Whittingdale enjoyed 14,435 of free trips to Ukraine and Vienna paid for by the British Ukraine Society (BUS) which shared the same Knightsbridge address as the Firtash Foundation and the main Firtash entity, Group DF. usinesspeople born in the Soviet Union play a significant role in British business and politics. Nalobin, the son of a high-ranking spy for Russias Federal Security Service, was subsequently removed from the UK by the Home Office in 2015 in a spying row. Other donations have flowed to Brandon Lewis, the former Tory party chairman. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. Back in April 2016, Whittingdales adventurous private life was the subject of a joke by then Chancellor George Osborne in a speech to the parliamentary lobby. Others have made substantial investments in media and industry. [60][61] After senior aide Ben Gascoigne threatened to resign if she was appointed, the proposal was dropped. Think of the person behind the recent raft of Conservative animal welfare policies, and one name springs to mind - the Prime Minister's fiancee, Carrie Symonds.. The WRFs multilateral forum events have grown from 50 attendees at the first in 2015 to 170 in 2020, which drew 47 speakers on UK-Russia relations, and was overwhelmingly effusive on the need for strong ties with the Putin regime. We scrambled so hard to get our BBC Newsnight story on that night, running the extraordinary statement drafted by Carrie Symonds, that I mispronounced dominatrix much to the amusement of then-editor Ian Katz. Though he at first denied it, Farage met the Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko in May 2013. Not another story about Whittingdale! I laugh about it all day.. 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". [42][43], Amid the Partygate scandal, she was issued with a fixed penalty notice in April 2022 for breaching COVID-19 regulations. John Whittingdale MP and Carrie Symonds, then a young Tory party worker and now Johnsons fiancee, were among the guests. Conservative Friends of Russia has been disbanded with immediate effect following the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He says he wasnt thrown out of The Savoy but accepts a waiter did approach when she was kissing him after a customer complained., Whittingdale was the butt of Whitehall jokes. After Austrian police arrested Firtash on behalf of the FBI in March 2014 for his part in the alleged $18.5 million bribe scandal using Group DF to conceal bribe payments using threats and intimidation to further the goals of the criminal enterprise a multi-million-dollar titanium deal Whittingdale carried on as before, making one final trip to Kyiv and two visits to Vienna where Firtash is now based courtesy of the BUS. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, wave from the steps of 10 Downing Street in London. Now called the Westminster Russia Forum (WRF), the groups British organisers often appear on the Russian state broadcaster, RT. Long before she became Boris's girlfriend, Carrie - a former spad (special adviser) who became head of communications for the Conservative Party - had a strong network in SW1. The group described itself as "an organisation created for those with an interest in Russian politics, business, history and culture, with the aim of strengthening relations between the British and Russian communities and informing political decision making within both countries. Boris Johnson marries fiancee in 'secret ceremony', "Carrie Symonds: who is Boris Johnson's live-in girlfriend? One of Burnsides employees is Alex Nekrassov, whose late father Alexander was a Kremlin adviser and hardline Putin apologist. This group was launched in the Russian Embassys gardens in August 2012 by Yakovenko and Nalobin, and attended by senior Conservatives such as the then chair of the DCMS Committee, and soon-to-be Culture Minister, John Whittingdale, who was the groups honorary vice president. Has he put himself in a position where he is vulnerable to the public perception that he is the Kremlins man? [33], She began an affair with British politician Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, in 2018 while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. 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). She was a similar age and lived close to me. View our Privacy PolicyandTerms & Conditions, TheLondonEconomic.com Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle. Though the gold consolidation deal was pursued for several months, Banks says he never took up any of these offers. Then, working at BBC Newsnight, I was not interested in his dalliance with Miss Whiplash but his anomaly in the registration of benefits in kind and the fact that four newspapers had sat on the story perhaps because Whittingdale was seen as pro-paper and anti-Leveson. 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. Roman Abramovich, pictured in the stands at Chelsea FCs Stamford Bridge ground, in 2017 - the last year Chelsea won the Premier League. Others have made substantial investments in media and industry. You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER . 