Prime minister Boris Johnson spoke out in defence of the UK’s sanctions against Russia before Parliament on Wednesday, saying that the country is “out in front” in terms of the level of action it is taking, and no government could “conceivably be doing more”.
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Johnson reiterated that the assets of five Russian banks and three Russian billionaires had been frozen and pledged a “further package of military support” for Ukraine.
This additional strategic support comes after Russian troops were ordered into pro-Russia rebel-held regions in the east of the country. Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, ordered his forces into the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine on Monday, recognising the breakaway regions as independent republics.
Responding to the prime minister in the Commons, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called on the government to introduce new legislation which would prevent wealthy Russians purchasing UK businesses and properties.
Sir Keir said: “We all want to deter aggression in Europe. We are not dealing with breakaway republics. Putin is not a peacekeeper. A sovereign nation has been invaded.
“The prime minister promised that in the event of an invasion he would unleash a full package of sanctions. If not now, then when?”
Johnson responded: “I don't think people quite realise the UK is out in front. We have sanctioned 275 individuals already.
“There is more to come and we will be stopping Russia from raising sovereign debt, stopping companies from raising money and stopping Russian companies... even clearing in sterling and dollars on international markets.”
The PM went on to say that the government would look to bring an Economic Crime Bill before Parliament in its next session which would address opposition concerns about oligarchs owning property and companies in the UK. Sir Keir urged Johnson to bring the legislation forward to the current parliamentary session and would be backed by his party.
Meanwhile, Downing Street has confirmed that sanctions will be issued upon any Russian parliamentarians who supported the decision to recognise the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine.
The prime minister's official spokesman said on Wednesday: "We can do this under existing legislation. We are finalising the evidence to bring forward new designations against the 351 members of the Russian State Assembly and the members of the Federation Council who voted in that way.”
The European Union has also outlined plans to sanction members of Russia’s parliament and penalise banks funding Russian armed forces. Germany has also suspended the approval of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which will prevent Russia from gaining income from selling natural gas to Europe.
Elsewhere, the media regulator Ofcom is reviewing the licence of the Russia Today channel to air in the UK, after ministers suggested that it was being used as a conduit to spread pro-Russian misinformation.
If the situation in Ukraine escalates and Russian troops incur on further territory, additional sanctions that could be imposed by the UK could see Russian companies operating in the defence, energy, technology and chemical sectors targeted, the BBC reports.
Image taken from Wikimedia Commons
