The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (Ms
Nadine Dorries) We have entered the eighth day of Ukraine’s fight
for survival. In the week since Vladimir Putin launched his
unprovoked, premeditated and barbaric attack on a free and peaceful
neighbour, the UK has led a united Western response to his
brutality. We are working with allies around the world on multiple
fronts to ensure that the Russian dictator feels the full cost of
his invasion. On the...Request free
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The Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
( )
We have entered the eighth day of Ukraine’s fight for survival.
In the week since Vladimir Putin launched his unprovoked,
premeditated and barbaric attack on a free and peaceful
neighbour, the UK has led a united Western response to his
brutality. We are working with allies around the world on
multiple fronts to ensure that the Russian dictator feels the
full cost of his invasion. On the military front, we have
provided Ukraine with the weaponry to inflict significant losses
on the invading Russian forces. On the economic front, we have
worked with international partners to cripple the Russian
economy, but as history has shown us, there are other powerful
ways of isolating rogue regimes.
Culture and sport can be as effective as economic sanctions if
used in the right way, and so in the last week I have been
working to mobilise the full might of the UK’s soft power against
the Russian state, and applying pressure both publicly and
privately across the sectors to use every lever at their disposal
to entrench Putin’s position as an international pariah. Culture
is the third front in the Ukrainian war. Earlier this week, I
brought together governing bodies from across sport and I made
the UK’s position clear: Russia should be stripped of hosting
international sporting events, and Russian teams should not be
allowed to compete abroad.
Across sport, the arts and entertainment, we are ostracising
Putin on the global stage. The upcoming Champions League final
and Formula 1 Grand Prix will no longer be held in Russia.
Likewise, Russia has been banned by UEFA, FIFA, World Rugby, the
International Tennis Federation and the International Olympic
Committee. Venues across the country have cancelled upcoming
performances by the Bolshoi and Siberian ballets. Disney and
Warner Bros. have pulled their films from Russia. Netflix has
stopped its projects. BBC Studios and ITV Studios have stopped
trading with Russia too, and Russia has been banned from taking
part in the Eurovision Song Contest.
Putin is now suffering a sporting and cultural Siberia of his own
making, and it will be causing the Russian leader real pain. Ask
Ukrainian tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky, who gave a very moving
interview on the radio earlier this week. A few weeks ago, he was
playing at the Australian Open. Now he is back in Ukraine,
preparing to fight for his country’s survival. He said that Putin
loves nothing better than watching Russia’s sports teams’ glory
on the world stage, his athletes draped in the Russian flag.
Putin needs the kudos of these global events to cover up his
illegitimacy and the hideous acts he is perpetrating in Ukraine.
The Russian despot is desperately trying to hide the grim extent
of his invasion from his own people. That is why I strongly
support, and continue to encourage, the kinds of emotional
displays of solidarity we have seen across sporting events in the
last week, including the Carabao cup final and the Six Nations.
Lights and symbols cannot stop bullets and bombs, but when
Russians see their favourite footballers wearing shirts
emblazoned with the bright blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag,
it helps to open their eyes to the cold reality of Putin’s
actions. Likewise, every time an international organisation or
figure publicly stands up against what Putin is doing in Ukraine,
they chip away at his wall of lies. I thank and applaud all those
who have done so, in this country and internationally, and I
continue to push for organisations to exile Putin’s Russia from
their ranks.
That is why I have called on UNESCO to bar Russia from hosting
its annual world heritage conference in June. It is absolutely
inconceivable that that event could go ahead in Putin’s country
as he fires missiles at innocent civilians in neighbouring
Ukraine. If it does go ahead, the UK will not be attending. That
is also why I urged the International Paralympic Committee
urgently to rethink its decision to allow athletes from Russia
and Belarus to compete. Such pressure works; the IPC’s decision
was the wrong call, and I welcome the fact that overnight it has
listened and this morning it has reversed that decision. I wish
our athletes the best of luck in Beijing over the coming days.
Later today, I will be hosting a summit with countries from all
over the globe to discuss how we can continue to use the power of
sport to isolate Putin at home and abroad. We have to keep
ratcheting up the pressure. Putin must fail.
In my Department, we have been working tirelessly to use the
power of tech and the media against the Russian dictator and to
shut down and counter his propaganda and lies, because they are
key weapons in his arsenal. The Department’s
counter-disinformation unit has been working to identify and
remove Russian disinformation online. Alongside the US and
others, we have been working closely with platforms to take
pre-emptive action against Putin, and to demonstrate the
consequences of his brutality in real time to the Russian people.
Apple has paused all sales in Russia, Google has added new
safeguarding features to Google Maps and Search, and WhatsApp is
hosting a helpline for Ukraine’s state emergency service that
sends people information and critical news about the local
situation.
While big tech has stepped up in a really positive way, we are
also encouraging and supporting platforms to go even further to
tackle certain challenges, including disinformation, service
disruptions and the humanitarian crisis triggered by the
conflict.
In this digital age, the Ukrainian war is being fought on the
ground and online, so we need to use tech wherever we can as a
force for good to counter Putin’s aggression, to expose his
weaknesses and to bolster the people fighting for their survival
in Ukraine.
