The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs (Elizabeth Truss) With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to
update the House on our support for Ukraine in the face of Putin’s
premeditated, pre-planned and barbaric invasion. Ukraine has
suffered horrific attacks. Missiles and air strikes have torn
through apartment blocks. Tanks have rolled into once peaceful
cities. Innocent people, including children, have lost their lives.
The situation is...Request free trial
The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development
Affairs ()
With permission, Mr Speaker, I wish to update the House on our
support for Ukraine in the face of Putin’s premeditated,
pre-planned and barbaric invasion. Ukraine has suffered horrific
attacks. Missiles and air strikes have torn through apartment
blocks. Tanks have rolled into once peaceful cities. Innocent
people, including children, have lost their lives.
The situation is fluid, but as of today, Putin has not taken any
major cities. The advance has been slowed by Ukraine’s fierce
resistance. Putin’s invasion is not proceeding to plan. He
expected to take cities quickly. He expected Ukraine to retreat.
And he expected the West to be divided. Instead, his forces were
met by the heroism of President Zelensky and the resolute
determination of the Ukrainian people. He has been met by a
united west, together with our friends around the world, and we
have taken decisive action.
Today, we have acted with the US, the EU, Japan and Canada to cut
off Russia’s central bank from our markets. The rouble has fallen
by more than 40% as a result. As much as $250 billion has been
wiped off the Russian stock market and, today, its stock market
is closed. The EU, Germany, Sweden and others are following our
lead in providing defensive weapons to Ukraine, and Germany has
frozen Nord Stream 2.
Putin has been confounded by our collective response. That is why
he is resorting to more and more extreme rhetoric. But, of
course, the situation remains dire. The Government and people of
Ukraine are facing a continued onslaught. The days ahead are
likely to prove tougher still.
The UK and our allies will have to undergo some economic hardship
as a result of our sanctions, but our hardships are nothing
compared to those endured by the people of Ukraine. Casualty
numbers are rising, and more than 300,000 people have already
been displaced. This is a struggle for Ukraine’s freedom and
self-determination, but it is also a struggle for freedom and
democracy everywhere and for the survival of a Europe whole and
free. We feel a particular responsibility as the UK is a
signatory to the 1994 Budapest memorandum, which provided Ukraine
with security guarantees.
This premeditated invasion, in violation of international law and
multiple international commitments, cannot succeed. Putin must
lose. We are doing everything that we can to stop him and to
restore Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We will
do this by backing Ukraine against unjustified aggression, by
degrading the Russian economy and stopping it from funding
Putin’s war machine, and by isolating Putin on the world
stage.
First, we are backing Ukraine with defensive weapons,
humanitarian aid and economic support. The UK was the first
European nation to send defensive weapons to the country, and
those weapons are being used today to halt Russian tanks and
defend Ukrainian towns and cities. Our latest consignment of
defensive support left Brize Norton over the weekend. We are also
leading on humanitarian support. Yesterday, my right hon. Friend
the Prime Minister announced a further £40 million of
humanitarian aid, which will provide Ukrainians with access to
basic necessities and vital medical supplies. We call on Russia
to enable humanitarian access and safe passage for civilians to
flee the violence. The UK is also supporting Ukraine’s economy,
including through £100 million of official development assistance
and guarantees of up to $500 million in development bank
loans.
Secondly, we are cutting off funding for Putin’s war machine. We
are coming together with the US, the G7 and the EU to take
further decisive steps. We have been joined by Australia,
Singapore, Switzerland and many more. There is a growing list of
countries who are determined that this aggression cannot stand.
We have agreed that many Russian banks will be removed from the
SWIFT system, kicking them out of international finance. That is
the first step towards a total SWIFT ban. Our collective action
against Russia’s central bank will prevent it from deploying its
international reserves to mitigate the impact of our
sanctions.
We are also launching a joint taskforce to hunt down the assets
of oligarchs hit by our sanctions. The UK is proud to lead by
example. We have already put in place the largest package of
sanctions in our history. We have sanctioned Putin and Lavrov,
Russia’s defence industry and a growing list of oligarchs. We
have approved asset freezes on several Russian banks and we are
banning Russian airlines and private jets from our airspace, but
we are determined to go much, much further. We want a situation
where they cannot access their funds, their trade cannot flow,
their ships cannot dock and their planes cannot land.
Today, I inform the House that I will be laying two new pieces of
sanctions legislation. The first will introduce a set of new
powers against Russia’s financial sector, including powers to
prevent Russian banks from clearing payments in sterling. With
over 50% of Russian trade denominated in dollars or sterling, our
co-ordinated action with the United States will damage Russia’s
ability to trade with the world, and as soon as this legislation
comes into force, we will apply it to Sberbank—Russia’s largest
bank.
I will also be imposing a full asset freeze on three further
banks: VEB, Russia’s national development bank; Sovcombank, the
third largest privately owned financial institution in Russia;
and Otkritie, one of Russia’s largest commercial banks. We will
bring in a full asset freeze on all Russian banks in days,
looking to co-ordinate with our allies. The same legislation will
prevent the Russian state from raising debt here, and will
isolate all Russian companies—more than 3 million businesses—from
accessing UK capital markets. Global giants such as Gazprom will no longer
be able to issue debt or equity in London.
The second piece of legislation will ban exports to Russia across
a range of critical sectors. This includes high-end technological
equipment such as microelectronics and marine and navigation
equipment. This will blunt Russia’s military-industrial
capabilities and act as a drag on Russia’s economy for years to
come. I appreciate the consequences of this step for British
people and British businesses operating in Russia. The Department
for International Trade and the Treasury will offer advice and
guidance to affected UK businesses. My consular staff will
continue to support British nationals in Russia, as well as those
in Ukraine.
We will keep ratcheting up our response. More legislation will
follow in the coming weeks, sanctioning Russian-occupied
territories in the Donbas, extending more sanctions to Belarus,
and limiting Russian deposits in UK banks. We will continue
working through our hit list of oligarchs, focusing on their
houses, their yachts, and every aspect of their lives. In
addition, we will introduce the economic crime Bill tomorrow; my
right hon. Friend the Business Secretary will set out more in the
next statement in the House. This is all about flushing out the
oligarchs’ dirty money from the United Kingdom. We will continue
to work with our G7 allies to cut off the Russian economy and cut
the free world’s dependence on Russian gas, depriving Putin of
his key source of revenue.
Finally, we are leading the diplomatic effort to ensure that
there is a chorus of condemnation against President Putin. In the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, a key part
of the European security architecture, 45 countries condemned
Russia by name. At the UN Security Council on Friday, more than
80 UN members voted for, or co-sponsored, a resolution condemning
Russia’s aggression. Russia stood alone in opposing it. Putin is
isolated. No one is willing to back his war of choice. In recent
days, I have spoken to my counterparts in more than 20 countries
around the world. Yesterday, I met G7 Foreign Ministers. We were
joined by Ukraine’s brave Foreign Minister, my friend Dmytro
Kuleba. Everyone is clear that Putin must lose, and we will carry
on increasing the pressure until he does.
We have all seen Ukraine’s determination to fight. Putin’s war
could end up lasting for months and years, so I say to our
Ukrainian friends, “We are with you. In Britain, and around the
world, we’re prepared to suffer economic sacrifices to support
you. However long it takes, we will not rest until Ukraine’s
sovereignty is restored.”
I commend this statement to the House.
3.48pm
(Tottenham) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her
statement, and for the briefing that she continues to give me on
Privy Council terms.
We have all been inspired by the gallant and tenacious actions of
Ukrainians in defence of their country. This is true courage
under fire. President Zelensky has epitomised the bravery,
dignity and resolve of a nation fighting back, and fighting for
values that we all share—democracy, freedom and the rule of law.
The Foreign Secretary is right when she says that Putin’s
invasion is not so far going to plan, but does she agree that we
must not let our focus slip for even a second? We will continue
to stand united with our allies and partners, supporting Ukraine
and opposing this outrageous campaign of aggression.
