Defence and Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind as its Honorary President, and John Whittingdale MP, Andrew Rosindell MP, Nigel Evans MP, and Robert Buckland MP among its Honorary Vice Presidents. Whittingdale had been protected from scrutiny for a long time. John Whittingdale has for many years been a champion of Ukraine and one of the most outspoken MPs in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression.. John Whittingdale was speaking at the same event just before him.. The CFR said this was entirely coincidental. Elements of the suppressed report have now leaked out. It is high time that these groups were brought out of the shadows, adequately regulated and that the public can have far greater insight into how they operate and who is behind them.. He is now the media editor at the BBC. Udod was invited to a drinks party hosted by Banks on the night of the shock EU Referendum result in June 2016. [61] This story was removed from the paper after No. [9], The group's Board lost all of its Conservative MPs amid allegations of being too close to the Russian authorities and it was rebranded as the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-partisan group, which claims to promote an open platform to debate various issues such as international diplomacy, energy security and internal political systems. According to Reuters, Temerko describes himself as a friend who would plot late into the night over a bottle of wine when Johnson became Foreign Secretary. There is also the prime. His then teenage son was educated at a leading British private school. [6], In 2007, aged 19, Symonds was driven home from a King's Road nightclub by taxi-driver John Worboys, who in 2009 was convicted of multiple sexual assaults on his passengers. Super-wealthy businessmen from former Soviet countries also control a dizzying array of UK assets spanning football clubs, oil and gas and multimillion-pound mansions. The SNP is calling on Villiers to return the money. The following year, Burnside invited Vasily Shestakov, an influential MP in Russias Duma, to the same Tory fundraising dinner. It is high time that these groups were brought out of the shadows and properly regulated, Debate in the WRF seems to be heavily one-sided. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. Its chair, Nicholas Cobb, runs an energy communications firm focused on Russia and former Soviet republics, who has appeared on Russia Today as a pro-Moscow pundit. Under its original name, the Conservative Friends of Russia, the group facilitated a ten-day, all-expenses-paid junket to Russia in 2012, paid for by the Russian tourist government agency, Rossotrudnichestvo. ", He also stressed that the forum was now non-partisan despite its Conservative roots, and said: "We rarely meet anyone from Parliament, our civil service or other political institutions, and have for some years now focused on promoting trade and softer areas of cooperation none of which requires lobbying. A new type of newspaper independent, fearless, outside the system. Related: Elevenses: Maybe its because were little Englanders. Businesspeople born in the Soviet Union play a significant role in British business and politics. ", "A question for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds: what is wrong with John Lewis? She later recalled Worboys offering her champagne and vodka,[2] which she believed was spiked and, after returning home, began "vomiting and laughing hysterically before passing out until 3pm the next day". It said the industrialist had funded some of Johnsons key allies in parliament, including James Wharton, who ran Johnsons successful prime ministerial campaign. Lebedev funded Russias independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper. Matthew Elliott, destined to become the chief executive of the official Vote Leave campaign, was a founding member of Conservative Friends of Russia and visited the Moscow Duma as part of a delegation. Lucas, a journalist who was involved in calls to dissolve the Conservative Friends of Russia in 2013, has called its return a mushroom sprouting on top of a compost heap. [3] The group's launch gained mixed reviews in the media from proponents and opponents of the conservatives, with some journalists questioning its neutrality.[4]. ", "John Lewis: rich woman's nightmare, poor woman's dream", "How Cummings and Carrie Symonds vie for Johnson's attention", "Sorting through the shrapnel: what Dominic Cummings' grenade-ridden riposte means", "Carrie Symonds defended over 'sexist fabrication' that she tried to get minister fired", "Carrie Symonds 'tried to install friends in key roles', Dominic Cummings claims", "Samantha Cameron defends Carrie Symonds over 'Lady Macbeth' attacks", "Carrie Symonds is a serious political player so it's not sexist to ask 'What's her game? How party donations, sports teams and lavish London residences have granted access to highest echelons of public life. Brian Latham reports on the intelligence leak that reveals the extent of Putin's plan to create a 'confederation' of friendly states across the Sahel through his proxy Prigozhin, Sam Bright reveals how the Russian Ambassador to the UK claimed the owner of the Independent and Evening Standard had much contributed to strengthening Russian-British relations, Mark Temnycky looks at the turbulence in Tbilisi, Georgians desire to join the EU, and the authoritarian drift of the ruling Dream Party, Sunak's warm welcome of the far right Italian Prime Minister exposes the increasingly authoritarian direction of his own Government, reports Adam Bienkov, Natalia Kogut and Maren Rohe explore the challenges Ukrainian refugees face accessing healthcare, housing and work under the Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme, We need a diverse media landscape that recognises the added responsibility of operating in a post-conflict society, writes Emma DeSouza, Byline Media Holdings Ltd, Byline Times &, Russia Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Tommy Robinson, Wagner in Africa: Russias Other Empire in the Making Bloodier than Ukraine, Georgian Government Drops Foreign Agents Bill, but the Fight Against Kremlin Influence Continues, Rishi Sunaks New Far-Right Ally and the International Authoritarian Elite, Stereotyped and Belittled: Ukrainians Suffer from UK Asylum Policy, Shifting Political Landscape on Island of Ireland Requires More Cross-Border Journalism. The forum originally launched as Conservative Friends of Russia in 2012, a political interest group for those with an interest in Russian politics, business, history and culture, with the aim of strengthening relations between the British and Russian communities. Whittingdale did not register Maria as a