Boris Johnson news – live: PM to publish ‘Putin’s pals’ names but refuses to give up Russian banker donation

Boris Johnson is under fire after claiming EU travel rules explain its far more generous offer to refugees from Ukraine, as criticism grows over the UK’s stance.

Under pressure in the Commons, the PM said the “Schengen border-free zone” – allowing passport-free travel – explained why the EU is waiving visas for people fleeing the Russian invasion, reports our deputy political editor Rob Merrick.

In fact, although an association agreement does allow Ukrainians to enter the EU without a visa, that’s is only for 90 days and the rules will be tightened by the end of the year.

Boris Johnson has officially accused Vladimir Putin of committing war crimes over his invasion of Ukraine.

The PM accused the Russian president of “abhorrent” attacks as Ukraine’s capital Kyiv braced for a siege and second city Kharkiv suffered a further pounding.

And after Mr Johnson spoke to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday morning, promising further support and weapons for the forces resisting Russia’s military, the UK for the first time explicitly accused Mr Putin of war crimes.

At PMQs, Mr Johnson told MPs: “What we have seen already from Vladimir Putin’s regime in the use of the munitions that they have already been dropping on innocent civilians, in my view, already fully qualifies as a war crime.”

He also promised to publish a list of people associated with Mr Putin who could be liable for sanctions.

More than 2,000 civilians have died since the invasion, Ukraine’s state emergency service has said, although that figure has not been independently verified.

Meanwhile, the United Nations’ refugee agency believes around 874,000 people have fled Ukraine but that figure is soon expected to reach a million.

A government minister said he “probably wouldn’t be overly happy” if his daughters were placed in a boarding house with a transgender girl.

In an inquiry from the Commons’ education select committee, Will Quince, the minister for children and families, was asked by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson about the rising number of transgender students in UK schools. She added that she had been contacted by parents who were concerned about an 18-year-old trans girl sharing a boarding house with their teenage daughters.

He responded by saying the issue was a “bit of a minefield” and that the DfE and Government Equalities Office are working together to provide guidance for schools, writes Furvah Shah.

Over to Scotland. SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has insisted there is “no connection” between the war in Ukraine and the campaign for Scottish independence, after a top party official was condemned for appearing to make “crass” comparison between the two.

Mike Russell, the SNP’s president, was criticised by opposition parties after he used a newspaper column to liken Ukraine potentially being ruled by Russia to Scotland being part of the UK, writes Adam Forrest.

Mr Russell’s comments were branded “crass” by Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie, who said he was astounded a senior SNP figure “would seek to draw any parallels to the democratic decision of the people of Scotland”.

Boris Johnson has promised to publish a full list of people and organisations associated with Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime, with Downing Street saying Britons should “think carefully” before dealing with them.

There were no immediate details of who will feature on the list of “Putin’s pals”, but Downing Street indicated that it will extend well beyond the eight oligarchs and 100-plus companies already sanctioned by the UK in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson said that sanctions will not necessarily be applied to all those featuring, whose names would be published “in the interest of transparency”, writes our political editor Andrew Woodcock.

The Conservative Party should give money from a Conservative donor with Russian links to Ukrainian humanitarian causes, the prime minister has been told.

Lubov Chernukhin, whose husband Vladimir Chernukhin served as Russian president Vladimir Putin’s deputy finance minister before moving to the UK in 2004, has given more than £2 million to the Conservative Party since 2016.

Figures released by the Electoral Commission today show Ms Chernukhin donated another £80,250 to the party in the final months of 2021.

At PMQs earlier this afternoon, Labour MP Bill Esterson asked the PM if he would instruct the Conservative Party to hand the money to Ukrainian humanitarian causes.

Boris Johnson replied: “It is absolutely vital that if we are to have a successful outcome in what we are trying to do collectively, united with Ukraine, that we demonstrate that this is not about the Russian people, it is about the Putin regime.”

Businesses and individuals should “think very carefully” about associating themselves with people who the UK government is preparing to name as having associations with Vladimir Putin, according to Downing Street.

The prime minister’s official spokesman, asked whether the list would serve as a warning not to do business with those who feature, said: “It may well have that effect.”

He added: “I think what we are trying to do across the board, whether it is with businesses or oligarchs or in the cultural sector as well, is to make clear that, even where we are not taking legislative action, people should think very carefully about how they engage with any organisations that may be assisting Putin – even inadvertently – in the attack and invasion of Ukraine.”