This morning, I had the honour, with the shadow Defence Secretary
my right hon. Friend the Member for Wentworth and Dearne (), of meeting Ukraine’s
ambassador. He thanks all sides of this House for the united
opposition we have shown to Vladimir Putin’s illegal war and the
support we continue to show for Ukrainian sovereignty. Putin is
not only facing a united west; he is facing a truly United
Kingdom. Together, we have enacted sanctions that are having a
strong effect. The rouble has crashed by over 40%, the main
borrowing rate is up 20%, and inflation is reportedly hitting
about 65% per year. Oligarchs are being frozen out of their bank
accounts and the central bank of Russia is being blocked from
part of the $640 billion war chest that it holds in foreign
reserves. Labour’s priority is to cut off Putin’s rogue state
from our economic system and to undermine his campaign of
aggression in Ukraine.
We recognise that on 24 February the European security order
changed. Our continent faces a transformed strategic context. Our
world is at the start of a new era. I pay tribute to the
political courage shown by all our partners, particularly our
allies in Germany who have recognised that by taking the
difficult and brave decisions to provide Ukraine with lethal
weapons for its fight and to commit to the significant increases
in defence spending that this new reality demands.
Yesterday, President Putin raised the alert level of Russian
nuclear forces. As the five nuclear weapon states, including
Russia, reaffirmed in January, a nuclear war cannot be won and
must never be fought. What assessment has the Foreign Secretary
made of that decision, given the understandable concern it will
have caused among the public?
Turning to sanctions, we welcome the further steps the Government
have announced today. Labour has been calling for some time for
progress by the UK, the EU and the US on cutting off Russian
banks from SWIFT. The moves finally to clamp down on dirty
money—so long demanded by Labour and colleagues across the
House—are long overdue. It is regrettable that it has taken so
long and a crisis of this nature for such action, but we welcome
the steps and will study them carefully. However, there is still
more the Government can do.
The last time I stood at the Dispatch Box, I asked what steps the
Government had taken to ensure that members of Russia’s
legislature, the Duma, could be sanctioned. Still today, I am
waiting for that answer. Similarly, although I welcome the
Foreign Secretary’s action against Russia’s financial sector, the
Government should go further to ensure sanctions can also be
placed against Russia’s extractive industries, energy industries
and technological industries. We must ensure that the insurance
industry cannot underwrite and de-risk Putin’s war. As I said at
my last time at the Dispatch Box, it is vital that the sanctions
are broad enough to inflict damage on every aspect of Russia’s
economy. We welcome the moves the Government have taken to ensure
Russia is cut out of the SWIFT banking system, but can the
Foreign Secretary explain what dialogue she has had with our
allies on cutting the country out of the Visa-Mastercard system,
too?
Finally, can the Foreign Secretary give assurances that Putin
will also feel the consequences of his despicable actions in
terms of international opportunities available to the country in
sports and culture? The diplomatic unity of the west is crucial,
but we must also widen the global coalition opposing the war.
Some countries, such as Kenya, have spoken out with clarity and
elegance against Putin’s imperialism, but others have stayed
silent. Some are even allies of the UK and fellow democracies.
What steps is the Foreign Secretary taking to ensure the widest
possible range of voices speaks up in opposition to this war?
As well as commending the bravery of the Ukrainians defending
their country, we must also praise the courage of the ordinary
Russians taking to the streets of Moscow, St Petersburg and
beyond under the threat of repression to show their opposition to
this despot. This is the fifth day of fighting. Ukraine is still
facing an all-out war from Putin’s army. It is a mark of the
bravery of Ukraine’s forces that neither Kyiv nor Kharkiv have
fallen. We salute their courage, and this whole House will
continue to stand with them.
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his statement of unity; a
strong message is going out to Putin and around the world that
the United Kingdom is united in our support for Ukraine. We can
see that from the demonstrations and from the public concern and
interest in this appalling act of aggression and invasion that
has taken place.
Yesterday, I joined a call with the G7 Foreign Ministers. We
agreed that the sanctions that we had put in place so far are
having an impact, but we need to do more. We need to work in
unison and act in unity. We also agreed to increase the supply of
defensive weapons in Ukraine.
The right hon. Gentleman is correct: Germany has taken courageous
steps. It has transformed its energy policy and its defence
policy, and we have seen a huge rising of public opinion right
across Europe. I also want to praise Japan, South Korea and
Singapore, which have put sanctions on for the first time.
I and my Foreign Office colleagues are putting in calls to
Foreign Ministries around the world. We are encouraging more
countries to put on sanctions and to speak out at the UN. The
right hon. Gentleman is right that there are some countries that
are democracies which should be standing up against the invasion
of a sovereign democracy, and we are making that point to them
day and night. What we are seeing is that Putin is completely
isolated. There is nobody else backing him up in international
forums and there is a growing group of countries prepared to put
sanctions on and to supply defensive weapons. We are leading the
charge in bringing those countries on board.
On the specific issues that the right hon. Gentleman mentioned,
we have a hit list of oligarchs and Duma members that we are
working through to sanction as soon as we can. Foreign Office
officials are working through the night. We have extra lawyers
and have tripled the amount of people in our sanctions department
to make that happen. We are looking at more sanctions on the
energy industry and the technology industry. We want to see a
total ban on SWIFT transactions. We are encouraging our allies
across the world to back that. We also want to see a full bank
freeze in the coming days.
It is vitally important that we maintain unity with our allies.
There are many countries that are heavily dependent on Russian
oil and gas. The UK gets only 3% of its energy from Russian oil
and gas. The figure for some countries is as high as 90% or 100%;
we have to reduce that over time, and that is what we are working
on through the G7.
I am very pleased that the right hon. Gentleman has backed the
approach we are taking. I want to continue to work cross-party to
do all we can to support the brave people of Ukraine and to make
sure that Putin loses.
Mr Speaker
I call the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, .
(Tonbridge and Malling) (Con)
I very much welcome my right hon. Friend’s commitment. She has
been working literally through the weekend, night and day, to get
these sanctions right and to get them in place. Will she join me
in assuring the Russian people that the moneys frozen—the moneys
seized—which are, let us face it, very often stolen from them in
the first instance, will be held and returned to the Russian
people when this criminal conspiracy that laughably calls itself
a Government falls and they actually have a proper Administration
to which it can be returned? Will she also join me in urging many
other countries around the world to join together and create a
single fund from which a repayment mechanism can be created for
the damage done to Ukraine and the rebuilding of Russia in due
course?
My hon. Friend is right. Our issue is not with the Russian
people, many of whom are now protesting against this appalling
regime; it is with Putin and his cronies. That is who we are
targeting with our hit on oligarchs. My hon. Friend is right that
that money should be protected. I will look into the idea that he
puts forward.
Mr Speaker
I call the SNP spokesperson.
(Stirling) (SNP)
I am grateful for sight of the statement. The SNP is part of the
global coalition in defence of Ukraine in international law. I
commend the Foreign Secretary and her Ministers on the openness
with which they have dealt with Opposition Members. That trust
will be reciprocated; this is too serious a time.
If anything, I urge more. I support the statement and we will
support the sanctions measures as they come forward, but I urge
more and I urge faster ambition, particularly on refugees. The UK
needs to waive visas, not wave flags. The EU has really given the
lie to the generosity of the UK’s response on refugees by waiving
visas for three years for all Ukrainian nationals. The UK needs
to do the same. I appreciate that it is not in the Secretary of
State’s remit, but I really urge the Government to act on the
issue, because it is certainly the one most raised with me.
The EU’s response through the civil protection mechanism and the
peace facility dwarfs the UK’s. The EU has acted with one voice:
27 member states are acting together. I really urge the UK to
complement those efforts and match their scale and ambition in
its measures, which we support but wish to see more of.
