Markus Andrews

The Labour candidate in this week’s Westminster by-election questioned whether “an uprising” might help black people more than democratic politics.The campaign of Paulette Hamilton – the favourite to win the Birmingham Erdington seat – hit trouble after her comments at a 2015 meeting on the topic “the ballot or the bullet” were unearthed.Ms Hamilton said: “Although I believe in the votes, and I believe in our right to use that vote or destroy that vote, I’m not sure that we will get what we really deserve in this country using the votes.“But I don’t know if we are a strong enough group to get what we want to get if we have an uprising. I think we will be quashed in such a way we could lose a generation of our young people. So I am very torn.”The by-election follows the death, in January, of the veteran Labour MP Jack Dromey who won it at the 2019 general election by just 3,601 votes over the Conservatives.Labour backed its candidate, saying: “Paulette Hamilton is arguing for better representation for the black community in public life and, as she is campaigning to become Birmingham’s first black MP, she has a point.”But the Tory MP Gary Sambrook has demanded she is suspended, arguing her comments are incompatible with Labour’s commitments to tolerance, democracy and respect.“I have written to Keir Starmer this afternoon asking him to suspend Paulette Hamilton due to deeply concerning comments which have this morning come to light,” Mr Sambrook said.The term “uprising” as the description used by many people to describe the disorder in Brixton, south London, in 1981 – which kicked off a summer of riots in British cities.Ms Hamilton is a former nursing boss and is Birmingham City Council’s cabinet member for health and social care.The footage, revealed by the news channel GB News, also showed her criticising two of the city’s existing Labour MPs, Khalid Mahmood and Shabana Mahmood.They are failing to “look after the needs” of the communities they represent, and “have forgotten the reason they were put there in the first place”, Ms Hamilton alleged.“We have large numbers of Muslim councillors, we’ve got two MPs in this city, that look after the needs – well, they don’t, but they are supposed to – look after the needs of a community,” she told the 2015 meeting.“What has happened is, they have got into positions of power, and they have forgotten the reason they were put there in the first place.” More

Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to tighten the net on illicit Russian finance in “weeks, not years”, as officials confirmed that they are aware of wealthy oligarchs moving cash out of the UK in advance of expected sanctions.Labour has tabled amendments to the government’s Economic Crimes Bill to require the true ownership of properties to be registered within 28 days rather than 18 months.Sir Keir Starmer – who has offered Labour’s help to rush the long-awaited legislation through the Commons in a single day on Monday – told the prime minister that the proposed delay would give cronies of Vladimir Putin plenty of time to “quietly launder their money … into another safe haven”.The bill was first promised in 2016 and included in the Queen’s Speech for passage during this parliamentary year, but as recently as last month Mr Johnson insisted that it would have to wait another year to be introduced.In a letter to the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds said that London’s “deficient” system of corporate registration had made the city “the destination of choice for Russia’s kleptocrats under this government”.Anti-corruption campaigners Transparency International estimate that UK property worth £1.5bn has been bought since 2016 by Russians accused of corruption or links to the Kremlin.“In the spirit of ending malign influence in our economy we hope that the government will support our amendments which seek to strengthen our ability to hit Russian oligarchs as quickly and effectively as possible,” said Mr Reynolds.In the Commons on Wednesday, Mr Johnson promised to publish a list of “Putin’s pals” with proven links to the Russian president, but gave no details of how the list would work or who would feature on it.Aides later said that those named would not necessarily face official sanctions, but that British individuals and companies should “think very carefully” before doing business with them.The move came as Roman Abramovich confirmed he is seeking buyers for Chelsea FC and reports he is also hoping to offload a number of UK properties. There was no official indication that he is under consideration for sanctions or inclusion on Mr Johnson’s list.Meanwhile, UK officials confirmed they are aware of wealthy Russians making efforts to move assets out of the reach of potential asset freezes and travel bans.The UK government undertakes a rigorous programme of checks on each individual before issuing a sanction, in order to ensure that they are watertight if challenged in court. The sanctions team doing this work in Whitehall has trebled in size to about 100 over the last few weeks.Names under consideration are not revealed until the government is ready to “flick the switch” on accounts, but officials acknowledged that this creates a real risk of asset flight.“Rumours circulate and we are made aware of things happening,” said one. “Ministers are interested in increasingly ratcheting up these measures.“We are not giving specific information about targets, [but] people are getting a sense of this agenda and how it is moving incrementally and maybe coming towards them.”The Conservative MP Bob Seely warned that oligarchs’ use of British lawyers and lobbyists to protect their dirty money amounted to “systemic, planned subversion”.Speaking moments after MPs – many of them wearing blue and yellow in a display of solidarity with Ukraine – gave a standing ovation to Vadym Prystaiko, the country’s ambassador in London, Mr Seely told the Commons: “Key oligarchs enforce the Kremlin’s hybrid conflict.“In Britain, one of its aims is to ensure safe passage for money-flows offshore whilst law firms intimidate into silence those who would investigate, be it the media or even the National Crime Agency.”Mr Johnson assured him that law firms themselves would face sanctions if they broke the terms of the UK’s regime of measures.But the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Russia, Labour’s Chris Bryant, told the PM he felt “ashamed” at the UK’s failure to go further and sanction individuals such as the defence minister, Sergey Shoygu, and Igor Osipov, the commander of the Black Sea fleet.Mr Johnson resisted calls to return donations from wealthy backer Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a former minister in Putin’s government, after it emerged she gave £80,000 to the Tories in the last few months of 2021.Ms Chernukhin, who holds both Russian and British nationality, has donated more than £2m to Conservative HQ, local Tory parties and Tory MPs over the past eight years, as well as paying to play tennis with Mr Johnson.The Labour MP Bill Esterson urged the PM to give the money to Ukrainian humanitarian causes, telling the Commons that Ms Chernukhin’s husband had received $8m (£6m) from an ally of Putin who was later sanctioned.But Mr Johnson replied: “It is absolutely vital 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.”The former US general David Petraeus called for swift action to stop Russian plutocrats spiriting assets away.“Let’s go around and padlock every townhouse owned by an oligarch in Kensington and Mayfair and do it publicly with TV cameras rolling,” Gen Petraeus told Channel 4 News. “Let’s take away every soccer team.” More