From the very moment that Putin began his invasion, I was very
clear that he must not be allowed to exploit our open and free
media to spread poisonous propaganda into British homes. RT’s own
editor-in-chief has called the network an “information weapon” of
the Russian state. That is why I wrote to Ofcom last week, urging
it to examine any potential breaches of the broadcasting code.
Ofcom has since opened 27 investigations into RT and is now
reviewing whether to revoke RT’s licence entirely.
In the meantime, those investigations have been overtaken by
events. I was very glad to see yesterday that the channel is now
officially off the air on British televisions, after it was shut
down on Sky, Freeview and Freesat. I have also written to Meta
and TikTok asking them to do everything that they can to prevent
access to RT in the UK, as they have done in Europe. I am glad
that YouTube has already answered this call and done so.
We are on the side of free media. That is why it was brilliant to
see that the audience for the BBC’s Russian language news website
has gone up from 3.1 million to 10.7 million in the past week.
Despite his best efforts to censor reporting in Russia, Putin’s
own citizens are turning to factual, independent information in
their millions.
At this point, I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks and
admiration to all those journalists, working for the BBC, ITV and
other news outlets, who are risking their lives to bring us
unbiased and accurate news from a live war zone. We will keep
ratcheting up the pressure on Putin, and I will use all the
levers in my Department to ensure that he is fully ostracised
from the international community.
Mr Speaker
We now come to the shadow Minister, .
11.31am
(Ogmore) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her
statement. I associate myself and the official Opposition with
the comments that the Secretary of State has made about the
courage of the Ukrainian people and those who are returning to
fight for their country. I add my support to all the journalists
who have travelled from the UK and around the world to
report—free reporting, challenging Putin’s agenda and countering
his disinformation. Those journalists are heroes and we owe them
a great debt.
We are in agreement. Indeed, my hon. Friend the Member for
Manchester Central (), who cannot be here today, has
long been calling on the Government and sporting and cultural
bodies to take tough action against Russian aggression and
Belarusian complicity.
Our thoughts today are with the Ukrainian people and armed
forces. We see acts of heroism day after day and courage beyond
words in the face of Putin’s illegal invasion. Only a few hours
ago, Russian troops took control of the city of Kherson, a
stepping stone to the port of Odesa, where Ukraine’s main naval
port and navy reside. With each passing day, the situation
continues to escalate. This situation requires the fullest and
strongest possible international response.
Across this House, we all recognise the importance that Putin and
Russia place on participating and succeeding in sporting and
cultural events, from chess to ballet, to football. Indeed, in
2010, when Russia won its bid to host the 2018 World cup, Putin
spoke enthusiastically about the impact that football had had on
his native Leningrad during the second world war and how
“it helped people to stand tall and survive.”
Success in sport buoys a nation, boosts national pride, and
offers an unrivalled feel-good factor, bringing people together.
Indeed, sport can offer a cloak of legitimacy and deflection.
Despots such as Putin crave this international attention and
spotlight. We know the value that Putin places on hosting
international tournaments and on Russia competing in
international competitions. That is why we have been calling for
full and immediate sporting and cultural sanctions against Russia
and Belarus from the start, and for those countries to be banned
from international competitions.
UEFA and Formula 1 moved quickly to cancel events in Russia.
Others have now followed suit. Regrettably, though, some have
dragged their feet, or are hedging their bets. International
sporting and cultural bodies must hit Putin where it hurts and
send a clear, immediate and unequivocal message to the Russian
people that Putin has turned their country into a pariah state.
We welcome this morning’s decision by the Paralympic committee to
ban Russia from competing in the winter Paralympics. We should
see no fudges, no ifs, no buts—outright bans must be the
norm.
We fully support what the Secretary of State has announced today,
but we have some questions. What further discussions is she
having with sporting bodies on the complete and total boycott of
Russia and Belarus? I understand that some, such as FINA, have
said that Russian athletes and officials can take part, but with
neutral status. She rightly raises tennis, but Russian and
Belarusian players will still be able to play at upcoming grand
slams, including Wimbledon, under a neutral flag—
Ms Dorries
indicated dissent.
I can see the Secretary of State shaking her head, so does she
agree with me and the Opposition that we must do more to ensure a
total ban from tennis tournaments, ensuring that no Russian or
Belarusian will play at Wimbledon?
On culture, we have seen British institutions, many of them
recovering from covid, left with no clear guidance regarding the
cancellation of the Russian touring ballet, for example. It
should not be for individual organisations, teams or nations to
boycott Russia alone. What guidance will the Secretary of State
provide to UK organisations and institutions to ensure that they
speak with one voice, and what pressure will she place on
international bodies that do not ban Russia and Belarus
outright?
What is the Secretary of State doing about those who have bought
their way into the fabric of British life, such as Abramovich and
others, buying football clubs and gifting to arts and other
valued institutions? What is the advice for arts and cultural
institutions that have received and do receive gifts from
oligarchs and those who prop up Putin’s regime? What about
football and sport more widely? Will she act quickly on
Abramovich and other oligarchs to ensure that they cannot profit
from Putin’s war? Why are the Government allowing oligarchs such
as Abramovich time and notice to sort out their affairs and
divest any assets that would otherwise be subject to
sanctions?