I have some specific questions about sanctions. We all agree
about tackling oligarchs, but what plans are there to tackle and
target the family members of oligarchs? When we were in Kyiv
recently, that was mentioned as a particularly effective way of
putting on pressure. I also note that there will be an advice
facility for UK businesses affected by the sanctions. Is any
consideration being given to providing financial aid for UK
businesses hit by the sanctions? That seems the morally correct
thing to do.
The Foreign Secretary will be aware of reports of a Russian
tanker heading for Orkney to pick up oil. Will the legal powers
to impound such vessels be in place in time for us to do so?
I agree that we need to continue to do more on sanctions. We are
working night and day, including with our allies, to get tougher
sanctions, the full ban on SWIFT payments and the full asset
freeze on banks, which we want to introduce in the next few days,
as well as targeting the oil industry and the gas industry, which
is ultimately the most important thing because it is funding
Putin’s war machine.
As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary said at Home Office
questions, we are creating a new Ukrainian humanitarian route to
enable families of British nationals to come to the United
Kingdom. It will mean that an additional 100,000 Ukrainians can
seek sanctuary in the United Kingdom.
Through the export support service, the Department for
International Trade will be helping businesses. The Secretary of
State for International Trade will lay out more details in due
course.
(Meon Valley) (Con)
Further to the latest announcement that Switzerland, Japan and
other democracies are joining to impose sanctions, what more can
we do to convince other democracies that have not condemned this
atrocity or implemented sanctions to do so?
My hon. Friend is right. There is nobody in the world lining up
with Vladimir Putin and his unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, but
we need more democracies and more sovereign nations to stand up,
because we cannot have a world where might is right and
international law can just be ridden roughshod over.
We in the Foreign Office and Ministers across Government are
making those points to our counterparts around the world, but
this is where I think parliamentarians can help: many people in
this House have good contacts with overseas Governments. We need
to encourage those Governments to stand up and put sanctions in
place. I had a call this morning with some Foreign Ministers who
had never put sanctions in place before but are now considering
it. There are many more who are on the verge of imposing
sanctions. I strongly encourage Members across the House to get
on the phone to those Ministers and those Governments, because
this has created global outrage and we need to see that reflected
in complete degradation of the Russian economy.
Several hon. Members rose—
Mr Speaker
Order. I am looking to run this statement for about an hour.
Short questions and speedy answers would help us all.
(Barking) (Lab)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for the progress that she is
making. I ask just two questions. First, it is still unclear to
me and, I think, to most members of the public whether members of
the Duma can be sanctioned by this Government. Will the Foreign
Secretary clarify that point for us? Secondly, it is not just
Russia; jurisdictions such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are also
complicit in supporting Putin in his endeavours. Is she taking
any action to sanction members of those jurisdictions?
Members of the Duma can and will be sanctioned. We are working
through the list of members in the same way as we are working
through our hit list of oligarchs. I will look into the issues
surrounding Kazakhstan and other nations. We are already
sanctioning Belarus, and we will shortly impose more sanctions on
it for its complicity in this abhorrent invasion.
(Bournemouth East) (Con)
It is indeed day five of the fighting, but the bells of St
Michael’s in Kyiv continue to ring as the Ukrainians thwart the
progress of the Russian Red Army. Good on them: Slava Ukraini to
our friends in Ukraine. But sanctions, although they are so
important, will not be enough. May I urge the Foreign Secretary
to see how we can widen the sanctions package internationally?
Any sanctions that we impose will be mopped up by Russia’s new
long-term friend China. The United Nations General Assembly is
sitting today; may I urge the UK to table a resolution on
sanctions which means that China is obliged to follow them along
with everyone else?
This sanctions package has been agreed across the G7, which
represents more than 50% of the global economy. That is a
significant hit on the Russian economy, and it will help to
degrade the Russian economy over time. The key issue is reducing
dependency on oil and gas, but, as my right hon. Friend says, we
must also ensure that there is no sanctions leakage into other
countries. I have spoken to my Chinese counterpart. The Chinese
did not vote with the Russians at the UN Security Council. I am
making very clear to China, and to other major nations, their
responsibilities to protect the sovereignty and
self-determination of Ukraine, and we continue to put pressure on
them.
(Oxford West and Abingdon)
(LD)
The Foreign Secretary may be aware that last week I named 35
Russian oligarchs who are on the Navalny list, At the top of that
list was Roman Abramovich, who curiously decided a couple of days
ago—and said it out loud—that he wanted to transfer Chelsea
football club into some kind of trust. The concern is, of course,
that oligarchs are working with their lawyers and their
accountants to do the same. Can the Foreign Secretary assure the
House that we will not stop but will follow the money, and no
matter where it may or may not be transferred, we will find it
and we will seize it?
I can indeed assure the hon. Lady that that is exactly what we
are doing. We have a very large team of people working through
our hit list of oligarchs, and we are also looking at their
properties and their ownership of yachts. We have already
grounded their private jets. My right hon. Friend the Business
Secretary will make a statement immediately after this about the
economic crime Bill, which will give greater transparency to the
opaque corporate structures operated by some of these people and
organisations, and will bring much more clarity and sunlight.
(Chingford and Woodford
Green) (Con)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend and all the team on their
robust leadership in the course of this. It has brought a great
deal of cheer in Ukraine.
My right hon. Friend also spoke about chasing the oligarchs. We
should remind everyone that the oligarchs are mostly in
possession of Putin’s own personal fortune, which is in the order
of $200 billion to $250 billion, squirrelled away through their
accounts. However, my right hon. Friend will be slightly
hamstrung, because although we pursue the oligarchs and their
money, it is still not an offence for those who have worked with
them—their lawyers, their estate agents and all the others—to
fail to yield the information about what deals they have done.
Will she now, in the Bill, make it mandatory for all those in the
chain immediately, when someone is sanctioned, to pass that
information up directly, or they will themselves be committing a
criminal offence?
My right hon. Friend has made a very good point. We are looking
at what we can do to target the families of oligarchs, the people
who work for them, the people who support them and the people who
enable them, because ultimately all these people are supporting
the Putin regime, and we ultimately need to stop the financing of
that regime.
(Exeter) (Lab)
Will the Foreign Secretary name those London law firms that are
sending her threatening letters to try to dissuade her from
sanctioning Putin’s cronies, who are also their clients?
I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that it does not dissuade
me when people send me letters; it encourages me when people send
me letters, and they are on our list.
(The Wrekin) (Con)
The armed forces and the people of Ukraine are fighting hard and
fighting brave, and their courage is an inspiration to us and to
all freedom-loving peoples around the world. On financial
sanctions, I commend the Government for taking a lead in the west
on those sanctions. Following on from the comments of the shadow
Secretary of State on Visa, Mastercard and Diners Club, which are
of course American companies, I have been on the phone this
weekend to the US Congress, as the Foreign Secretary might
expect. Can I ask her to get on the phone to Secretary Blinken to
put pressure on him for perhaps a temporary ban in order that we
have not only external pressure but internal pressure?
I congratulate my hon. Friend on his leadership of the all-party
parliamentary group on Ukraine. We will be doing more with our
friendship group for the Ukrainians to raise international
support behind the Ukrainian cause. I can tell him that I have
been on the phone to Tony Blinken on many occasions in the last
few weeks. He is going to travel to Europe this week, and I will
be meeting him. I will also be in the United States the following
week. The UK does all it can to ensure that the G7 is moving
forward in all these areas of sanctions, including financial
services, and we will not rest until we have completely cut the
Russian economy off, and cut it off from its supply of oil and
gas money to ensure that Putin does not have the money to fund
his war machine.
Sir (Lagan Valley)
(DUP)
The people of Northern Ireland stand with the people of Ukraine
and we commend the Government for taking a lead in the
international community on many of these issues. The Foreign
Secretary spoke of humanitarian assistance. Will that extend to
the United Kingdom opening its doors to some of the refugees from
Ukraine?