Commons researcher. As a Ukrainian living in the UK, I am a patriot and wished to assist my home country in a time of crisis. The Chelsea owners wealth is derived partly from proceeds from the controversial privatisation of the oil giant Sibneft after the fall of the Soviet Union. Dont miss a story! One of Londons most successful Russian businessmen is Andrey Andreev. Jacks sister Mary is married to the Prime Ministers chief advisor, Dominic Cummings. The following month, she was barred from entering the United States as her visa application was rejected due to a previous visit with her close friend Nimco Ali to Somaliland, which the US considers to be part of immigration-restricted Somalia. Mrs Johnson was first romantically linked to her now husband by the media in early 2019. The campaign included a letter signed by 32 Members of Parliament which was submitted to the Honours and Decorations (HD) Committee on Remembrance Day, requesting that the veterans be rewarded with a medal in recognition of the part they played in the vital Arctic Convoy missions throughout the Second World War.[12][13]. Its launch party was at the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden in 2012, and attended by Tory MPs, peers and Russian diplomats. He has received 24,500, according to Electoral Commission filings. Byline Times put a series of questions to John Whittingdale, including questions on his apparent links with Firtash, whether he should repay the 14,435, who paid for Ms Tymofienkos services and/or expenses, and whether his private life has made him vulnerable to kompromat. Blavatnik has amassed a vast business empire, including Warner Music. [2] She was brought up by her mother in East Sheen, South West London, and between 1999 and 2006 attended Godolphin and Latymer School, a private day school for girls. According to its chairman, Dominic Grieve, Boris Johnson personally blocked for bogus reasons the imminent publication of a cross-party report on Russia meddling in UK politics by Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). RT @WriterJackWhite: In 2012 Johnson's "great friend" later expelled FSB spy Sergei Nalobin who attended the launch party of Conservative Friends of Russia with Harry Cole, & Vote Leave's Jag Singh, Carrie Symonds, John Whittingdale (& possibly Dominic Cummings & Matthew Elliott) arranged a 10 visit Rajan, who has denied doing so, killed the story before it was put to King. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. According to CNN, the evidence of Bill Browder, the campaigner behind the anti-corruption Magnitsky Acts, suggests that Russias President, Vladimir Putin, has deployed Russians to infiltrate UK society and to conceal the underlying Russian controllers and their agendas. Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. Boris Johnson is reportedly to marry his fiancee, Carrie Symond s, in July 2022 after sending save-the-date cards to family and friends, according to the Sun. Born in the Soviet Union, Chernukhin is the biggest female donor in British political history and one of the Tories most important cash supporters. introduced several prominent Kremlin figures to senior Conservatives. One of the groups initial organisers in 2011 was Sergei Nalobin, a diplomat suspected of being a Russian agent. The Russian diplomat Udod is reported to be have been the handler of Russian spies in the UK. Alarmingly, the Russia Report found that our security services have not found evidence of the same because they have not looked. The Conservatives have received more than 3m from wealthy Soviet-born donors - all of whom can legally give money to the party as British citizens. In fact, the press had been sniffing around another woman entirely, Natalia Lokhanova, a 30-year-old from Belarus when she had gone out with Whittingdale four years before and the daughter of a Soviet military officer. The WRF, which loudly echoes official lines from Moscow, has links with numerous Conservative MPs and other senior UK political figures. The world found out about their conversation in December 2010 thanks to a Wikileaks cable, although Firtash has denied what the ambassador said he said. The Conservatives have received more than 3m from wealthy Soviet-born donors all of whom can legally give money to the party as British citizens. In January 2020, Whittingdale received 8,000 from Aquind Ltd, the mysterious Russia-linked company planning a billion-pound undersea electricity grid connector between Britain and France which wont reveal the identity of the party that controls it. The Standard office is around the corner from where Lebedev worked in the 1980s as an undercover spy based at the Soviet embassy. [2] She has also worked as a media special adviser for Conservative Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid (Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary) and John Whittingdale (Culture, Media and Sport Secretary). Nicholas Cobb, chairman of the (now) Westminster Russia Forum, wrote to supporters saying that it is with a great regret and sadness that the group is to be shut down. In spring 2018, Johnson flew to the Lebedevs villa in Perugia, Italy. It has been valued at more than 300m after extensive refurbishment. 2. New to Byline Times? The dam broke first with a piece by Nick Mutch on Byline.com, setting out Whittingdales non-registration of a trip with King to the MTV Awards in Amsterdam. If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. By Anne McElvoy. He said he had zero intention of going to Russia. View our Privacy PolicyandTerms & Conditions, TheLondonEconomic.com Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle. According to The Guardian, a judicial review was granted permission to examine how the decision was reached. Three named directors are Richard Glasspool, a former partner at KPMG Russia and former head of the risk committee of the Credit Bank of Moscow, run by Putin-friendly oligarch Roman Avdeev; Kirill Glukhovskoy, formerly a senior lawyer with major Russian energy companies according to the Aquind website; and oligarch Alexander Temerko. Its 2012 launch party took place in the Russian ambassadors Kensington garden. Firtashs closeness to the Kremlin, his association with Trump consigliere-turned-convict Paul Manafort and his arrest warrant issued by the FBI are facts that can be reported and cannot be denied. Chernukhins husband served as a Russian minister in 2000, during Putins first presidential term. In the meantime, openDemocracy has revealed that the Conservative Party, which has received more than 3.5 million from Russian funders since 2010, has actually stepped up its dependence on Russian donors to at least 489,850 in the last year, compared to 350,000 in the year previously.