Boris Johnson outlines NATO support for Ukraine against Russia

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The Labour leader’s call for the Tories to address Russian finance flowing into Government came amid diplomatic efforts from Western nations — including the UK — to defuse tensions over the crisis in Ukraine. While Boris Johnson spoke of his impressions about the Kremlin’s intentions following an emergency Cobra meeting, Sir Keir blamed the Prime Minister for “enabling” Vladimir Putin to “damage” British institutions.

He said on Tuesday night: “Labour stands united with the government and our allies in the attempts to deal with the threat of Russian aggression. But alongside action abroad, there must finally be proper action to tackle corruption at home.

“For a decade, the Tories have not just failed to challenge Russian influence – they have enabled it.

“As a result, the UK is seen as a laundromat for kleptocrats’ dirty money, our institutions have been damaged and an entire cottage industry has grown up dedicated to lobbying for and protecting those close to the Kremlin.”

This is not the first attempt by the opposition to shed light on what it describes as an unacceptable “openness to illicit finance”.

Earlier this month, David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, called on ministers to return money from donors with ties to Moscow.

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They wrote in a joint letter to their counterparts, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak: “Donors who have made money from Russia or have alleged links to the Putin regime have given £1.93million to either the Conservative party or individual Conservative associations since Boris Johnson took power in July 2019.

“Will the Conservative party agree to return it?”

Measures to tackle money laundering in the UK were first announced by David Cameron in 2014 and 2015 but Labour argues promises have not been met and “much more” must be done.

Mr Lammy and Ms Reeves, recalling how Labour has repeatedly raised the alarm about the role of dirty money in the country, claimed: “Despite repeated warnings, the government has been asleep at the wheel and needlessly left our defences down at home.”

Mr Johnson, as MPs from across the House blasted London’s reputation as a money-laundering hub, said in January he would bring forward an economic crime bill in the third session of Parliament. Labour responded this should already have happened.

Speaking ahead of an emergency meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, Sir Keir asked the Prime Minister to return an estimated £5m in Russian donations.

He said: “If Boris Johnson is now serious about tackling Russian dirty money and influence, he should immediately get his own house in order.

“That means returning the millions of pounds of Russian-linked cash that has been donated to the Tories and their MPs since he became prime minister, and reversing his plans to allow unlimited donations from abroad.”

Sir Keir stressed failure to act now “will only further strengthen Vladimir Putin in his attempts to stalk and menace his neighbours and democracies around the world”.

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As NATO ministers meet, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has emphasised the need for vigilance in the coming days and weeks.

After a build-up near Ukraine’s borders that significantly raised fears of an invasion, Moscow has this week said it is pulling back some of its troops.

But a wary Mr Wallace warned: “We will take them at their word, but judge them by their actions.

“I would be the first to be delighted by a de-escalation, we have all been working towards that, but we see 60 percent of Russia’s land forces amassed on the Ukrainian and Belarus borders.

“I am an ex-soldier, that is not normal exercising, especially when you see the depth of deployments.”

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky joined the defence secretary’s cautious approach, saying the forces’ exit was not visible.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg echoed their words: “So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground – on the contrary, it appears that Russia continues the military build-up.”

According to Mr Johnson’s assessment, the Kremlin is sending “mixed signals”.

While there was intelligence of “more [Russian] battalion tactical groups actually been brought closer to the border with Ukraine”, the Prime Minister also said “we are seeing a Russia openness to conversations” that brings hope to “an avenue for diplomacy”.

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