We are already donating £40 million of additional humanitarian
assistance to Ukraine. We are also providing direct support in
the neighbouring countries, helping our friends the Poles and the
Slovaks with the exodus of refugees from Ukraine. My right hon.
Friend the Home Secretary has announced that we will be
supporting the immediate families of British citizens
here—[Interruption.] I understand what the right hon. Gentleman
is saying about further support for those refugees.
(Colne Valley) (Con)
I spent yesterday afternoon with dozens of members of
Huddersfield and Colne Valley’s Ukrainian community, along with
other political figures from the area. They really welcome what
we are doing on sanctions, as well as our humanitarian aid and
military support, but one of the many questions they are asking
is about visas. Can the Foreign Secretary please reiterate the
announcement that was made in the last hour and explain what it
means for getting those people’s families and loved ones back to
the UK safely?
My hon. Friend is right to suggest that we have a very strong
Ukrainian community right across the United Kingdom. We are
determined to do all we can to support the Ukrainians in their
fight for freedom and sovereignty. We are introducing the new
Ukrainian humanitarian route, which responds directly to the
needs and asks of the Ukrainian Government. This gives British
nationals and any persons settled in the UK the ability to bring
over their immediate Ukrainian family members. This extension
alone will mean that an additional 100,000 Ukrainians will be
able to seek sanctuary in the United Kingdom. I am sure that the
Home Secretary will outline more details of the scheme in due
course.
(Oldham East and
Saddleworth) (Lab)
I also want to say that I stand with Ukraine and support the
Foreign Secretary in the measures she has announced this
afternoon. I congratulate her on the unifying way in which she is
doing that, but does she agree that the language we use is
incredibly important in these delicate times? Also, can she say
anything about the Commonwealth’s involvement?
The hon. Lady is right that language is very important. This war
is not on behalf of the Russian people; this war has been
instigated by President Putin, and it is very important that we
focus on the personal agency that he has had in mounting this
unprovoked attack on Ukraine. I understand that there is huge
strength of feeling across the United Kingdom, and we reflect
that in everything we do.
(Sutton Coldfield)
(Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend for the announcement that she and
the Prime Minister made about humanitarian relief. I urge her to
join other European countries in helping to shoulder the
financial burden of the humanitarian load on the frontline
states. Most people who flee across the border want to stay as
close as possible to the areas from which they have been driven,
and all European countries must give the strongest support to
those driven out in great fear and terror by this extraordinary
and barbaric Russian behaviour.
The hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth () asked about our friends
across the Commonwealth, and I assure her that we are approaching
them to secure their support for the sanctions, for the strong
stance against Russia and for the Ukrainian people.
On the subject of humanitarian relief in neighbouring countries,
we have sent teams to support Poland and Slovakia. We have
launched our campaign, and we will launch a further public appeal
to secure further humanitarian donations. In fact, I am due to
meet my Polish counterpart in Geneva tomorrow, and we will be
working very closely with our allies in eastern Europe to support
the people of Ukraine.
(Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
(PC)
I welcome BP’s decision to divest from Rosneft after I raised the
issue with the Prime Minister last week.
International sanctions now include Russia’s civilian aircraft
fleet. The UK has a part to play in their enforcement because, as
of yesterday, 713 leased Russian aircraft are registered in
Bermuda, a British overseas territory. For far too long, weak UK
regulation of Londongrad and tax haven overseas territories has
enabled Putin’s regime. What discussions has the right hon. Lady
had with the British overseas territories to ensure the immediate
and effective implementation of UK sanctions against Russia?
Like the right hon. Lady, I welcome BP’s divestment. We are
working closely with the overseas territories to make sure that
Putin’s oligarchs have nowhere to hide.
(Elmet and Rothwell)
(Con)
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the sanctions regime must
stay in place until every inch of Ukrainian territory is back in
Ukraine’s control, including Crimea?
Yes, I completely agree with my right hon. Friend.
(Battersea) (Lab)
Many of my constituents are affected by the war in Ukraine. Like
me, they recognise the need for the toughest possible sanctions
on Russia. The Foreign Secretary’s statement is welcome, but it
does not go far enough. What steps is she taking to ensure that
sanctions are imposed on the extraction and technology
industries?
I announced today that export controls will apply to critical
technologies, which will make it much harder to invest in the oil
and gas industry, the technology industry and, of course, the
military-industrial complex in Russia. The hon. Lady is right
that the fundamental issue here is that Putin is reliant on oil
and gas revenues, which is where we need to work with our G7
partners. Continental Europe is predominantly dependent on oil,
gas and coal from Russia, and we need to help it to reduce that
dependency so that Putin has nowhere to source his funds. That is
what we are doing through the G7.
(New Forest East) (Con)
As a matter of superior tactics, does my right hon. Friend accept
that the right way to deal with a robotic, sneering psychopath
firmly in the grip of small-man syndrome is not to impose
sanctions in a piecemeal and gradually escalating way but to seek
to inflict maximum economic pain at the earliest possible
moment?
Yes is the answer, and that is what we are doing; we are pushing
as hard as we can for the toughest possible sanctions. This is
the biggest package of sanctions the UK has ever put in place in
our history, and we want to do even more and we want to push it
with our allies. Together with the G7, we represent half the
global economy, and that is what will really shift Putin’s
behaviour. That is what will really degrade the Russian economy
and stop him being able to fund his war machine.
(East Renfrewshire)
(SNP)
Listening to the right hon. Lady’s comments, I am not entirely
sure yet what the hold-up is with clarifying the plans to
sanction Russia’s political ruling class—members of the Duma,
Senate and presidential council; the top echelons of the security
and defence services; and public television employees. Is she
able to set out for us a little more about how soon we might see
that happen, given the need for action to be swift, decisive and
clear?
I assure the hon. Lady that we have a hit list of oligarchs and
Duma members—those key personnel we are talking about. We will be
announcing those as we build the evidence and case against them,
but we need those cases to be legally watertight—that is what is
important—so that when we hit them, the hit sticks.
(Wokingham) (Con)
Will the Government now allow and encourage more domestic
production of oil and gas, to help reduce the cruel dependency of
Europe on Russian energy?
We certainly are committed to using the UK’s oil and gas fields.
Energy independence is vital. We also need to invest more in
nuclear, which my right hon. Friend the Business Secretary is
working on.
(Huddersfield)
(Lab/Co-op)
May I offer the Secretary of State a little advice, as I have
been in the House for quite some time? No one now likes
oligarchs, but some important and substantial figures we call
oligarchs in London and in this country are very intelligent
people who are influential on Putin. Does she agree that she
should consult them as a way of getting a voice of experience and
reason to Putin, in order that we could get a better, peaceful
resolution of this horrible crisis?
Let us be absolutely clear: this is unprovoked aggression by
Putin, after months of warning that there would be severe
consequences and a long-running conflict. I do not believe that
this is somebody who is capable of reason on that level at this
stage. We have to be tougher than tough. We have to be tough with
our sanctions, and with the military aid that we and our allies
are supplying, because it is only strength that Vladimir Putin
understands.
(Rutland and Melton)
(Con)
The UK and our allies have delivered meaningful economic strikes
against Putin, but we now see the encirclement of civilian towns,
the illegal and indiscriminate use of cluster weapons, Chechen
militia and calls for more indiscriminate attacks. Will my right
hon. Friend reassure me that we will maintain maximum pressure,
map and record all atrocities for future prosecution and also
commit to drawing up plans for what happens if we see the use of
incendiary munitions or chemical weapons?
Regrettably, my hon. Friend is right; that is the type of action
we are seeing being contemplated. Everybody involved, including
Putin’s advisers and generals, should be aware that the
International Criminal Court is already looking at this and at
potential war crimes being committed, and we are urging a full
investigation to take place.
(North Durham) (Lab)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for her statement. She talks about
a hit list of oligarchs. She knows as well as I do that some of
the individuals on that list are well-known and some are not so
well known, but the one thing they all have in common is that
they have all supported and continue to support Putin’s regime.