We stand ready to support the Government’s actions, but we want
to see them go further and faster on international bans. We also
want to see the Government take Russian money out of our
world-renowned institutions such as the Premier League and our
arts and cultural scene. We have seen sportwashing,
culturewashing and artwashing of dirty Kremlin-linked Russian
money. We need action to tackle that now.
Finally, on disinformation, we welcome Ofcom’s investigation into
RT. Online disinformation and fake news is rife. Russian bot
factories are spouting lies and trying to distort the truth of
Putin’s atrocities in Ukraine. We welcome the Secretary of
State’s announcements this morning, but I ask her to go further.
The online safety Bill should include additional measures on
tackling that disinformation before it is put to the House for
Second Reading. Can she give that commitment today?
It is right that the international response to Putin’s aggression
should be exclusion from sporting and cultural events. Words must
become deeds, and Putin should feel the consequences of his
actions.
Ms Dorries
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his comments. He has raised some
valid points, all of which are being addressed. He spoke about
athletes competing under neutral flags, tennis players coming to
Wimbledon and other sporting events. As I said in my statement, I
am holding a summit this afternoon with in excess of 20 of my
ministerial opposites in countries around the world, and I hope
we can take a joint position on this matter. It is important that
we take a global approach as far as possible, because that will
have more impact and will be a sustainable position for the long
term.
Some of these issues are very difficult, involving athletes who
have trained all their lives to compete in certain events. As the
Prime Minister said at the Dispatch Box on Wednesday, we are not
anti the Russian people; we are anti-Putin and his regime.
However, the actions of Putin have consequences, and at this
afternoon’s summit I hope we will reach a position on many of the
issues the hon. Gentleman has raised, and release a statement
afterwards.
(Chingford and Woodford
Green) (Con)
I welcome my right hon. Friend to the Dispatch Box. In line with
her brief, I point out that we now know today that US
intelligence has made it clear that President Xi knew about the
invasion before it took place—in fact, he had asked the Russians
to delay their invasion so that it would not affect the Beijing
Olympics. We also know that when the Russian 4G system was
attacked, hacked and brought down, it was Huawei, based in
Cambridge, that helped to repair the system for the Russians.
I hear that the Government are thinking about a trade deal with
China and that they think that China can be an interlocutor with
Russia. May I remind my right hon. Friend and the Government that
a similar argument was advanced in 1940, whereby Mussolini was
going to be the interlocutor with Hitler, and Churchill refused
that? When will the lesson be learned?
Ms Dorries
I thank my right hon. Friend for his points. Obviously most of
them are not in my brief and I cannot comment, but I am sure his
comments have been heard. I cannot comment on his assertion that
the invasion was held for the Beijing Olympics, because I do not
know that is the case. As I said in my answer to the hon. Member
for Ogmore (), we are holding an
international summit this afternoon with world leaders —20-plus,
I hope, by the time we get to this afternoon—to reach a position,
and we will release a statement after that.
(Dundee West) (SNP)
I thank the Secretary of State for advance sight of her
statement.
Last night people throughout Ukraine were once again subjected to
vicious aerial bombardment from Russian forces, and the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has now confirmed that
over 1 million people have fled Ukraine, with countless more
displaced within the country. I urge the Government again to
reconsider their position, as often we are not remembered for
what we have done but for what we have not done, and so far every
country in the EU has opened its borders and we are still arguing
over that.
This morning, Putin’s propaganda machine was in full force, with
schoolchildren throughout Russia to be given a virtual lesson
on
“why the liberation mission in Ukraine is a necessity”.
Regrettably, this Government’s inaction has allowed the Russian
state-owned Sputnik and Russia Today to spread Putin’s lies into
every home across our islands. It is of course welcome that RT is
now officially off-air on British televisions after it was shut
down on Sky, Freeview and Freesat. However, this is not an action
of the UK Government; it is because of sanctions imposed by the
EU. I have asked twice this week already and got pithy replies as
to why we would not do that. Why did we have to wait for the EU
to take action before Putin’s propaganda outlets were taken off
TV here? Why are the UK Government waiting for the EU’s sanctions
to do their job for them?
Russian state misinformation has undermined western societies’
democracy and security for almost a decade now. The Secretary of
State says that we are in the eighth day of Ukraine’s fight for
survival. That is not true; it has been eight long years, and we
have stood aside and allowed this misinformation on our
television stations and our radio channels every single day
during that time. Two years on from the Russia report, no action
has yet been taken on misinformation and Russian state influence
in the UK. Does the Secretary of State not agree that failure to
act on Russian misinformation and influence over the past years
has left the UK less able to respond to Putin’s aggression now?
It is clear that more needs to be done to counter its effect
throughout society and it must be done now, so what steps is she
taking to crack down on Russian state misinformation online?