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. The Bow Group said No 10 needed to . We support the people of Ukraine and continue to stand with the people of Russia this war is not in their name and we will continue to support them in their time of need.. The following year, Burnside invited Vasily Shestakov, an influential MP in Russias Duma, to the same Tory fundraising dinner. [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. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. Fridman and Browne enjoy a longstanding business relationship that includes the foundation of TNK-BP, a joint venture involving British oil supermajor BP and a group of three billionaires, including Fridman, under the banner AAR. In 2017, Deripaska listed his En+ energy and metals group on the London Stock Exchange and turned to Lord Barker to serve as its chairman. openDemocracy this week revealed that more than 200 Russian millionaires had been given golden visas, despite an earlier government pledge to clamp down on the practice. In 2014, she paid 160,000 at a Tory fundraiser to play tennis with Cameron and Johnson, then the PM and London mayor. The Tory peer received a bonus of $4m (3.14m) after helping Deripaska get the company removed from a list of firms hit by US sanctions. The real problem is the Russian influence operation in the serious think tanks, [in] the City of London, and [in] the large amounts of money being made by bankers, lawyers and accountants who focus on pushing the Russian regime, including by donating large amounts of money to political parties.. We also asked whether he accepted that, in the light of the ISCs Russia Report, he was foolish to accept so much money from an entity controlled by a pro-Kremlin oligarch. In contrast to Temerko, Chernukhin keeps a low public profile. 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. Lebdevev plus Carrie Johnson a founder member of Conservative Friends of Russia It is clear in retrospect that the Russian attempt to intervene in British politics was a two-pronged affair. 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. It looks like Happy Families, Russia-style. 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. The controversial trip attracted significant adverse coverage and, after a further string of scandals, a number of Tory MPs who had been patrons all resigned, including Robert Buckland, Nigel Evans and former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind. [31], Symonds was the youngest of Worboys's victims, and waived her anonymity to talk about her experiences and, later, to campaign against his early release, fundraising for a successful judicial review of the decision. Nigel Farages former party UKIP has been a strong supporter of Russia for over a decade. 10 job and her friends take key jobs 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. The Russia Report by Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) stated: The UK is clearly a target for Russias disinformation campaigns and political influence operations and must therefore equip itself to counter such efforts., Britains intelligence agencies told the committee: They informed us that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) holds primary responsibility for disinformation campaigns.. Russias foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova went to his Moscow book launch. At previous such events, dozens of speakers have urged stronger ties to the Putin government. How party donations, sports teams and lavish London residences have granted access to highest echelons of public life. Other Ukrainians are critical of Whittingdale for evidently being closely connected to Firtash, given the latters chumminess with the Kremlin. 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. Our leading investigations include: empire & the culture war,Brexit, crony contracts,Russian interference,the Coronavirus pandemic,democracy in danger, andthe crisis in British journalism. And we asked whether, given the 8,000 election money from Aquind came from an entity whose controlling party is unknown, he should repay that too. His communications firm, New Century Media, founded a Positive Russia foundation to improve Moscows image in the UK. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schrder has maintained that his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin are a valuable channel of communication. While the ISC report has been suppressed during Britains General Election campaign, another report was published in February this year by another official UK parliamentary committee the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee, chaired by Conservative politician Damian Collins, into disinformation and fake news. ", 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. Related: Elevenses: Maybe its because were little Englanders. Conservative Friends of Russia held its 2012 launch party in the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden, with about 250 Russian and British guests present, including Tories who went on to. He would not be drawn on whether the Kremlin had interfered in the EU referendum vote in support of Leave, but said that he opposed Brexit. As