Will she tell me about the timescale in dealing with some of
these individuals? She says that she wants more evidence, but
surely we have the evidence against certain of those individuals.
What timescale is she talking about for when we will see lists of
these individuals being printed and sanctions taken?
We have announced more than 120 businesses and oligarchs who have
already been sanctioned. There is a list that we are working
through, and we will be announcing more as soon as the evidence
is ready.
(South West Surrey) (Con)
May I commend the resolute approach being taken by my right hon.
Friend and ask whether she will consider secondary
sanctions—sanctions not against Russian entities but against
entities in other countries that seek to profit from the gap left
in trade—as it is totally unacceptable for others to profiteer
from this invasion. The move will also increase the pressure on
Russia, as it did successfully on Iran.
Yes, we are looking at that, and my right hon. Friend is 100%
right.
(Livingston) (SNP)
I sat on the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill Committee
and watched in horror as the right hon. Lady’s party walked away
from the opportunity to sanction Russia on the flow of dirty
money through the UK. I am sure that, with the benefit of
hindsight, she and her party realise what a grave mistake that
was. The action that she has announced is welcome, but will she
now take action against Scottish limited partnerships, which are
having a profound impact on many nations, and the secrecy havens
that are the British overseas territories, notably the British
Virgins Islands and the Isle of Man? Given her Government’s
failure, surely these actions need to come now.
I thank the hon. Lady for her welcome of the economic crime Bill
that we will be introducing tomorrow. My right hon. Friend the
Business Secretary will be saying more about that in his
statement.
(Stone) (Con)
Will the Foreign Secretary confirm that the secondary legislation
being introduced is now in the Vote Office, or that it will be
very soon? Will she also please confirm that, from a practical
point of view, the consequences of this legislation will be set
out in clear and simple language and in an easily understood way
so that the people who are affected by it—British businesses and
British individuals—can understand precisely and easily what is
happening?
I can assure my hon. Friend that the legislation will be in the
Vote Office as soon as possible. It is important that we get it
absolutely right. He talks about businesses being affected. There
will be advice through the export support service run by the
Department for International Trade, making sure that businesses
have all the information they need.
(Maldon) (Con)
Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the Russian people are
being consistently lied to by Russian state media about both the
scale of Russia’s military action and the resulting loss of life?
Does she agree that that makes the role of the BBC World Service
and other trusted media all the more important, and will she bear
that in mind when considering any calls for taking action against
Russian state media in this country?
My right hon. Friend is entirely right. There is, quite simply, a
pack of lies being produced on Russian state media. He is also
right about the vital importance of the BBC World Service and
other services from which the Russian people can hear a more
balanced and truthful version of events. He is also right about
the consequences and the unintended consequences of preventing
channels from operating in the UK as there could be
reciprocation, which would then make it harder for the Russian
people to hear the truth.
(Lewisham West and Penge)
(Lab)
I have been overwhelmed by messages from constituents who are
horrified by Russia’s action in Ukraine. This morning I visited
Lewisham Polish Centre, which is doing brilliant work
co-ordinating the local relief effort for those fleeing the
country. What everyone I have heard from has asked for, however,
is an assurance that we are putting forward the strongest
possible package of sanctions, providing humanitarian relief for
refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries and offering
comprehensive safe sanctuary routes to the UK. May I press the
Foreign Secretary to give us those reassurances today?
I can reassure the hon. Lady that we are doing all of those
things. The sanctions that we currently have in place on Russia
are the toughest, in terms of the size of the package, that the
UK has put on any country in our entire history. Importantly,
however, we are doing more; we are working with our allies to do
more every day.
Brendan O'Hara (Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
My constituents cannot understand why we still allow Russian
state-owned oil tankers to use UK ports. The Russian state-owned
oil tanker NS Century is currently at the Finnart oil terminal on
Loch Long, a port adjacent to Coulport, which is a home to the
UK’s nuclear arsenal. Why, when we are imposing such harsh
economic sanctions on the Kremlin, are we continuing to allow
Russian state-owned oil tankers to go freely about their
business, particularly so close to this most sensitive military
installation?
They will not be going about their business freely for much
longer.
(Harwich and North Essex)
(Con)
If the BBC World Service comes to my right hon. Friend to ask for
additional funding to increase the broadcasting in Russia and
among Russia’s supporters and allies, will she entertain and
agree to such requests?
I will certainly entertain the request, and I will ensure it is
value for money.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
I do not understand why Abramovich and Usmanov have still not
been included on the sanction list. I do not really understand
why the Prime Minister said last Thursday that we were not going
to engage in cultural or sporting boycotts, because we certainly
should—we should throw every single thing we have at the
Russians. Finally, I do not understand why the Prime Minister
also said last Thursday that we will not be sending any Russian
diplomats back. Surely we should at least be cutting the Russian
embassy here by a half or three quarters, if not deciding that
the ambassador, who has lied through his teeth to this House,
should go back home.
As I said earlier, we have a hit list of oligarchs that we are
working through. My right hon. Friend the Culture Secretary is
taking a very tough line on cultural activities, and we have seen
a number of sporting events already cancelled.
(Epsom and Ewell) (Con)
This is an incredibly tough time for the people of Ukraine, but
it is also an incredibly nervous time for the people of the three
Baltic states, who must undoubtedly feel that they are at risk.
These are good friends of the United Kingdom and people who have
had good relations with hon. Members across this House. Will my
right hon. Friend join me in sending them a message that we are
on their side, and will she do everything she can to ensure that
we stand firmly alongside the Baltics in these nervous times?
My right hon. Friend is correct. We know that Putin does not just
want to take over Ukraine and restore Russian hegemony over it;
he wants to turn the clock back to the mid-1990s, when vast
swathes of eastern Europe were under Russian control. That is one
of the many reasons why it is so important that his ambitions
stop in Ukraine. It is why we are not only supporting the
Ukrainians but increasing our strength on the eastern flank. We
have doubled the number of troops in Estonia and our allies are
also stepping up to support the Baltic states, who are vital
allies of the United Kingdom.
(Lancaster and Fleetwood) (Lab)
I welcome the sanctions that the Foreign Secretary has set out
and her words about getting Putin’s dirty money out of UK
finance, but can we also get it out of UK politics? Would she
support the Conservative party’s handing back its £2 million from
Russian oligarchs?
There is a big difference between Russian people and supporters
of the Putin regime. It is important that we do not tar every
single Russian, many of whom have gained British citizenship and
are part of our political process, with the same brush.
(Bolton North East) (Con)
Hundreds of people rallied at Bolton town hall on Saturday. We
have one of the most established Ukrainian diaspora communities
in the UK outside London. Will the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office agree to meet the Association of Ukrainians in
Great Britain to discuss the UK’s resolve for their friends and
family? We are with them, and freedom will prevail.
We would be absolutely delighted to do that.
(Rochdale) (Lab)
The House should commend the Foreign Secretary’s statement, but
does she agree that with any sanctions regime it is the detail
that ensures we can police it? In that light, will she look into
the case of the plane of Mikhail Gutseriev, a friend of Putin who
is already sanctioned under Belarus sanctions? The plane itself
was sanctioned by the Foreign Secretary’s predecessor, but, I am
told, landed twice at Luton airport. That cannot be right.
I will look into the case the hon. Gentleman raises.
(Kensington) (Con)
I warmly welcome the leadership that the UK has shown in
developing intranational sanctions, but will my right hon. Friend
think about going a step further? At the moment, we are freezing
the assets of those sanctioned. Would she consider putting a
charge on to those assets, monetising the charge, and using the
money raised to pay for the support of refugees in eastern Europe
and ultimately to rebuild Ukraine?
I thank my hon. Friend for her very innovative idea and I will
certainly have a look at it.