Ms Dorries
I do not think the hon. Gentleman actually listened to my
statement. We have been very strong in leadership right from day
one—from the day Putin launched his illegal action. It is not the
case that all roads lead back to Brexit, particularly in war. We,
as politicians, are not able to control the free press in the UK,
and that is a good thing, and all the organisations and companies
that operate the infrastructure and the network that streams
Russia Today are based in the EU. Therefore, the EU was able to
use its sanctions quite rightly to close down that network of
companies and the satellite used, which was over Luxembourg. It
is not the case that Russia Today is streamed into British homes.
As a result of concerted effort and discussions, Russia Today is
no longer streamed into British homes, whether via TV, Sky,
Freesat or Freeview. As I said in the statement, we have
contacted Meta and TikTok to implore them to stop streaming
Russia Today via their online platforms. It is my position that
we will not stop until we have persuaded every organisation,
based in the UK or not, that it is wrong to stream Russian
propaganda into British homes.
(Clwyd West) (Con)
Yesterday, the General Assembly of the United Nations voted
overwhelmingly to condemn Russia for its aggression and to call
for it to withdraw its forces from Ukraine. It is now clearly
apparent that internationally, Russia is a pariah. Vladimir Putin
operates on the basis of the dissemination of lies, so it is
excellent news, as my right hon. Friend has said, that as a
matter of practice, it is now impossible for British viewers to
watch the lies being broadcast by Russia Today. While it is right
that Ofcom should be independent, can my right hon. Friend convey
to Ofcom what I perceive to be the feeling of this House—that it
would be deplored were Russia Today ever to be seen on British
screens again?
Ms Dorries
I absolutely agree with my right hon. Friend. He may have seen
that I published the letter that I wrote to Ofcom shortly after I
wrote it last week. It has launched 27 live investigations into
Russia Today. I hope that it expedites those investigations, and
that they result in the removal of Russia Today’s licence so that
it is never again able to have the platform to broadcast its
propaganda into the UK.
(Rhondda) (Lab)
I warmly commend the Secretary of State for the statement that
she made earlier and on the tears that she was pouring out over
journalists such as Clive Myrie, who are doing a fabulous job. I
hope she will not be cross with me now—she likes being cross with
me—but some of us are anxious about why we are not going further
on the sanctioning of individuals. It is a mystery to me why
Roman Abramovich has not yet been sanctioned. The Government know
that he has been engaged in illicit activity and is a person of
concern to the Government, which is why they have not been
encouraging him to come to the UK. I do not know why Alisher
Usmanov has not yet been sanctioned. He has been sanctioned by
the EU, but not by us. He owns Sutton Place. I do not know why we
have not seized that asset. I do not know why the UK has not yet
seized a single yacht, flat or property of any kind while other
countries in Europe are able to do that. Finally, I wonder
whether the Minister will condemn John Terry today. I do not know
whether she has seen this, but he has posted today a photo of
himself with Roman Abramovich, who is one of Putin’s cronies.
What will the people of Ukraine think of the former England
football captain?
Ms Dorries
I thank my friend the hon. Gentleman for his warm words. I think
I just held the tears back—I am a blubberer, as he knows—and I
commend him. For Members who have not been on these Benches for
many years, he is not a Johnny-come-lately to this issue; he has
been campaigning on these issues for many years, including on
Magnitsky, and he is a good friend of Bill Browder. He has been
raising the issue of Russia for as long as I have been here,
which is a very long time. I thank him. It is no surprise to me
that he is like a dog with a bone on this, because it has always
been one of his passionate interests, and MPs are always at their
best and most effective when they campaign in their moment, and
his time is here, on this.
I heard everything that the hon. Gentleman said. I heard what he
said in business questions. I have heard everything he has said
since this happened last Thursday, and I have been watching him
carefully—that may disconcert him. Obviously I cannot name
individuals in the way that he can, but I know that the Foreign,
Commonwealth and Development Office is working on sanctioning. He
knows that sanctions are its responsibility and that it is
working on those sanctions. I also know that he knows about
issues around the National Crime Agency and others, and we all
know that this is the mother of Parliaments. We are a legislator,
and we abide by the principle of law. He knows that, too, and I
know he will find that frustrating.
In football, however, I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we
have tolerated the investment of Russian kleptocrats for far too
long. Yesterday’s announcement showed that we have reached a
turning point. We need to ensure that football clubs remain
viable—that is an important point. I will bring forward our
response to the fan-led review as soon as I can, as well as an
independent regulator and a fit and proper person test for
owners. The fan-led review was led by my hon. Friend the Member
for Chatham and Aylesford () and it could not have come
at a more opportune time. I see that as a turning point and there
can be no arguments against bringing it forward.
I agree with much of what the hon. Gentleman said. He knows that
I am limited in what I can do in my Department. I cannot mention
names. I hope that we will see the Foreign Office come forward
with the sanctions that he is looking for.
(Basildon and Billericay)
(Con)
I, too, commend my right hon. Friend for her statement. Truth
will out. Millions of Russians and Ukrainians are turning to the
BBC for their news. May I suggest to her that in the battle for
democracy in Ukraine and more globally, we will have to better
resource our hard and soft power capabilities. Given what she has
said from the Dispatch Box, does she accept that we need to spend
more on some of the key components of our soft power
capabilities, including the BBC World Service and the British
Council, on a sustainable basis, not just a one-off basis? There
is no shortage of state-on-state aggressors waiting in the
wings.
