[38], Symonds married Boris Johnson on 29 May 2021 in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral attended by thirty guests. The payment was made by Henley Concierge, a firm registered to a cottage on Borodins 120m country estate near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whittingdale was honorary vice-president of Conservative Friends of Russia until it was disbanded. However, an investment company run by a close colleague did take part in the privatisation of Alrosa diamond mines. The WRF has hosted events with Tory MPs such as Daniel Kawczynski, Caroline Nokes, John Redwood and John Whittingdale, as well as Labours former foreign secretary Jack Straw. The Russian diplomat Udod is reported to be have been the handler of Russian spies in the UK. [29][30], She is a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation. As he recounts in his memoir, Hunt the Banker, the KGB approached Lebedev in his final year at university in Moscow. All have homes in London, with several visiting regularly from Moscow. Roman Abramovich, pictured in the stands at Chelsea FCs Stamford Bridge ground, in 2017 - the last year Chelsea won the Premier League. From 2011 onward, Nalobin met various British social media influencers at a regular Digital Barbecue. And 31% of Republicans prefer close relations with Russia compared with 21% among Democrats. introduced several prominent Kremlin figures to senior Conservatives. The dam broke first with a piece by Nick Mutch on Byline.com, setting out Whittingdales non-registration of a trip with King to the MTV Awards in Amsterdam. A few days later Number 10 had to deal again with the Culture Secretarys exotic home life. Byline Times is funded by its subscribers. Moreover, the report revealed how the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-backed St Petersburg-based troll farmindicted for election interference in the US, was simultaneously intervening in British politics, with a marked emphasis on stirring up Islamophobia and racial hatred. The Tory peer received a bonus of $4m (3.14m) after helping Deripaska get the company removed from a list of firms hit by US sanctions. Carrie Symonds has dismissed reports that she and Boris Johnson are getting rid of their pet dog Dilyn. John Whittingdale has for many years been a champion of Ukraine and one of the most outspoken MPs in defending Ukraine against Russian aggression.. Cusick continued: To complete a required legal element of the story before publication, it was important Olivia King be given the opportunity to respond. In contrast to Temerko, Chernukhin keeps a low public profile. The first event was co-hosted with blogger Paul Staines. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson married fiance Carrie Symonds in a scaled down ceremony in Westminster Chapel Saturday that was kept secret in advance. Its launch party was at the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden in 2012, and attended by Tory MPs, peers and Russian diplomats. Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection, Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary, refurbishment of the 11 Downing Street flat, "Under new management: is Carrie Symonds the real power at No 10? Now a British citizen and major donor to the Conservative Party to the tune of 1.3 million, Temerko was born in Soviet Ukraine and became head of a Russian state arms company before coming to the UK in 2011. Though he at first denied it, Farage met the Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko in May 2013. Whittingdales name was mud. Mamut owns extensive media assets in Russia, including the news website Lenta.ru. Reportedly, Firtash used the gas gold to buy Ukrainian politicians to stay loyal to the Kremlin, up to and including disgraced Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. It said the industrialist had funded some of Johnsons key allies in parliament, including James Wharton, who ran Johnsons successful prime ministerial campaign. Ultimately he sold his shares for 550m in 2018 to the US sports tycoon Stan Kroenke. [37] She used to be a practising Catholic and had her son baptised into the Catholic Church. Whittingdales love-in with Firtash is a sorry tale. Event attendees have included Carrie Johnson, the Conservative Partys former head of communications and now the prime ministers wife. The source for the Firtash-Mogilevich connection was reportedly Firtash himself to then US Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, in 2008. Alexander Temerko said he was no friend of Vladimir Putin. According to The Guardian, a judicial review was granted permission to examine how the decision was reached. The government is becoming increasingly authoritarian and our media is run by a handful of billionaires, most of whom reside overseas and all of them have strong political allegiances and financial motivations. There are also slight partisan differences in the U.S. on the choice of a close relationship with Russia or Germany. Chernukhins husband served as a Russian minister in 2000, during Putins first presidential term. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. In 2018, Udod was expelled from the UK as a suspected spy after the abortive assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal using the novichok nerve agent in Salisbury. According to Reuters, Temerko describes himself as a friend who would plot late into the night over a bottle of wine when Johnson became Foreign Secretary. Nicholas Cobb, chairman of the (now) Westminster Russia Forum, wrote to. The Conservatives have received more than 3m from wealthy Soviet-born donors - all of whom can legally give money to the party as British citizens. Shestakov is an old friend of Putins and with him co-authored several books, including Learn Judo With Vladimir Putin and Judo: History, Theory, Practice. Boris Johnson's girlfriend and Tory PR guru, set to join new prime minister in 10 Downing Street", "Carrie Symonds: Who is Boris Johnson's fiancee? A gangster with a conviction for firearms was also reportedly going out with King at the same time as Whittingdale and was trying to sell tapes of King talking about what she did with the then Culture Secretary. The WRF did not respond to openDemocracys questions on whether the event on March 4 would still go ahead. Although the WRF calls itself a think tank, there is no record of any research ever published by the group. Its last activity was a retweet of a report by Russian Foreign Ministry-owned broadcaster Russia Today on 20 February, stating that de-escalation of military tensions in Ukraine was underway. A group formerly known as the Conservative Friends of Russia (CRF) is advertising its first in-person conference for two years next week, despite Russias invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. The Times has reported that a fourth, controlling figure in Aquind has been granted rare anonymity by Companies House, despite anti-corruption rules promoting greater transparency in 2016. He introduced him to the prime minister, David Cameron. Three named directors are Richard Glasspool, a former partner at KPMG Russia and former head of the risk committee of the Credit Bank of Moscow, run by Putin-friendly oligarch Roman Avdeev; Kirill Glukhovskoy, formerly a senior lawyer with major Russian energy companies according to the Aquind website; and oligarch Alexander Temerko. The group hosted events in London and at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham in 2012. Now called the Westminster Russia Forum (WRF), the groups British organisers often appear on the Russian state broadcaster, RT. They include Alexander Temerko, a former Russian junior defence minister, and Lubov Chernukhin, a financier whose husband Vladimir served in Putins cabinet as deputy finance minister. Given the weight of evidence, these are reasonable inquiries. [39][40] In July 2021, she announced that they were expecting their second child together, also revealing that she had suffered a miscarriage earlier that year. John Whittingdale was speaking at the same event just before him.. Blavatnik has amassed a vast business empire, including Warner Music. Deripaska attracted public attention in 2008 over claims that he discussed making a donation to the Tories with George Osborne, during a meeting held aboard his yacht in the Mediterranean. He learned espionage at the Red Banner Institute and joined the KGBs prestigious first directorate, specialising in foreign intelligence work. [31], Symonds was the youngest of Worboys's victims, and waived her anonymity to talk about her experiences and, later, to campaign against his early release, fundraising for a successful judicial review of the decision. The inquiry, which the Bow Group says should be "independent of the Government and the Conservative Party", needed to consider the specific role Ms Symonds plays in Downing Street, details of . [10], The group was officially launched in late 2012 and has since gone on to host numerous events throughout the UK, covering a variety of topics such as LGBT rights in Russia, with guest speakers Peter Tatchell and Claire Harvey. It has existed in some form for a decade, yet is not required to register as a lobbyist, sparking fears that pro-Putin interests could be influencing opinion unchecked. Brian Latham reports on the intelligence leak that reveals the extent of Putin's plan to create a 'confederation' of friendly states across the Sahel through his proxy Prigozhin, Sam Bright reveals how the Russian Ambassador to the UK claimed the owner of the Independent and Evening Standard had much contributed to strengthening Russian-British relations, Mark Temnycky looks at the turbulence in Tbilisi, Georgians desire to join the EU, and the authoritarian drift of the ruling Dream Party, Sunak's warm welcome of the far right Italian Prime Minister exposes the increasingly authoritarian direction of his own Government, reports Adam Bienkov, Natalia Kogut and Maren Rohe explore the challenges Ukrainian refugees face accessing healthcare, housing and work under the Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme, We need a diverse media landscape that recognises the added responsibility of operating in a post-conflict society, writes Emma DeSouza, Byline Media Holdings Ltd, Byline Times &, Russia Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Tommy Robinson, Wagner in Africa: Russias Other Empire in the Making Bloodier than Ukraine, Georgian Government Drops Foreign Agents Bill, but the Fight Against Kremlin Influence Continues, Rishi Sunaks New Far-Right Ally and the International Authoritarian Elite, Stereotyped and Belittled: Ukrainians Suffer from UK Asylum Policy, Shifting Political Landscape on Island of Ireland Requires More Cross-Border Journalism. He says he wasnt thrown out of The Savoy but accepts a waiter did approach when she was kissing him after a customer complained., Whittingdale was the butt of Whitehall jokes. Guests included Conservative activists such as future Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott. You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER . Lebedev supported Russias takeover of Crimea and held a conference there in 2017 to counter what he said was western media bias. If you have any queries about republishing please contact us. Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski dubbed a Putin apologist by other MPs addressed the group in 2016, complaining There is very little debate in the House of Commons about Russia.. [33], She began an affair with British politician Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, in 2018 while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. Conservative Friends of Russia has been disbanded with immediate effect following the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. On October 19 2015 Mistress Kate was scheduled to work at the London Retreat [her dungeon]. When I go through it with him, he begins to bluster, saying she was a Page 3 model not a soft porn actress. After that meeting, Farage made almost monthly appearances on RT. Whittingdale was accompanied by an office aide, Carrie Symonds, who was promoted to special advisor when he moved into the Cabinet in 2015. She has lots of deeply loyal politico and journo friends. [citation needed], Nevertheless, on 23 November 2012, the group publicly attacked the then chairman of the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Russia, Labour MP Chris Bryant, through the publication of a press release featuring a 10-year old picture, extracted from a dating website, depicting the MP in underwear. Alexander Lebedev (left) and his son Evgeny (right), with the former chancellor George Osborne in September last year, when Osborne was editor of the Evening Standard. The real problem is the Russian influence operation in the serious think tanks, [in] the City of London, and [in] the large amounts of money being made by bankers, lawyers and accountants who focus on pushing the Russian regime, including by donating large amounts of money to political parties.. At previous such events, dozens of speakers have urged stronger ties to the Putin government. Symonds and Whittingdale were fixtures at beanos thrown by the Conservative Friends of Russia, a group set up with the help of Sergey Nalobin, widely suspected of being an FSB spy. But that pales in comparison to the estimated price tag on Witanhurst, often referred to as Britains most expensive home. [34] On 16 August 2019, she made her first public appearance since entering 10 Downing Street, when she addressed what she called the "gigantic" climate crisis. It tried to fuel social divisions, including religious tensions, in the aftermath of the Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park terror attacks, it stated. In February, Chernukhin spent 45,000 on another game of tennis with Johnson and Ben Elliot, the Tories co-chair. Whittingdale was for a time a director of the BUS, as was DFs former CEO, Robert Shetler-Jones. I feel so angry that he pleaded not guilty and made us go through the pain of giving evidence in court". Another prominent associate of the group was Matthew Elliot, chief executive of the official Vote Leave campaign. Firtashs silent business partner for some part of his career is alleged to have been Russias Al Capone-at-large, Semion The Brainy Don Mogilevich, himself linked to the Solntsevskaya Organized Crime Group. Like many others,. Meanwhile, Lebedevs billionaire Moscow contemporary Alexander Mamut bought the bookshop chain Waterstones in 2011 for 53.5m. 2019 thelondoneconomic.com - TLE, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN. She subsequently told The Telegraph that he was "a sad, wicked man who is a danger to society. Farage supports other European right-wing politicians such as Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini who have received Russian funding. Nalobin wished Elliott well on his engagement in 2014 and described Boris Johnson as our good friend in a now-deleted social media post. She later recalled Worboys offering her champagne and vodka,[2] which she believed was spiked and, after returning home, began "vomiting and laughing hysterically before passing out until 3pm the next day". It also subsidised its members to attend an event featuring international lawyers discussing the Pussy Riot incident, and hosted a debate on the US Presidential Election and its impact upon the relationship between the two countries. Journalism in Britain is under threat. [41] Their daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, was born on 9 December 2021 in London. He spent 40,000 on a portrait of Margaret Thatcher. ", "A question for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds: what is wrong with John Lewis? And we asked whether, given the 8,000 election money from Aquind came from an entity whose controlling party is unknown, he should repay that too. Raffle prizes included a biography of Putin and bottles of vodka. [9], The group's Board lost all of its Conservative MPs amid allegations of being too close to the Russian authorities and it was rebranded as the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-partisan group, which claims to promote an open platform to debate various issues such as international diplomacy, energy security and internal political systems. Lubov Chernukhin is biggest female donor in the history of Conservative Party She has a reputation for making big bids to have dinner or play sport with Tories Alexander Temerko, former chief of. Symonds and Whittingdale were fixtures at beanos thrown by the Conservative Friends of Russia, a group set up with the help of Sergey Nalobin, widely suspected of being an FSB spy. John Whittingdale MP and Carrie Symonds, then a young Tory party worker and now Johnsons fiancee, were among the guests. We also asked whether he accepted that, in the light of the ISCs Russia Report, he was foolish to accept so much money from an entity controlled by a pro-Kremlin oligarch. Though the gold consolidation deal was pursued for several months, Banks says he never took up any of these offers. [11], The group successfully campaigned to see British World War II veterans of the Arctic Convoy campaign be awarded their Ushakov Medals by the Russian Government in 2013. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. But the joke was at the publics expense. The group had several notable Parliamentarians on its board, including former Defence and Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind as its Honorary President, and John Whittingdale MP, Andrew Rosindell MP, Nigel Evans MP, and Robert Buckland MP among its Honorary Vice Presidents. Boris Johnson has maintained a close relationship with the proprietor of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev himself the son of a former KGB spy. Tories call for inquiry into Boris's fiancee Carrie Symonds' role in 'governing' the UK after Dominic Cummings ally Oliver Lewis quits No. Former MEP and party secretary, Gerard Batten, has been close to former KGB figures since the 1980s and identified Alexander Litvinenko as a disaffected FSB officer six months before he was murdered by polonium poisoning by Putins security services. We also introduce new voices of colour in Our Lives Matter. Cusick wrote that Amol Rajan had a problem. Whatever youre interested in, theres a free openDemocracy newsletter for you. Sue Hawley, the director of Spotlight on Corruption, told openDemocracy: Its somewhat chilling that as the UK strikes a tough posture in relation to Russia it could leave such a blindspot at home.. All have homes in London, with several visiting regularly from Moscow. Jacks sister Mary is married to the Prime Ministers chief advisor, Dominic Cummings. Think of the person behind the recent raft of Conservative animal welfare policies, and one name springs to mind - the Prime Minister's fiancee, Carrie Symonds.. Whittingdale enjoyed 14,435 of free trips to Ukraine and Vienna paid for by the British Ukraine Society (BUS) which shared the same Knightsbridge address as the Firtash Foundation and the main Firtash entity, Group DF. Boris Johnson is reportedly to marry his fiancee, Carrie Symond s, in July 2022 after sending save-the-date cards to family and friends, according to the Sun. It does indeed, most relevant given his various Russian connection. He said he had zero intention of going to Russia. But we can't do it without you. [48][49][50], During Dominic Cummings's tenure as chief adviser, Cummings and Carrie Symonds were said to represent two separate factions influencing the prime minister. The Covid-19 public inquiry is a historic chance to find out what really happened. Sergei Roldugin appeared in the Panama Papers. Osborne listed the various economic models that could form the basis for Brexit the Canadian model, the Norwegian model, the Albanian model before adding that was enough about Mr Whittingdales relationships. The Russia Report by Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) stated: The UK is clearly a target for Russias disinformation campaigns and political influence operations and must therefore equip itself to counter such efforts., Britains intelligence agencies told the committee: They informed us that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) holds primary responsibility for disinformation campaigns.. According to the Observer, he was keen to get involved in fundraising for the Conservative Party and wanted to know of the rivalry between David Cameron and Boris Johnson. (modern). [2] She was brought up by her mother in East Sheen, South West London, and between 1999 and 2006 attended Godolphin and Latymer School, a private day school for girls. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schrder has maintained that his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin are a valuable channel of communication. [27][23] It was reported that she was asked to leave her post as director of communications, with Conservative Party sources in the Daily Mail newspaper claiming that the firing was due to poor performance and allegations of significant unjustified expenses claims. Nalobin, the son of a high-ranking spy for Russias Federal Security Service, was subsequently removed from the UK by the Home Office in 2015 in a spying row. The right-wing MP for Maldon, Margaret Thatcher acolyte and long-term Brexiter might play a get-out-of-jail card in that the registered money he received came via a cut-out for not a Russian but a Ukrainian oligarch however one so close to the Kremlin that the distinction doesnt bite. The connections between Putins anti-EU agenda and Brexit politicians go much deeper. 08/08/2022. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism. Ernest Reid, billed on the WRF website as its ambassador at large, has provided commentary for Russia Today and the WRF sympathetic to Russian foreign ministry objectives. Good reporters dont pry into other peoples bedrooms and Whittingdale has as much right to privacy as anyone. [24][25], Symonds became the Conservative Party's head of communications in 2018,[26] but left the position later that year,[17] taking up a job in public relations for the Oceana project. Find out more about us. The relationship between BP and AAR often proved acrimonious and TNK-BP boss Bob Dudley was at one stage forced to flee the country fearing for his safety. [57] Labour leader Keir Starmer said in relation to the book, "I approach politics on the basis that we should treat people with respect Obviously, respect differences of opinion, but I do not go along with the idea that we should drag everybody into the gutter. The campaigns director, Dominic Cummings, spent three years in Russia from 1994 to 1997. [8] Nalobin invited the group to hold its launch party in August in the Kensington garden of the Russian ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko. In 2014, she paid 160,000 at a Tory fundraiser to play tennis with Cameron and Johnson, then the PM and London mayor. I was not remunerated. Some of what follows is an investigation into Whittingdale I carried out for the BBC in 2016 and 2017, which was never broadcast. Jim