reported on Byline Times last month, a Ukrainian born oligarch, Dmytro Firtash, currently awaiting extradition to the US, has extensive connections to both Putin, the Russian underworld and the British Brexit establishment, including John Whittingdale. From 2011 onward, Nalobin met various British social media influencers at a regular Digital Barbecue. When Sibneft needed an international communications chief it turned to Greg Barker, who would go on to become Conservative energy minister under David Cameron. Receive our monthly print edition and help to support fearless, independent journalism. [5] On Remembrance Day 2012 it organised a letter signed by thirty two Members of Parliament demanding the veterans be allowed the medal. That same month, Tymofienko was photographed with another ex-Soviet oligarch, Alexander Temerko, and Conservative minister Philip Hammond at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham. Tymofienko is now working on an 800,000 scheme promoting intellectual property in Ukraine at QMC London funded by the British Government. Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection, Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary, refurbishment of the 11 Downing Street flat, "Under new management: is Carrie Symonds the real power at No 10? Westminster Russia Forum (WRF) was a UK-wide voluntary organisation, which aims to promote improved relations with Russia. Carrie Symonds and the inside story behind the Downing Street flat scandal. Byline Times is funded by its subscribers. That October, Maria popped up in the House of Commons as the founder of the Global Friends of Ukraine (GFU), with patron John Whittingdale, who stuck the event on his website. As soon as I discovered, I ended the relationship., Oliver writes that he approved the press release and tracked down Whittingdale, who was about to attend a Vote Leave dinner: He is clear that he didnt realise he was going out with a prostitute who specialises in sado-masochism., The Number 10 media supremo said he put to Whittingdale the unreported press interest in his string of Russian girlfriends. The then foreign secretary left his security detail behind and was spotted at the airport on his way home, dishevelled and hungover. 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. The problem is that Russias security services have no such scruples and that the Russian President Vladimir Putin has form when he was head of the KGB for identifying then Russias Prosecutor-General as the man in bed with two prostitutes on a grainy video. Its launch party was at the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden in 2012, and attended by Tory MPs, peers and Russian diplomats. But we can't do it without you. Hawley added: Friends of groups of political parties are alarmingly unregulated, and provide a back door for unofficial lobbying, access and paid influence. [58], In February 2022, Carrie Johnson's spokeswoman denied that Johnson has influence over her husband amidst allegations from Tory peer Lord Ashcroft, who had written an unauthorised biography of her. Lubov Chernukhin is biggest female donor in the history of Conservative Party She has a reputation for making big bids to have dinner or play sport with Tories Alexander Temerko, former chief of. Back in 2012, the Foreign Policy journal noted that the websites news feedcontinued to feature only state-owned or state-subsidised outlets. There is also the prime. The SNP is calling on Villiers to return the money. 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. Alarmingly, the Russia Report found that our security services have not found evidence of the same because they have not looked. "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. [37] She used to be a practising Catholic and had her son baptised into the Catholic Church. The CFR said this was entirely coincidental. [54], Conservative MP Caroline Nokes asserted that Carrie Johnson's influence has been exaggerated for sexist purposes;[53] she has been likened to both Lady Macbeth and Marie Antoinette ("Carrie Antoinette") by her critics. 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 Kremlins attempts tointervene continue. UPDATE: Following the publication of this story, the Westminster Russia Forum put out an overnight statementdisassociating itself from the invasion of Ukraine and saying it had "suspended all planned events until further notice". 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. New to Byline Times? By Anne McElvoy. This breach was referred to the National Crime Agency by the Information Commissioner, Elisabeth Denham. Udod was invited to a drinks party hosted by Banks on the night of the shock EU Referendum result in June 2016. Temerko has given more than 1.3m to the Conservative party. Ultimately he sold his shares for 550m in 2018 to the US sports tycoon Stan Kroenke. [citation needed], Nevertheless, on 23 November 2012, the group publicly attacked the then chairman of the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Russia, Labour MP Chris Bryant, through the publication of a press release featuring a 10-year old picture, extracted from a dating website, depicting the MP in underwear. Whittingdales responsibilities at the DCMS include oversight of foreign television networks, including the Kremlins poodle network RT. 