Ms Dorries
I hear my hon. Friend’s points. The situation in which we find
ourselves in the Department is that we are re-evaluating many
policies that have been long standing for many years, not having
ever believed that we would be in the situation we are in today.
I have heard what he said and I can only reassure him that we are
having a number of discussions on a number of fronts.
(Kingston upon Hull North)
(Lab)
I join the Secretary of State in praising our BBC and the other
free independent British journalists who have been proudly
providing the finest objective independent journalism and putting
their lives at risk, as she noted. That is in direct contrast to
the squalid work of Putin’s misinformation organ, Russia Today. I
note what she said about the Government not closing down free
speech, but my constituents are asking why, in these exceptional
circumstances, we could not stop Russia Today being on our TV
sets straightaway rather than waiting for the EU to act.
Ms Dorries
Because the infrastructure, the individual companies, the
satellite that streamed Russia Today and the framework in which
it operated were all sat in the EU, not the UK. The British
television screens were in the UK, but the companies that
operated Russia Today were in the EU.
As the right hon. Lady will know, the first thing that I tried to
do, almost immediately, was to stop Russia Today streaming into
UK homes. I was slightly frustrated by the fact that, of course,
politicians have absolutely no influence over the free press, and
nor should they. That is the responsibility of the regulator
Ofcom, so the first thing I did was write to Ofcom and urge it to
review the output of Russia Today. It announced that it was
launching 17 investigations, which then increased to 27
investigations, but I was equally frustrated to discover that
that would take some time.
In the meantime, events took over. The EU provided its own
sanctions on those organisations based in the EU and on the
satellite above Luxembourg. It ceased the transmission and
shortly after that, transmission to Freesat, Freeview and Sky
ceased. As I have said, apart from Meta and TikTok, people cannot
see Russia Today on their television screens. It was purely due
to the fact that those were EU-based companies, not UK-based
companies.
(Mid Derbyshire) (Con)
I really welcome the statement made by my right hon. Friend. I do
hope we hear that UNESCO is withdrawing its conference in Russia,
because that is totally inappropriate. If it needs a home, I am
sure we could host the conference in Belper in Mid Derbyshire.
Can my right hon. Friend confirm whether her Department is
planning future cultural and sporting sanctions against this evil
Kremlin regime?
Ms Dorries
We do not want to look as though we are being opportunistic in
saying we could hold the conference in the UK, but I am sure many
Members will have suggestions about their constituencies.
I want to make my position clear: no Russian or Belarusian
athletes or sportspeople should be taking part in any sporting
competitions. That is why, as I have said, I am meeting, I hope,
20-plus Ministers—my opposite numbers—this afternoon to reach a
joint position with other nations, so that we can move forward on
a platform of understanding that we all have the same opinion and
the same approach, which will make it much easier to deal with
such situations as they arise throughout this difficult
period.
(Cardiff West) (Lab)
I want to praise the Secretary of State for what she said about
our broadcast journalists, and I would perhaps add Channel 4 News
and Sky News to the list she gave. I do hope she takes that into
account when considering the future of Channel 4. I also want to
praise what she said about my hon. Friend the Member for Rhondda
(). However, I do recall
attending—and history should recall this—the best ever attended
all-party parliamentary group meeting in this House when hundreds
of her colleagues were mobilised to depose my hon. Friend as the
chair of the all-party group on Russia because of his strong
views on Vladimir Putin.
Leaving that aside, on the issue of Everton football club,
Alisher Usmanov has been sanctioned by the EU for being a
pro-Kremlin oligarch with particularly close ties to the Russian
President, Vladimir Putin. Does the Secretary of State think it
is acceptable that his assets are currently funding Everton
football club?
Ms Dorries
On the hon. Member’s first point, I do not think that my
colleagues hit the APPG—
Hon. Members
They did!
Ms Dorries
Could I just finish the sentence? I do not think that my
colleagues hit the APPG because of the views of the hon. Member
for Rhondda () on Putin; they did so because
they wanted a different chair—and I was not one of them.
I cannot comment on the football club that the hon. Member has
mentioned. As he may know, my grandfather was one of the founders
of that particular football club. As I have said, we are waiting
for the Foreign Office and the sanctions that the Foreign Office
is working on. We have reached a turning point in football club
ownership in this country, which is why I will use every power I
have, in my office and the Department, to ensure that we bring
forward a fit and proper person test for football club owners and
that we bring forward an independent regulator as soon as
possible both to regulate football clubs and to ensure that they
have the right ownership in place. It is important that we also
protect the viability of those football clubs that are in
question at the moment to make sure they remain football clubs
and are still there.
(Harrogate and Knaresborough)
(Con)
I commend my right hon. Friend for her statement. She is
absolutely right that culture is an important front in this war,
as sport and the arts are part of any country’s DNA. Russia is
spreading lies and disinformation through the media, so will she
do all she can to ensure that media platforms counter Russian
disinformation and provide the opportunity for brave independent
journalists to spread their work both here and around the
world?