Cusick then reported on Byline how his former editor at The Independent, Amol Rajan, had killed the story. He co-authored an anti-EU book with an aide, Pavel Stroilov, who had allegedly fled Russia with smuggled secret Soviet documents. [13] Their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born on 29 April 2020 in London. What followed was at least four meetings with Banks and the ambassador, which opened the door to at least three potentially lucrative investment opportunities in Russian-owned gold and state diamond mines. The following month, she was barred from entering the United States as her visa application was rejected due to a previous visit with her close friend Nimco Ali to Somaliland, which the US considers to be part of immigration-restricted Somalia. For the moment, Firtash continues to insist on his innocence and remains in Austria while he battles the Americans who want to lock him up. The committee estimated that the state-controlled channelsRTandSputniks pro-Leave websites garnered 134 million potential impressions nearly five times the reach of the two domestic campaigns combined (Vote Leave had 33 million impressions and Leave.EU had 11 million). [14][15][16] She wore a boho-chic style bridal gown by Greek designer Christos Costarellos. Lubov Chernukhin (fourth from right, next to Theresa May) paid 135,000 to attend a dinner last year with senior female Conservatives at the Goring hotel in central London. It has an active Twitter feed, echoing official lines from Kremlin-funded organisations although it has been uncharacteristically silent since Putins movement this week of recognising the separatist Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of Ukraine, and since the start of todays invasion. Related: Elevenses: Maybe its because were little Englanders. While direct contacts between Conservatives and Russian officials appear to have chilled when Nalobin was effectively expelled in 2015, intermediaries still made approaches. [44], Concerns over her influence on the prime minister were raised in January 2020, when it came to light that she had received briefs from animal rights activists just before the government pulled a planned cull of badgers in Derbyshire. As the report states: The extent to which Russian expatriates are using their access to UK businesses and politicians to exert influence in the UK is ***. The committees asterisks cover a multitude of sins. [47] She was additionally involved in a political controversy over the refurbishment of the 11 Downing Street flat,[47] and her comments over the flat's decor being a "John Lewis furniture nightmare" (John Lewis typically being an aspirational, upper-middle-class shop) led to accusations of snobbery. [2] She has also worked as a media special adviser for Conservative Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid (Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary) and John Whittingdale (Culture, Media and Sport Secretary). [45] She was also influential in making sure that Lee Cain did not get a job as the prime minister's chief of staff,[46] and urged Boris Johnson to fire environment secretary George Eustice from his role. [28][2] These accusations were claimed by an anonymous "longtime colleague" to be a smear campaign allegedly spread by Symonds's political strategist, Lynton Crosby (subsequently denied by Crosby). Other donations have flowed to Brandon Lewis, the former Tory party chairman. In December 2012 it claimed victory in its campaign (as the newly formed Westminster Russia Forum [6] as the Prime Minister David Cameron announced that a new medal would be created. Is it possible that the minister has acted so recklessly that he could be embarrassed by the Russian secret state? Find out more about us. [31], Symonds was one of fourteen women who testified against Worboys at his trial. The following year, Burnside invited Vasily Shestakov, an influential MP in Russias Duma, to the same Tory fundraising dinner. Shortly afterwards, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who had served as a minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and was then chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, resigned from the group, saying he had been unhappy for some time about the group's behaviour and "political direction". ", "Tory pro-Russia lobbying group disbands", "Conservative Friends of Russia group disbands with immediate effect", "Who is Carrie Symonds? The controversial trip attracted significant adverse coverage and, after a further string of scandals, a number of Tory MPs who had been patrons all resigned, including Robert Buckland, Nigel Evans and former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind. Direct party funding is only the tip of the iceberg. At the end of November 2012 it emerged that the group's key contact at the Russian Embassy in London was First Secretary Sergey Nalobin, the son of a KGB/FSB general, whose brother also served in the FSB. [54], Conservative MP Caroline Nokes asserted that Carrie Johnson's influence has been exaggerated for sexist purposes;[53] she has been likened to both Lady Macbeth and Marie Antoinette ("Carrie Antoinette") by her critics. Rival Shell also has interests in Russia via the huge Sakhalin-2 offshore gas project. There is no suggestion that Shetler-Jones, Lords Oxford and Risby are now batting for the other side. To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here. A group trip to Moscowattracted controversy in 2012when it emerged that the Russian diplomat liaising with Conservative Friends of Russia was the son of a top-ranking Kremlin spy. Their financial clout affords members of this select group considerable influence and access to Britains professional and ruling classes.

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