A CONSERVATIVE MP was taken aback when a Labour representative revealed a copy of a Christmas card sent by a former Russian MP featuring a photo of Boris Johnson and reading “we open closed doors” during an episode of Politics Live.
The pair were appearing on the BBC’s political debate programme, discussing efforts to tackle Russian “dirty money” in the UK in the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
After fury erupted last week over the Tories receiving nearly £2 million from Russian-linked donors since 2019, the Government is set to fast-track plans to tackle “dirty money” and expose foreign oligarchs who launder their wealth through the UK’s property market.
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Following the package of sanctions announced by Johnson last week, ministers will table the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Bill – previously expected later in the session – in Parliament on Tuesday.
The legislation will establish a new register of overseas entities requiring foreign owners of property in the UK to declare their true identity, in a move intended to ensure criminals cannot hide behind secretive webs of shell companies.
Those that fail to comply will have restrictions placed on selling the property, while those who are found to have broken the rules will face up to five years in prison.
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Discussing the measures on Politics Live, Labour MP Clive Lewis suggested they were coming too late.
“Let’s be clear here,” he told viewers. “It took troops amassing on the borders of Ukraine and an invasion for this Government to be pulled, dragged, kicking and screaming into bringing in the Economic Crime Bill … a bill that it was going to cancel, it quietly shelved, until a few weeks ago.
“To hear now Boris Johnson and other Tory ministers stand up and talk about this … so much of what they’re now proposing will not tackle the millions that have come in, of Russian money that has come into British politics.
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“As I understand it, the two lists that Liz Truss and the Government have written and put down, none of those names on there are people who have financed the Conservative Party and put money into politics.”
Lewis then produced a photo copy of a Christmas card from a former Russian MP, whose company has boasted of offering “exclusive access” to UK Government ministers.
As originally reported in The Mirror, Sergey Penchinin had sent the festive message showing a photograph of himself with Boris Johnson, and reading “we open closed doors”.
Penchinin, who was a “senior adviser to a number of federal MPs and senators in Russia” and describes himself as an “effective lobbyist", says on LinkedIn that his firm can “introduce you to executives in the UK Government and held to build and maintain relations”.
The former Russian MP had previously met with David Cameron and Theresa May. Photographs on his social media showed him with Johnson on at least six occasions.
Holding up the card, Lewis told viewers: “I mean look – you’ve got a Christmas card from a former Putin politician saying ‘we open doors’, with Boris Johnson. I mean this is the state of our politics and frankly after 10 years of this government, of a Tory administration, to now suddenly be the champions of democracy … frankly it sucks.”
Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative MP who has been calling on the Government to act further and faster on Russian sanctions, sat silently for a second before clapping his hands in response.
“What can I say?” he asked the panel. “This is wrong and what we need to do … We didn’t understand what was going on, we didn’t appreciate the bigger picture here – not just here but right across the intelligence.
“What Russia has been doing, what Putin has been up to, he’s been planning for the last 10-15 years. We have failed to understand where this is going, failed to recognise the money coming into this country and yes, you’re absolutely right the Conservative Party didn’t do their due diligence in working out who was behind this money.
“We now recognise that that’s completely wrong, I do hope my party will make amends and look back at where this money has come from and react to it.”
Following reporting on the Christmas card, Penchinin told The Mirror he had met Johnson “a couple of times”, but that his donation to the Conservatives had been rejected due to his Russian passport.
He also told the newspaper: "I strongly support Ukraine and fled from Russia, they took away all my business from me."
A spokesperson for the Conservative Party added: “Donations to the Conservative Party are properly declared to the Electoral Commission and published by them, as per the requirements of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
"As Electoral Commission records show, we have accepted no donations from this individual.”
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