Ms Dorries
I absolutely agree. My point is that the work of all our
journalists—all British journalists—is of vital importance at
this time. The work of an independent and free media—free from
political interference—is of the utmost importance. We are seeing
that now with journalists across all of our media outlets,
including Channel 4. ITV has been doing an amazing job, as have
Sky and the BBC—I cannot mention them all—and we have freelance
journalists out in many countries as well. They are doing an
amazing job.
The Russian Government are conducting an aggressive set of
information operations against Ukraine and NATO in a transparent
and shameful way to justify military action against Ukraine, and
the campaign has been escalating. As I have said, this is just as
much an online war as a boots-on-the-ground or a
tank-stuck-in-the-mud war. Both in broadcasting and online we are
doing everything we possibly can, using our disinformation unit,
to minimise disinformation and the amount of propaganda that gets
into people’s homes, and doing everything we can to ensure the
Russian people get to hear about the true situation and what is
actually happening in Ukraine.
(Edinburgh West) (LD)
I also thank the Secretary of State for her comments,
particularly on the journalists who are keeping us informed and
ensuring the truth about what is happening in Ukraine gets out;
we should never forget the threat to their own personal safety
and the danger they are putting themselves in so that we can be
informed. Can the Secretary of State assure us that such
considerations will be taken into account when looking at the
future funding of the BBC, Channel 4 and the media, particularly
given that the Russian language service listenership has tripled
to more than 10 million during this crisis? That shows the
importance of the BBC World Service, which in its current format
came into being in 1939. Can the Secretary of State assure us
that the future funding of the World Service will be looked upon
in the light of what has happened?
Ms Dorries
I speak as someone who ran a school in Africa for a year and
waited every day to hear the words announcing the World Service.
First, it is funded through the Foreign, Commonwealth and
Development Office, not my Department, and also I have always
said that the BBC is a great British global brand and it needs
protecting. I have always said it was a polar bear on a shrinking
icecap and we needed to review the funding model in order to
protect the BBC and the best of the BBC, which includes the World
Service.
(Southend West) (Con)
On behalf of everyone in the new city of Southend-on-Sea, I
welcome the statement and congratulate the Secretary of State on
this vital work. She is absolutely right that we must isolate
Russia completely and utterly in terms of culture, media and
sport, but she is also right that we must lead the international
community on this and we will only be successful if we can
persuade everybody to join in with her vital work. Can she
elaborate on the scope of the summit she is holding this
afternoon, and assure us that key players in the G20 will be
joining her in this vital work?
Ms Dorries
I welcome my hon. Friend and thank her for her question and
comments—and I welcome Southend to its city status, too. On the
scope of the summit, we will be discussing all things sporting
and relating to the war in Ukraine. There are some very difficult
questions. Things are happening very quickly. Only yesterday the
International Paralympic Committee issued a statement that
Russian and Belarusian athletes could take part, and the change
came only as a result of our leading—our pressure—and leading
other nations. Rather than dealing with situations as they arise,
it is important that we have a coherent position—globally if
possible—towards these situations. I hope that, as a result of
the summit, we will produce a statement that says, “This is our
position” and that it condemns Russia and Belarus on the sporting
stage. Do not be in any doubt: sport is incredibly important to
Putin. It covers his illegitimacy. There is nothing he likes more
than seeing Russian athletes on the world stage draped in the
Russian flag. He needs it; we need to take it away from him and
make sure that never happens again while this situation
continues, and that is what the summit this afternoon will be
about.
(Rochdale) (Lab)
I join the voices urging the Secretary of State to look very
seriously at how we finance the total UK media effort, which
should cut across Government Departments. In particular, I want
to return to the point she rightly made about the important role
of our incredibly brave journalists. Underlying those incredibly
brave journalists are some incredibly brave Ukrainians, people
who are frightened to death and who have put up with the most
atrocious circumstances of death, destruction, and violence. Will
she ensure that those are the voices that are heard across
Russia? In the end, they are far more important than British
voices. Ukrainian voices speak very, very loudly.
Ms Dorries
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that comment, because we have not
mentioned Ukrainian voices in providing information about what is
happening in Ukraine via their own journalism and their own
creative and inventive means of getting information out. He is
also right to talk about our own journalists who are risking
their lives in live war zones. We should, and we do, commend
Ukrainians. Each one is a citizen journalist in their own right,
doing their bit to bring to the world the horrors of what is
happening in Ukraine today. They should be equally commended.
(Harrow East) (Con)
I commend my right hon. Friend for all the work she is doing to
isolate Russia, and Putin in particular, at this time. I am sure
she will join me in welcoming the decision by Formula 1, which I
think has been made while she has been in the Chamber, to not
only cancel the grand prix in Russia but the contract with
Russia, so there will not be future grands prix in Russia. Will
she send a strong message to the sporting world that sanctions
will continue to ratchet up until such time as Putin’s Government
are no longer in power, and the Russians are free to choose their
own leaders and return to the world of sport?