UK officials are aware of wealthy Russians shifting their money to protect themselves against the threat of sanctions, it has emerged.Boris Johnson has faced criticism over the slow pace of implementation of UK sanctions, with fewer than a dozen oligarchs subjected to asset freezes and travel bans in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.Reports have suggested that Roman Abramovich may be trying to sell Chelsea football club as well as properties in the UK to guard against future action by the government, even though there has been no official indication that he is being considered for sanctions.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today blasted the 18-month delay envisaged before the introduction of key measures to clamp down on illicit finance, telling Mr Johnson it would “give Putin’s cronies 18 months to quietly launder their money out of the UK property market and into another safe haven”.The UK government undertakes a rigorous programme of checks on each individual before issuing a sanction, in order to ensure that they are watertight if challenged in court. The sanctions team doing this work in Whitehall has trebled in size to around 100 over the last few weeks.And UK officials today confirmed that they have been approached by law firms who must apply for permission to represent sanctioned individuals.The small band of super-wealthy Russian oligarchs around Putin are notorious for deploying teams of expensive lawyers and lobbyists to fight any threat to their fortunes.But one British official said: “We are very confident that everything we have done will withstand whatever legal scrutiny anyone chooses to throw at it.”Officials acknowledged there was a “real risk” of asset flight as soon as an individual suspects that they may be at risk of being targeted for sanctions, which can prevent any UK business or individual from transacting any business with them.In a bid to prevent money being shifted out of the UK ahead of sanctions being applied, there is a strict rule of secrecy about the names under consideration, and officials are ready to “flick the switch” to shut down accounts the instant that measures are announced.However, officials said it was clear that potential targets were taking action to protect their assets.“Rumours circulate and we are made aware of things happening,” said one. “It is not about us getting ahead of things and revealing particular targets.“It is just this world we are in, where ministers are interested in increasingly ratcheting up these measures. People are just catching on that it may be coming their way.“We are not giving specific information about targets. People are getting a sense of this agenda and how it is moving incrementally and maybe coming towards them.”Officials refused to discuss the possibility of Mr Abramovich facing sanctions.But it is understood that if measures were to be taken against him, Chelsea might have to apply for special permission to continue playing.Under the UK’s sanctions regime, it is possible for businesses linked to a “designated person” to apply to the Treasury for a licence allowing them to function under exceptional circumstances.Civil servants would determine whether it was appropriate to apply a “derogation” for humanitarian reasons or in order to meet the business needs of individuals and companies.UK officials said there was clear evidence that the international sanctions imposed since the invasion began last Thursday had delivered an “immediate economic shock”.“(We’ve seen) the doubling of interest rates, the 250 billion off the stock market, the fact that the stock market hasn’t even opened for the last for few days, Sberbank pulling out of the European market,” said one official.“There has clearly been a pretty significant economic shock and confidence in the Russian economy has completely plummeted as a result of the measures that have been taken.”The official accepted that Putin had “priced in” the cost of some sanctions, the impact of which in many cases could be passed on to ordinary Russians.But the involvement of countries like Japan, Singapore and South Korea, along with the sheer scale of the international response, meant the impact was “much greater” than anything the Kremlin can have anticipated.“The ratchet will turn and the screw will tighten and that impact will play out over time in a way that will that will constrain Russia’s military development and cause them lasting economic damage,” said the official.“That will, I think, start to have a real impact, whether (or not) on Putin’s calculus, certainly on the calculus of those around him.” More

Boris Johnson asked to explain why crackdown on Russian ‘dirty money’ will take 18 monthsBoris Johnson has committed to releasing a full list of people and organisations linked to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s regime, with Downing Street warning Britons they should “think carefully” before dealing with them.There were no immediate details of who will feature on the list of “Putin’s pals”, but aides indicated that it will extend well beyond the eight oligarchs and 100-plus companies already sanctioned by the UK in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.Mr Johnson announced the latest stand against Moscow during PMQs on Wednesday, in a session that also saw him refuse a call by Labour MP Bill Esterson to donate £2m given to the Tories by a Russian banker to Ukraine humanitarian causes.The PM was asked by Mr Esterson whether he would hand over the money – given to the Conservatives by Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a former minister in President Putin’s government, as recently as the end of 2021 – but Mr Johnson appeared to reject the call. Instead, he told MPs the UK’s fight with Mr Putin was “not about the Russian people”.Show latest update