(East Kilbride, Strathaven
and Lesmahagow) (SNP)
Will the Government be looking to address the fact that
cryptocurrency may be utilised to try to mitigate the impact of
some of the sanctions imposed? The all-party parliamentary group
on crypto and digital assets, which I chair, is very keen to play
a responsible role and support the Government in moving forward
in that realm.
We have worked very closely with the Treasury on this package of
sanctions, and we are certainly looking at tackling every
possible route that could be used to undermine the sanctions, one
of which is cryptocurrency.
(Bracknell) (Con)
The rhetoric and the statements coming out of the Kremlin this
week would appear to indicate that the invasion is not going to
plan from the Russian perspective. Could my right hon. Friend
please convince the House that the UK, the US and all our allies
will not blink when it comes to the global imperative to eject
Russian forces from Ukraine, and of the need to ensure that
Ukraine is restored as quickly as possible to a free, democratic
and proud nation?
I am very clear that there is a tough road ahead. We are with the
Ukrainian people. We know that this could last for some time. At
yesterday’s meeting of G7 Foreign Ministers we were clear that
this tough package of sanctions would increase. We will be doing
more over the coming days and weeks. We will continue to put
pressure on the Kremlin, and continue to supply defensive
weaponry into Ukraine to support its people in their just cause
of pursuing self-determination and sovereignty.
(Vauxhall)
(Lab/Co-op)
Like Members across this House, I have been contacted by Vauxhall
residents who want to express their solidarity with the people of
Ukraine. Yesterday I attended a Racial Justice Sunday mass at the
Church of the Holy Spirit, where a number of constituents raised
with me the reports, which the Secretary of State may have seen,
of African migrants in Ukraine trying to flee and being
discriminated against. She mentioned that she will be meeting her
Polish counterpart in the coming few days. Will she please raise
the issue of those migrants in her discussions?
I am happy to raise that issue.
(Calder Valley) (Con)
I thank my right hon. Friend, who over the past few weeks has
worked tirelessly along with the Prime Minister to do all they
can to help to stop the regime of Putin, particularly through
sanctions. Does she agree, though, that it is vital that we
continue to work to plug the holes in our sanctions regime that
allow Putin to ship oil from this country? Is there anything
legally we can do to stop the ship that is currently in Orkney
waiting to ship oil?
I am looking very closely at this with my colleague the Transport
Secretary to get it addressed as soon as possible.
(Orkney and Shetland)
(LD)
I have to tell the Foreign Secretary that time is not on her
side. The NS Challenger is due to berth at 6 am on Wednesday. In
the past hour the Secretary of State for Transport has written to
all UK ports requesting them not to grant access to Russian
vessels. That is a very welcome move, but the House will have
noticed that he used the word “request” rather than “instruct”.
Can the Foreign Secretary tell me now, or get me early
information, that if the terminal operators at Flotta in Orkney
refuse to berth the NS Challenger they will not be left
financially exposed as a result?
I am looking at this issue urgently with the Transport Secretary
and I will get back to the right hon. Gentleman with that
information.
(Wolverhampton North East)
(Con)
When parliamentarians in this place see our counterparts in
Ukraine taking up arms to defend their country, it is really
sobering. Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is vital that
we send the united and clear message that we will continue to
support Ukraine for as long as it takes, even if that is for the
long haul, and that this is a war that Putin cannot win?
We have seen the acts of incredible bravery from the Ukrainian
population and Ukrainian politicians, including President
Zelensky, who has led from the front. It is absolutely inspiring.
Our message across the House today should be that however long it
takes, however difficult it is and whatever difficulties we have
economically, they cannot compare to the sheer hell that the
people of Ukraine are going through. We will be with them through
thick and thin, until Putin loses and until the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Ukraine are restored.
(Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
(Lab)
The whole House will welcome the Foreign Secretary’s ambition
this afternoon, but can we speed up the process of hitting the
people on the hit list? There are 23 people on the EU sanctions
list who are not on the UK sanctions list as of this morning. The
ban on trading in state bonds is in place in Europe, but not in
the UK. The ban on import and export from breakaway regions is in
place in Europe, but not in the UK. The asset freeze and travel
ban on Duma members is in place in Europe, but not in the UK. The
asset freeze and travel bans in place in Europe number 22, but
there are just eight in the UK announced in the past few days.
What further power and resources does the Foreign Secretary need
for us to catch up with our American and European allies?
We are leading from the front. For example, we are banning
clearing from Sberbank, which the EU is not doing at the moment.
We are freezing more bank assets. We have advocated the SWIFT
ban, and we want to get all our allies to agree to a SWIFT ban,
but this is not a competition between us and our allies; this is
a concerted endeavour, where all of us are doing all we can as
quickly as we can to show unity and to deliver a massive hit to
the Russian economy. The House will have seen the drop in the
rouble today, and the impact that this unity is having. I
strongly encourage colleagues across the House to support our
package, which is unprecedented in United Kingdom history, and to
put pressure on more countries to join us, but there are areas
where we are going a lot further than our allies. There are some
areas where they have gone further than us. We need to continue
to make progress together. That is what sends a strong message to
Putin.
(Morecambe and Lunesdale)
(Con)
I pay tribute to the bravery of the Ukrainian people. Change
often begins at home, and in this particular case, Alexei
Navalny, the leader of the opposition, is currently incarcerated
in prison in Russia. Does the Foreign Secretary agree that there
should be stronger calls for him to be released, so that
democracy can truly flourish in Russia once again?
My hon. Friend is correct about Navalny; he ought to be released.
We have seen a terrible suppression of democracy, and we have
also seen a terrible suppression of information in Russia, but
despite that, we are seeing people in Russia come out on the
streets, and we are seeing public figures speak out against the
regime. That takes incredible bravery, and I congratulate them. I
am humbled by the people in Russia who are prepared to risk their
lives to stand up for freedom.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
Following on from that, we know how ruthless Putin can be when it
comes to internal opposition. Yesterday was the seventh
anniversary of the murder of Boris Nemtsov, Navalny is in prison,
and I went out for the trial of Pussy Riot some years ago. What
are we doing to offer support to people who will come under
increased repression in Russia? We may not be able to directly
support them, but what are we doing to try to bolster their
courage and ensure they keep up the opposition to Putin?
We have always worked to support those who speak out in favour of
free speech, free media and democracy in Russia, and we continue
to do that. We congratulate those who are prepared to go out and
protest against this regime’s appalling actions. Our concerns are
not with the Russian people; our concerns are with Vladimir Putin
and his regime.
(Gloucester) (Con)
I warmly welcome the leadership shown and the progress made by
the Foreign Secretary and the Government with partners on
intensifying economic sanctions. The announcements from
Switzerland and Singapore were particularly important. What more
does she think that we can do to persuade the United Arab
Emirates to stand up more strongly for the principles of
sovereignty and territorial integrity against unwarranted
aggression?
I have had a phone call with my UAE counterpart to make exactly
those points. Every country around the world should be aware that
if this is allowed to happen—if a bigger and mightier country is
allowed to invade a sovereign democracy with impunity—it could
happen anywhere. This is about Ukraine, its sovereignty and
democracy, and it is about the security of Europe, but it is also
about global security and global rules. That is why every single
country, including non-democracies, should care about ensuring
that Putin loses in Ukraine.
(Brighton, Pavilion)
(Green)
I am pleased that the Foreign Secretary has urged Russia to
enable safe passage for civilians to flee the violence, but does
she recognise that her Government have to do far more to offer
sanctuary to those fleeing? Limiting that to immediate family
members is simply not good enough. The elderly grandmother of my
constituent has been granted a UK visa, but has been told that
she has to travel 300 miles from Kyiv to Lviv to get it stamped
in her passport. I raised that with the Foreign Secretary last
week, who told me to contact the Home Office, which I have to no
avail. Since it relates to the operation of the embassy, can she
help? Can she assure us that it will not be a repeat of the
Afghanistan crisis where hon. Members were bounced between the
Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
with very little success while our constituents suffered?