Ms Dorries
Very well said. I commend my Sports Minister, the Under-Secretary
of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, my hon. Friend
the Member for Mid Worcestershire (), who has been holding
conversations day and night since last Thursday. He has been
working incredibly hard, along with officials in my Department.
They have had no time off since last Thursday and have all worked
equally hard. It has taken a huge effort to get to Formula 1
withdrawing from Russia, when all that planning, organisation and
money was in place. It takes a huge effort to get the message out
from the Department that we find it unacceptable, do not condone
it and think it should be withdrawn. It is not just words from
me; it is the effort of the whole Department, officials and
Ministers alike.
My hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East () is right. We will not condone any organisation that
hosts sporting, cultural or creative events in Russia. We will
campaign against that and push against that as much as we can.
The purpose of this afternoon’s summit is to ensure that we are
not just leading but are part of a wider coalition of Ministers
and countries who hold the same position.
(Bristol South) (Lab)
It is right that we concentrate on sanctions and ostracising the
Putin regime, but we will have to look to the future. As people
leave their elderly relatives, and children wave goodbye to their
parents, generations and decades of hate are being sown. After
the last world war, we learned to build up relationships between
cities and towns, and Bristol has often led the way in twinning,
cultural partnerships and relationships. May I urge the Secretary
of State and her colleagues to quickly start thinking about how
we can support our towns and cities across the country to build
relationships with towns and cities across Ukraine—and, in
future, the Russian people?
Ms Dorries
We know about those stories of people leaving their families, the
harrowing pictures of fathers leaving their babies behind and
mothers leaving for Poland while fathers fight, through our print
media, so it is important to mention our print media. As well as
our journalists broadcasting from a war zone, our print media and
print journalists are telling the stories, giving us the colour,
backdrop and human stories behind what is happening. That is how
we know so much. Those stories from our print journalists are
also disseminated online so that people can read about what is
happening. It is important that they get a mention.
The hon. Member is right, but she is talking about the future
and, as she will accept, Ukraine is not in a position for that
today. However, that will be an important part of the rebuilding,
and we will be at the forefront of that. She is right about
helping those towns and cities to rebuild, but when will that day
come? As I stand here today, we do not know. We can only pray and
hope that it is sooner rather than later. However, I reassure her
that when that day comes, as we have led in the western world’s
response against Putin, we will also lead in the recovery of
Ukraine.
(Ynys Môn) (Con)
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement and work in
ensuring that Putin is in a sporting and cultural Siberia of his
own making. Not all heroes wear capes; many wear flak jackets. I
thank all the journalists bringing unbiased news, bravely
challenging disinformation and helping to make Putin an
international pariah. She mentioned stories, and it is
particularly pertinent on World Book Day to thank all those
journalists sharing important stories. Does she agree that they
are heroes?
Ms Dorries
What can I say other than yes? Absolutely. We are all watching
every broadcast of the news and we are all reading the
newspapers. We all know the danger that journalists in both
broadcast and print media are putting themselves in every day. We
in the House of Commons are protected; they are in a theatre of
war, putting themselves in harm’s way. We cannot commend them
enough in this House today.
(Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)
The Secretary of State is acutely aware, as we all are, just how
spineless and pathetic football authorities are when faced with
people with large amounts of money. In fact, the Football
Association’s only fit and proper person test is one question:
“How big is your wallet?” If they have enough money, they can buy
up whatever they like. The answer to that is already in her
hands: the Crouch report, which she mentioned, and it has been
with us for months. We had an urgent question on Derby County and
the troubles it faces weeks ago, long before the Russian
invasion. Will she implement the Crouch report as quickly as
possible? That would protect our clubs—the fabric of our
sport—against not just Putin’s gangster friends but other
international criminals.
Ms Dorries
I thank the hon. Member for his words on the Crouch report, which
is incredibly valuable and opportune at this time. Its
recommendations involve the establishment of a regulator, which
is no easy feat and involves the Treasury and funding. Since the
report was published in, I believe, December, my first statement
was that, in principle, I accepted the role of an independent
regulator. Given the situation that we are in now, we are looking
to introduce the Crouch report as soon as possible, which will
involve the establishment of an independent regulator and a
fit-and-proper-person test. That work is being evaluated. I hope
to do it as soon as possible. It is not that we do not want to do
it; we are trying to do it as fast as we can.
(Bolton North East) (Con)
Not that I ever watched it, but 206 was the channel number for
Russia Today in my office in Westminster—obviously, it is no
longer “Russia tomorrow”. Will the Secretary of State give us
words of resolve to say that Putin may be Russia today, but he
will not be Ukraine tomorrow?
Ms Dorries
What a fabulous statement—well said. What can I say? I can only
agree. I cannot top that.
(York Central)
(Lab/Co-op)
We are all completely indebted to our British journalists in
Ukraine who are serving not just us but the Russian people who
are tuning in to hear the truth—often for the first time—about
what is happening. For that to continue, we need to ensure that
the digital and telecoms infrastructure is intact. What is the
Secretary of State doing to ensure that we make our contribution
to keeping that infrastructure in place?