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. Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson[3][4][5] (ne Symonds; born 17 March 1988) is a British media consultant and the wife of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. A few months later, Britain voted for Brexit, Cameron fell on his sword, Theresa May came in and axed Whittingdale in her first shuffle. This group was launched in the Russian Embassy's gardens in August 2012 by Yakovenko and Nalobin, and attended by senior Conservatives such as the then chair of the DCMS Committee, and soon-to-be Culture Minister, John Whittingdale, who was the group's honorary vice president. In just over a week, the group says it will hold a Multilateral Relations Conference aimed at strengthening links between Russia and the UK. It said the industrialist had funded some of Johnsons key allies in parliament, including James Wharton, who ran Johnsons successful prime ministerial campaign. ", "A question for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds: what is wrong with John Lewis? Matthew Elliott was a founding member. But Companies House records show it merely changed its. 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. Lord Barker of Battle, as he has been known since his elevation to the House of Lords, has also worked for another Russian businessman with the ear of Britains powerful elite, Oleg Deripaska. He spent 40,000 on a portrait of Margaret Thatcher. Russian authorities have accused him of a massive fraud. There is powerful evidence that the Russian propaganda machine, openly by such vehicles as RT and Sputnik, and covertly through anonymous bots, have interfered with Britains democracy. John Whittingdale was speaking at the same event just before him.. [2], In 2009, Symonds joined the Conservative Party as a press officer. What followed was at least four meetings with Banks and the ambassador, which opened the door to at least three potentially lucrative investment opportunities in Russian-owned gold and state diamond mines. [47] She was additionally involved in a political controversy over the refurbishment of the 11 Downing Street flat,[47] and her comments over the flat's decor being a "John Lewis furniture nightmare" (John Lewis typically being an aspirational, upper-middle-class shop) led to accusations of snobbery. (Symonds now resides in Number 10 with Boris Johnson). As speculation continues to abound over just how Boris Johnson funded the revamp at No 11, Tatler revisits our April cover story on Carrie Symonds - in which Anne McElvoy first revealed the details of the circumstances surrounding the makeover. Although the WRF calls itself a think tank, there is no record of any research ever published by the group. An investigation by Reuters, based on conversations with Temerko, alleges that he supported Johnsons campaign to take Britain out of the EU at least initially. The big source of Firtashs money has been his control of entities supplying Russian gas to Ukraine. The payment was made by Henley Concierge, a firm registered to a cottage on Borodins 120m country estate near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. He co-authored an anti-EU book with an aide, Pavel Stroilov, who had allegedly fled Russia with smuggled secret Soviet documents. Ah, Carrie "Conservative Friends of Russia" Symonds, later Johnson . The organisation started life as the Conservative Friends of Russia - which Chairman Nic Cobb claims has been "dissolved" for years. [44], Concerns over her influence on the prime minister were raised in January 2020, when it came to light that she had received briefs from animal rights activists just before the government pulled a planned cull of badgers in Derbyshire. [34] On 16 August 2019, she made her first public appearance since entering 10 Downing Street, when she addressed what she called the "gigantic" climate crisis. 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. Activities of the Conservative Friends of Russia, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Spectator article 'Tory pro-Russia lobbying group disbands', Russian Embassy hosts Conservative Friends of Russia, "Conservative Friends of Russia under fire for launch after Pussy Riot verdict | Politics", "British Arctic Convoys veterans should be rewarded; UK Edition", "Lobbyist expresses delight at Arctic Convoy medal news: Voice of Russia - UK Edition", "In Plain Sight: The Kremlin's London Lobby", "I'm a victim of Russian smear campaign, says MP photographed in underwear", "UK Russia Relations: An interview with the Chairman of the Westminster Russia Forum", "LGBT RIGHTS IN RUSSIA with guest speakers PETER | InterLaw Diversity Forum for LGBT Networks", "Westminster Russia Forum: Ushakov medal presentation ahead of G8 summit | PoliticsHome | Press Release | PoliticsHome", "The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Westminster_Russia_Forum&oldid=1146571163, 2012 establishments in the United Kingdom, Organisations based in the City of Westminster, Articles