Our ambassador, who is in Lviv, is doing a fantastic job in very
difficult circumstances. We are doing all we can to support
people in Ukraine. As I said, the case is a matter for the Home
Office. I am very happy to take it and ensure that the Home
Secretary is aware of it.
(Huntingdon) (Con)
I realised that the Government really understood the nature of
sanctioning oligarchs when the sanctions on Aeroflot were
extended to private jets. In that vein, will my right hon. Friend
consider banning insurance for Russian yachts and jets? It would
have a worldwide application and make life a lot tougher for
those concerned.
I thank my hon. Friend for his idea. Nothing is off the
table.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
I welcome what the Foreign Secretary said about banning Russian
airlines and Russian ships from docking at our ports, but
yesterday afternoon, a Russian-owned and Russian-crewed ship
headed from Inverness to the Humber to dock. I know she has made
it clear that she is in discussions with the Transport Secretary,
but can she give some indication of when we will have sanctions
to stop that happening? There was a huge amount of local
opposition in the Humber to that ship.
The local opposition is right and we are working as fast as we
can to deal with the issue.
(South Dorset) (Con)
I commend my right hon. Friend and her team for all their amazing
work in the face of this appalling invasion. Does she agree that
the best way to combat the worrying resurgence of Russia and
China, and to reassure other countries, is to invest in not only
our defence but our diplomatic reach around the world so that we
can spread our values of democracy and freedom and proclaim them
even more loudly?
Yes, that sounds like a petition to the Chancellor about the
Foreign Office’s budget, which I wholeheartedly agree with and
support. My hon. Friend is right that this horrific invasion is a
massive wake-up call to the west about our defence and the need
to invest in NATO. I am pleased to see Germany committing 2% of
its GDP to NATO. We need everybody to commit to that and we need
to look at what more we can do to strengthen NATO, because we
have taken European security for granted and we cannot do that
any longer.
(East Antrim) (DUP)
First, I congratulate the Foreign Secretary on the role that she
has played in the collective effort the Government have made in
seeking to show President Putin that his actions will not be
tolerated. I think the fact that some countries that a week ago
were not contemplating strict sanctions are now doing so is an
important step. Just on the sanctions, I understand that the
Foreign Secretary has to go through the legislative process and
do the investigations of the people who will be targeted and so
on, but many of them are named in the statement today and many
others will guess who they are, so is she not concerned that,
where assets are mobile and can be quickly hidden, action will be
taken to avoid those sanctions?
I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that the ones named in the
statement are either in our legislation or have already been
sanctioned. The point about working with our allies across the
world is that these people and organisations will have nowhere to
hide.
(Crewe and Nantwich)
(Con)
India is a great friend of the UK and a leading democracy, and
Indian communities prosper in democracies around the world,
including of course in this country. Does my right hon. Friend
agree that it is in India’s long-term interests to do everything
it possibly can to ensure this invasion fails?
That is absolutely correct. Every sovereign nation that believes
in fair play and the rule of law around the world should be doing
all it can to stop Putin being successful in Ukraine. That
includes India, China and every other country around the
world.
(Leeds North West)
(Lab/Co-op)
As somebody who had a grandparent born and raised in Ukraine,
this war does come emotionally quite close to me, as it does to
everybody of Ukrainian descent in this country. From the 1990s
onwards, British-headquartered legal, finance, audit and risk
companies have helped to create the kleptocracy that exists in
Russia. Many of them still have huge offices in Moscow, such as
KPMG, PwC and Linklaters, and Ernst and Young actually put
Rosneft on the London stock exchange. What action is the Foreign
Secretary taking to ensure British companies withdraw from Russia
and withdraw their support from the kleptocracy that exists and
is funding the war machine, and to delist some Russian companies
on the stock exchange?
We are running through a list, and we have already sanctioned
over 120 businesses in Russia and oligarchs. We have prevented
the Russian central bank from deploying its international
reserves to counteract sanctions. We are freezing bank assets of
vast parts of the Russian economy, and we will continue to do
more to target individual companies with freezes and sanctions.
As I have said, nothing is off the table, and we are working in
train with our allies on all of this.
(West Suffolk) (Con)
I congratulate the Foreign Secretary and the Government on the
swift action they have taken, including the action against the
Russian central bank, and I commend her for her work to go
further. Frankly, however, is it not desperate and indeed pitiful
to try to blame words from Her Majesty’s Government for the
outrageous Russian escalation of dangerous rhetoric yesterday,
because the truth is that it is imperative for the stability of
the international order that Putin fails?
My right hon. Friend is right. The reality is that Putin has made
these threats to distract from his unprovoked invasion of
Ukraine. We are being targeted because the UK has been leading on
measures both to support Ukraine and to degrade the Russian
economy, and the Russians do not like it.
(Ilford South) (Lab)
Earlier, we unfortunately had an opaque response to my hon.
Friend the Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood () on oligarchs’ financing of the Conservative party, and
the right hon. Member for Ross, Skye and Lochaber () has also raised the
question of the £2.3 million of donations. Would the Foreign
Secretary like to take this opportunity to commit today to giving
that money from Russian oligarchs directly to charities that will
be supporting Ukrainian refugees—not, I hope, in picking
vegetables, but being in this country in safety?
As I have said, we cannot tar every single person of Russian
origin with the same brush. We are targeting oligarchs close to
Putin without fear or favour and freezing bank assets without
fear or favour, and we will continue to do so.
(Wellingborough) (Con)
I thank the Foreign Secretary for coming to the House to update
Members. I understand that today she has banned travel from the
United Kingdom to Russia. Have we also asked British citizens in
Russia to return? Will she confirm that nothing is off the table
economically, diplomatically or militarily?
We have moved our travel advice on Russia to red, which means
that we advise against all travel. That is not the same as a ban;
it is ultimately Government advice, but I strongly advise people
not to go to Russia. That is very clear. On the wider issue,
nothing is off the table on sanctions, and we are absolutely
clear about that. We are pushing our G7 allies as hard as we can
to get a full ban on SWIFT and on all bank assets, and to reduce
dependence on oil and gas, which is ultimately the most important
economic lever over Putin.
(Dundee West) (SNP)
In the past eight years there has been a war, not just in the
past few days. During that time, it has been not just military
warfare, but a war of communications known as hybrid warfare.
Yesterday, the EU decided to shut down RT and Sputnik. Just as
the Foreign Secretary is leading in some areas, will she confirm
that she will follow the EU and shut down RT and Sputnik
immediately? Yesterday as I was watching it, there was a
documentary completely about Nazification in Crimea in 2014. That
is wholly untrue, but it is being put on our television screens
today.
We are looking at what can be done with RT, but if we ban RT in
the United Kingdom, that is likely to lead to channels such as
the BBC being banned in Russia, and we want the Russian
population to hear the truth about what Vladimir Putin is doing.
There is a careful judgment to be made, and that is something the
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is
looking at.
(Hastings and Rye)
(Con)
The vast majority of Russian people are like us. They want to
earn money, provide for their families and be happy, but their
President, Mr Putin, has taken them down a very dark path, and
the world to the brink. Will my right hon. Friend join me in
urging the Russian people, and those in the Kremlin who do not
agree with Mr Putin, to do whatever it takes to bring Russia back
from the brink and stop Putin?
I completely agree with my hon. Friend that we must do all we can
to stiffen the resolve of those in Russia who are disgusted by
President Putin’s actions in their name. That is why it is
important to reach out through channels such as the BBC, and that
we communicate clearly. The Foreign Office recently stood up its
information unit, which provides communications to challenge
disinformation from the Putin regime.
(Leeds Central) (Lab)
My constituent’s wife and child are currently fleeing the
violence in Ukraine, and they hope to return home. Her sister,
who is Ukrainian, and her two children aged 10 and four, are
fleeing with them, because the home they had been living in was
destroyed by a Russian bomb. Does the Foreign Secretary agree
that that is precisely the kind of case where the United Kingdom,
which has a long history of compassion and welcome to refugees,
should be enabling that family, together, to return here?