Ms Dorries
My officials have been holding conversations day and night—many
operators are based in the US, not the UK—since Putin launched
his horrendous war on Ukraine. We are doing everything that we
can to assist both with telecoms structure and with ensuring that
the messaging gets through to the people in Russia as people in
Ukraine about what Putin is actually doing. As I said, as a
result of some of those conversations, WhatsApp has launched an
end-to-end encryption service that the Ukrainian people can
access to find out what is happening in their location on a
minute-by-minute, real- time basis and where they can get
emergency support and help. All such services happen as a result
of international discussions that are ongoing on an hour-by-hour
basis.
(Kensington) (Con)
The Science Museum in my constituency has decided not to proceed
with an exhibition relating to the trans-Siberian railway. Does
my right hon. Friend agree that our cultural institutions have
shown great leadership in ostracising Putin and his cronies?
Ms Dorries
I absolutely do. I commend every institution that has taken what
some feel is a brave line, but it is the right line and the right
position: not to engage with, not to display, not to interact
with and not to provide facilities for any Russian cultural
institution or exhibition. With all consequences come costs, and
we will feel the pain of some of that, but that is nothing
compared with the pain that the Ukrainian people are experiencing
minute by minute. I urge all cultural organisations across the UK
to take that hard line against Russia, knowing that, in doing so,
that will help to expediate the end of this illegal occupation of
Ukraine and get to a position where we can open those cultural
pathways and start to help to build a Ukraine for the future.
(Rutherglen and Hamilton
West) (Ind)
Russia’s attack on Ukraine is unacceptable and must not be
tolerated. The House has heard frequently about the financial
difficulties facing the entertainment industry in the last two
years. The Russian state ballet has had performances cancelled
around the UK, with ticket holders to be refunded by venues. What
support will the Government provide for venues that are now out
of pocket due to cancelled performances?
Ms Dorries
Hopefully, those organisations’ insurance policies will kick in
as a result, because this is war. At the moment, all of our
efforts are focused on helping the people of Ukraine and helping
to beat Putin.
(Blackpool South) (Con)
I commend my right hon. Friend for the way in which she has
worked with cultural and sporting bodies to ostracise Russia. The
premier league is one of this country’s best cultural and
economic exports around the world. Does she agree that ending the
broadcasting of premier league games in Russia and Belarus will
help to expose the horrific extent of this barbaric invasion to
the people of those countries?
Ms Dorries
Yes, I absolutely agree. That is our leadership—don’t do it,
don’t promote Russia, don’t broadcast Russia. Sadly, local
Russians will suffer and pay the cost as a result, but I am
afraid that Putin’s actions have consequences. We are holding
conversations this afternoon—we have ongoing conversations—with
officials and sporting organisations to take that hard line of
not broadcasting, not facilitating and not displaying Russian
football, Russian goods and Russian shows—anything. We must not
do it.
(Strangford) (DUP)
I commend the Secretary of State for her statement, her
resilience, her courage and her clear and strong leadership,
which we all admire in this Chamber. Some say that politics and
sport should never mix, but this is not about politics; it is
about life and death. Every way we can, in every aspect of life,
we must get the message across that we will not overlook, we will
not forget and we will not accept Russia—that is the only way
forward. Does she believe that in the present situation, as this
House is saying clearly, the art world must consider its
exhibitions? Will she allow it to make its own determinations
whether those should continue, or will she issue guidance on what
should and must be done?
Ms Dorries
The hon. Gentleman is right that sport and politics should never
mix, but we are in the theatre of war and it is very different.
Sport is a very useful tool in the theatre of war, particularly
against someone like Putin—which is why sport and politics will
very much be mixing. We are providing, we hope, the clearest
leadership we can in our messages to sporting, cultural and
creative institutions about what we expect of them.
Will we publish guidance? I hope that over the coming days and
weeks, all those institutions will hear the message, heed the
guidance that we are giving and make the right decisions
themselves. A statement will be issued this afternoon as a result
of the summit, and I am sure that more will be forthcoming over
the coming weeks, but we hope that everyone gets the message loud
and clear.
(Warrington South) (Con)
I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. I very much
agree with her approach of allowing the independent regulator to
make decisions about who broadcasts in this country, because they
are not decisions for politicians. However, may I say gently that
next time she speaks to the chair of Ofcom, she might want to
suggest that when a mad dictator declares war on a sovereign
country, Ofcom could perhaps be a little more proactive in its
approach to broadcasting in this country?
May I ask what steps the Department is taking to support UK media
broadcasters and print journalists in the theatre of war to
ensure that they are kept safe? It is highly likely that Russia
will take steps to disrupt the World Service. What is my right
hon. Friend doing to ensure that that free service is available
to people in Ukraine and Russia?
Ms Dorries
I am sure that the chair of Ofcom has heard my hon. Friend’s
words loud and clear. On his second question, we cannot make any
guarantees—it is a theatre of war. We cannot guarantee that the
Russians will allow the BBC and British-based journalists in
Russia to remain there; we cannot guarantee that we will be
allowed to continue to broadcast; we cannot guarantee that we
will continue to get messages to the people of Ukraine. The only
promise I can make to the House is that we will do our very best
to ensure that that is the situation for as long as possible.
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