The UK government this morning announced sanctions against seven Russian oligarchs, including Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.
The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) have estimated a £15bn sanction hit in total.
Abramovich joins leading industrialist Oleg Deripaska, worth £2 billion, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and Alexei Miller, CEO of energy company Gazprom on the list of newly-sanctioned oligarchs
Foreign secretary Liz Truss said: “Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.
“The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.
“Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.”
It comes as Ukrainian refugees with passports who have relatives in the UK will now be able to come to Britain online, in a Home Office U-turn announced by the home secretary.
We are pausing updates on our UK politics liveblog for now, but will be back with more tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, head over to our Ukraine liveblog for the latest on the Russian invasion with my colleague, Sam Hancock.
Welcome to The Independent’s coverage of UK politics for Thursday, 10 March 2022.
Boris Johnson to step up sanctions on Russia
Prime minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced that he has committed to impose the “maximum economic cost” on Russia following an attack on a maternity hospital in Ukraine’s Mariupol city.
“We will tighten these to impose the maximum economic cost on Russia and are stepping up our military support to Ukraine,” Mr Johnson tweeted.
‘Immoral’ for Britain to take more Ukrainian refugees, Tory MP says
It would be “immoral and illiterate” for Britain to take in more Ukrainian refugees, a Conservative MP has claimed.
Daniel Kawczynski, the MP for Shrewsbury, said people fleeing the conflict should remain in “front line” states and not travel to the UK for their own good.
Just 300 visas were granted by the UK as of Monday, at a time when neighbouring Ireland had already admitted 1,800 people despite being remote from the warzone.
Jon Stone reports.
Ministers considering new fracking steps
Ministers were considering steps that could lead to a fracking rethink to tackle the energy crisis after the UK government decided to phase out the import of Russian oil by the end of the year.
Caudrilla sites in Lancashire may be handed over to the Royal Geographical Society than being concreted over, reported PA.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, has been under a “moratorium” for over two years but the move could allow for the sites to be opened up at a later date.
Former cabinet minister Lord Frost, who has been campaigning for the ban to be reversed, said it was a “sensible first step” from the government.
Sam Blewett has more.
Tuss: We must never again allow aggression like Putin’s to grow
Aggression like Vladimir Putin’s must “never again” be allowed to “grow unchecked”, Liz Truss will warn the West, as she prepares to call for a “paradigm shift”.
She would also make a comparison between the Russian president’s actions and the World Trade Centre terror attack in 2001, and will urge the international community to change its approach to dealing with antagonistic world leaders.
Voices | Priti Patel is blind to her own cruelty over Ukrainian refugees
As we stare down the barrel of yet another horrific global catastrophe, it feels as if we are in that now-familiar phase in which there is a knee-jerk reaction of outrage should anyone dare to criticise the government. As if to do so would be somehow unpatriotic.
Trouble is, we’ve been here before, writes Tom Peck.
Javid likley to back scrapping of passenger locator form
Health secretary Sajid Javid is likely to back the scrapping of Covid-19 passenger locator forms for all international arrivals in England.
Mr Javid has acquiesced to pressure from the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, and Tory MPs concerned about the requirement to scrap the locator forms before Easter, The Guardian reported.
At present all travellers, excluding those arriving on internal flights, are asked to must complete a passenger locator form before beginning their journey to the UK.
Religious leaders urge PM to extend Ukrainian visa scheme
The Archbishop of Westminster along with dozens of other clergymen from the Christian Leadership of London have written to prime minister Boris Johnson urging him to extend the visa programme to all Ukrainian refugees.
The group, in the letter sent on Wednesday, said they were “encouraged” by the government’s family sponsorship programme and “welcomed the intention to establish a pathway to humanitarian sponsorship”.
However, they called for “urgency” and to “act swiftly and without delay”, criticising the visa forms process.
Isobel Frodsham reports.
ICYMI | Sunak urged to cancel Ukraine’s national debt
Rishi Sunak has been urged to forgo the debts owed by Ukraine, as part of an aid package to help the war-torn country.
Campaigners, including progressive MPs, said the “crippling” burden should be urgently lifted to support Ukraine’s government and put it on a sound financial footing.
Ukraine’s debt burden has ballooned since the conflict with Russia started in 2014 – and this month announced it would have to start selling war bonds to fund its armed forces.
Jon Stone has more.