needing additional references from December 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 March 2023, at 18:12. Carrie Johnson went on to become communications director for The Conservative Party aged 29, on a rumoured annual salary of 80,000. ", "Who is Carrie Symonds? The source for the Firtash-Mogilevich connection was reportedly Firtash himself to then US Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, in 2008. Luke Hardings latest book Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russias Remaking of the West (Guardian Faber) is available from the Guardian Bookshop. In recent years, Lebedev has come under scrutiny over his close personal ties with Boris Johnson. [56] Journalist Sarah Vine, on the other hand, said that while it is easy to "blame the woman", the truth is "far more complicated", adding that Johnson's head did not deserve "to be on the block". [7], The group's neutrality and support was questioned by the media, despite the group stating no political links or bias to Russia and made it clear that its funding comes from membership and events, by publishing its financial accounts. Is Whittingdale vulnerable? In 2018, Udod was expelled from the UK as a suspected spy after the abortive assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal using the novichok nerve agent in Salisbury. When I go through it with him, he begins to bluster, saying she was a Page 3 model not a soft porn actress. Chernukhins husband served as a Russian minister in 2000, during Putins first presidential term. ", The statement concludes:"We are aware that to some our views on promoting dialogue may appear strange but we are committed to doing what we can to promoting grassroots understanding and peace.". Boris Johnson's partner could make history by moving into 10 Downing Street", "Boris Johnson's partner 'left 80k Tory HQ job over unauthorised expense claims', "The Londoner: Tory staffers rally behind Carrie Symonds", "PM's row with Lynton Crosby over briefings against girlfriend Carrie Symonds", "John Worboys: Victim Carrie Symonds' story", "Carrie Symonds: It's such a relief to know John Worboys will stay in prison", "What drives First Fiance Carrie Symonds, asks Freddy Gray", "Carrie Symonds, girlfriend of British PM Boris Johnson, has been denied a visa to the US", "Carrie Symonds to carry out first solo event since Boris Johnson became PM at 'birdwatchers' Glastonbury', "Carrie Symonds warns politicians of 'gigantic' climate crisis responsibility", "Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds name baby boy Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson after doctors who saved PM's life", "Italian airport quashes claims of secret Boris Johnson trip", "Everything we know about Carrie Symonds' wedding look", "Carrie Symonds wears a boho-organza tiered white gown and flower crown for a wedding with Boris Johnson", "Carrie Johnson and Boris Johnson expecting second child", "Boris and Carrie Johnson announce birth of a girl", "Romy Iris Charlotte: Boris Johnson and Carrie name their baby daughter", "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak reject calls to resign over lockdown fines", "Court to probe Carrie Symonds' influence on PM after cancellation of badger cull", "Lee Cain: Johnson's senior aide resigns amid infighting at No 10", "Carrie Symonds' influence at No 10 extends much further than the decor", "How could Boris and Carrie's Downing St refurbishment cost 200,000? Farage supports other European right-wing politicians such as Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini who have received Russian funding. The DCMS is the lead department for policing our digital frontier and Whittingdale is in charge of its international strategy. In 2012, Burnside took a Russian embassy diplomat, Sergei Nalobin, to a Conservative party fundraising dinner. 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.. [38], Symonds married Boris Johnson on 29 May 2021 in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral attended by thirty guests. He was chairman of Vnesheconombank (VEB), a bank and state corporation with reported close ties to the Kremlin security establishment. Jim Cusick then reported on Byline how his former editor at The Independent, Amol Rajan, had killed the story. Borodin said he did not discuss party policy at the event, nor make a donation. Some have given money to political parties. Now, Carrie focusses her work efforts on. In late 2017, Byline revealed that the Maltese-born professor Joseph Mifsud, named as a Russian intermediary in the Mueller Investigation, was telling colleagues he was going to meet Boris Johnson to discuss Brexit. Meanwhile, Russian-born oligarchs remain close to the Prime Minister and his entourage. [45] She was also influential in making sure that Lee Cain did not get a job as the prime minister's chief of staff,[46] and urged Boris Johnson to fire environment secretary George Eustice from his role. Nalobin, who now lives in a Moscow apartment block known as the FSB block, is the son of Nikolai Nalobin, a former KGB general. 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.
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