It is appalling to hear about the horrific situation that the
family of the right hon. Gentleman’s constituent find themselves
in, and we must be welcoming to refugees from this appalling,
pre-meditated war created by Vladimir Putin. I will take his
inquiry to the Home Office and get him a response.
(Weston-super-Mare) (Con)
Four years ago an inquiry was announced into the progress of
golden visas that had potentially been misallocated. Will the
Foreign Secretary confirm that anybody on her list who becomes
sanctioned—I commend her on the ever-growing list of oligarchs
who she is sanctioning—will have any golden visas that they may
have been granted in the past summarily revoked?
Well, Mr Speaker, they will not be able to travel.
(Brent North) (Lab)
The Giorgidze family, the Reckon family and many others in my
constituency have family members and loved ones now in Poland or
on its border. They want to know what conversations the Foreign
Secretary has had with her counterpart in Poland about swift
flights to bring those family members to the UK and—perhaps
equally importantly—what conversations she has had with the Home
Secretary on that matter.
We have been working closely with the Home Office on this issue
as well as the Polish Government. In fact, I am due to meet the
Polish Minister tomorrow to discuss it further. We have a forward
team of Foreign Office officials in Poland precisely to help with
such cases.
(Rugby) (Con)
I welcome the additional Government measures announced today, but
will the Foreign Secretary recognise and indeed encourage the
actions of UK individuals and companies who have chosen to
dispose of investments and shareholdings in Russian companies,
and not least BP’s disposal of its stake in Rosneft, which will
come at a substantial cost to its shareholders?
I welcome the actions by companies who are dissociating
themselves from working with the Putin regime, including BP’s
divestment.
(Glasgow South)
(SNP)
We have all witnessed the horrifying war crimes taking place
against the people of Ukraine. One would have thought, would one
not, that there would have been at least some diplomatic
expulsions in co-ordination with others as a result of that?
However, the Foreign Secretary dodged the question from my good
friend the hon. Member for Rutland and Melton (). Is her Department working
on plans should those war crimes get worse and chemical weapons
are deployed against the people of Ukraine?
Yes, we are working on that. We are working closely with the
International Criminal Court, and the chief prosecutor has
already issued a statement about the situation in Ukraine. We are
determined that everyone in Russia close to Putin, who is in
charge of this appalling invasion, should be aware that they
could be prosecuted for war crimes for what they are doing. On
diplomatic expulsions, of course we do not rule anything out. We
are working closely with our allies.
(Aylesbury) (Con)
I very much welcome the Foreign Secretary’s robust statement on
further sanctions on Russia and strong support for Ukraine.
Deliberate misinformation and propaganda are part of Putin’s
toolbox, so does she agree that while we must safeguard and
respect free speech, social media companies have a responsibility
to ensure that they are not propagating lies and that they must
moderate the content on their platforms extremely carefully?
My hon. Friend is right. The Secretary of State for Digital,
Culture, Media and Sport is looking closely at the activities of
social media companies.
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
I am pleased to hear that the Foreign Secretary will not be cowed
by letters from oligarchs’ lawyers. She will know that, no matter
how distasteful we might find it and how damaging it might be to
those law firms’ reputations, even oligarchs are entitled to
legal representation because that is part of what makes us a free
and democratic society. Does she agree that the best way to deal
with these issues is to ensure that the laws are watertight in
the first place? Will she assure us that she has got the best,
most expert lawyers available to ensure that no loopholes can be
exploited?
The Foreign Office is currently full of lawyers working through
precisely that point.
(Stoke-on-Trent South)
(Con)
I very much welcome the UK’s robust global leadership against
Putin’s Russia. The high dependency on Russian energy in parts of
Europe has been used by Putin to threaten many of those European
countries. What more can the British Government do to help
support those countries to reduce that dependency?
I am working closely with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of
State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on helping
those countries reduce their dependence. We are working with the
G7 so that, over time, there will be less and less oil, gas and
coal imported from Russia so that there will be less money to
fund Putin’s war machine.
(Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch
and Strathspey) (SNP)
The public would rightly expect Departments and the Cabinet to be
working together at a time like this. The Foreign Secretary said
in her statement that “we are also leading on humanitarian
support” and yet fleeing Ukrainian citizens seeking refuge in the
UK are being denied entrance because of outdated and restrictive
immigration rules. Will the Foreign Secretary therefore urge her
Cabinet colleagues to follow the EU nations in waiving visa
requirements for Ukrainian citizens for three years?
As I said earlier, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has
just announced the new Ukrainian humanitarian route, which
responds directly to these needs.
(Totnes) (Con)
The Foreign Secretary announced the launching of a joint
taskforce to hunt down the assets of oligarchs hit by our
sanctions. Can she tell us the speed and scale at which that
taskforce will be set up, and what conversations have been had
with the insurance companies, which presumably have a list of all
the assets and names of the individuals?
This really pertains to a number of questions that have been
asked. What we are doing in building up our evidence cases about
the oligarchs is sharing information with our G7 allies, so we
are working together and getting that information quicker. That
work is already under way. That taskforce already exists. Of
course, alongside the legal services, the public relations
services and the accountancy services, we will look at the
insurance services that these oligarchs rely on. This is all
about being able to do this quicker, because every single country
has the same issue. The US takes time to build up cases against
oligarchs because generally their organisations are so complex
and opaque. The work that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of
State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is doing on
the Economic Crime Bill will also help to make it easier for us
to understand their corporate structures.
(Cardiff West) (Lab)
I think all of us, particularly those of us who were Members of
the House in September 2001, realise that a page has been turned
in world history and a new chapter has begun that will resonate
not just now but for many years. The important thing is our
shared values, and the way that we respond in the months and
years to come. On the specifics of the Foreign Secretary’s
statement, she said that over 50% of Russian trade is denominated
in dollars or sterling, but so that the House can understand the
impact of our Government’s actions, how much of Russian trade is
denominated in sterling?
I do not have that figure on me, but I can get it to the hon.
Gentleman. The point that I was making is that the action that we
have taken on clearing is in conjunction with the United States,
so between us we are able to cover 50% of that trade.
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
Can the Foreign Secretary explain why the Russian ambassador to
the UK is yet to be dismissed, and will she do all that she can
to encourage the Governments of all Western democracies and the
wider international community to similarly dismiss their Russian
ambassadors in order to further underscore the isolation of
Russia under Putin on the international stage?
It is very important in all that we do that we work with allies,
and co-ordinated action is vital to send a message to Russia and
the rest of the world. As I have said, nothing is off the
table.
(Angus) (SNP)
I listened to the Foreign Secretary correctly detail the
importance of avoiding sanctions leakage. She was asked twice in
this statement about British overseas territories. I detected a
reluctance to go into detail on that. If I was wrong, can she
please correct me, and if I was right, can she explain why?
I have been very clear that we will absolutely include overseas
territories in all the measures that we are taking.
(Carmarthen East and
Dinefwr) (Ind)
The sister of my constituent, Mrs Roach from Cwmann, has been
travelling across Ukraine with her children for three days in an
attempt to get to the Polish border. Based on what was said
earlier, because it is not clear to me, will my constituent’s
sister and her children qualify as immediate family in order to
obtain access to the UK?
That is a matter for the Home Office, and I would be very pleased
to raise the hon. Gentleman’s case with the Home Secretary.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
The World Health Organisation has warned that oxygen supplies are
running dangerously low in Ukraine, and that it is working with
international partners to get urgent shipments through Poland.
Can the Foreign Secretary confirm what medical aid the UK
Government are providing to Ukraine to help it to maintain
essential services?
I discussed this issue with my right hon. Friend the Health
Secretary this morning. We have a shipment, or rather a cargo, of
medical supplies, and our Ministry of Defence is helping to
facilitate that into Ukraine.
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