1646241311Watch: PM explicitly accuses Russia of committing ‘war crimes’Boris Johnson believes use of munitions on civilians in Ukraine ‘fully qualifies as a war crime’Sam Hancock2 March 2022 17:151646240111EU travel rules explain more generous help for Ukraine refugees – PMBoris 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.Sam Hancock2 March 2022 16:551646238911PM accuses Putin of committing war crimesBoris 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.Sam Hancock2 March 2022 16:351646237476Children’s minister ‘wouldn’t be happy’ if his daughters boarded with trans pupilA 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.Sam Hancock2 March 2022 16:111646236845Watch the full exchange: Starmer accuses PM of dragging heels on Russian ‘dirty money’ The full exchange: Starmer accuses Johnson of dragging heels on Russian ‘dirty money’Sam Hancock2 March 2022 16:001646235797Sturgeon says ‘no link’ between Ukraine and Scottish independenceOver 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”.Sam Hancock2 March 2022 15:431646234868Watch: Labour MP refuses to back open door policy for Ukraine refugeesLabour MP Preet Kaur Gill refuses to back open door policy for Ukrainian refugeesSam Hancock2 March 2022 15:271646234829Johnson prepares to publish list of ‘Putin’s pals’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. Sam Hancock2 March 2022 15:271646234449Give Russian-linked donations to Ukrainian charities, Labour MP tells Boris JohnsonThe 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.”Chiara Giordano2 March 2022 15:201646233549People should ‘think very carefully’ about associating themselves with those named on Putin listBusinesses 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.”Chiara Giordano2 March 2022 15:05 More

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 prime minister said the “Schengen border-free zone” – allowing passport-free travel – explained why the EU is waiving visas for people fleeing the Russian invasion.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.The EU has gone much further by allowing refugees to remain for up to three years, as up to 7 million are expected to escape Vladimir Putin’s increasingly violent assault.Furthermore, Ireland has dropped its requirement for Ukrainians to have a visa – despite not being a Schengen member – saying refugees must seek permission to stay after their arrival.Paul Blomfield, a Labour MP, accused Mr Johnson of “making it up to get out of a corner again”, after he was put on the spot about the plight of ordinary Ukrainians.At prime minister’s questions, Mr Johnson also claimed the UK has welcomed more refugees than anywhere else in Europe – despite Germany allowing in one million, after the 2015 crisis.“I think we have settled 25,000 vulnerable people since 2015, which is more than any other European country, so we should be proud of our record,” MPs were told.The Independent has set up a petition calling on the UK government to be at the forefront of the international community offering aid and support to those in Ukraine. To sign the petition click here.The UK government is continuing to resist a refugee programme, arguing waiving standard visa rules and biometric checks would put UK lives at risk from Putin’s agents.It has given ground on family reunions, so more relatives of Ukrainians in the UK – parents of adults, grandparents, adult offspring and siblings – will be eligible, instead of just spouses and children.And individuals, charities, businesses and community groups will be able to sponsor Ukrainians to work in the UK, outside of normal rules on salaries and language spoken.The Independent is also raising money for the people of Ukraine – if you would like to donate then please click here for our GoFundMe page.The Home Office has claimed up to 200,000 Ukrainians are now eligible to come to the UK as family members, but has not explained how the figure has been reached.A French government adviser has protested that UK visa rules have left Ukrainian refugees who want to travel on to the UK being stranded in northern France.“We have drawn the attention of the British authorities to the difficulties associated with the lack of information and the over-restrictive nature of this system,” the adviser told Le Parisien newspaper on Tuesday.In the Commons, the SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told Mr Johnson: “This is a moment for Europe to stand united in the face of Putin’s war.“The EU have acted and waived all visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees, the UK government stands alone in our continent in so far refusing to do the same.” More

A “staunch eurosceptic” Tory MP has asked the government to bring in free movement across borders – but only for plants.Robert Goodwill, who welcomed the end of EU free movement for people, wrote to ministers at Defra last month asking them to “ensure free movement of cultivated plant biodiversity”.The call by the ex Home Office immigration minister prompted anger from supporters of free movement for people, who said his priorities were wrong.Sir Robert had previously told constituents that Britain should “take back control and bring an end to free movement once and for all”, adding: “When people voted to leave the EU, they did so in the knowledge that the free movement system imposed by the EU would end.”But in a written parliamentary question the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, who is a farmer by trade, asked environment ministers “what steps [the] Department is taking to ensure free movement of cultivated plant biodiversity”.Brexit has made it more difficult to export and import cultivated plants, with phytosanitary restrictions on trade between Great Britain, the continent, and Northern Ireland.Naomi Smith, chief executive of pro-EU campaign group Best for Britain, told The Independent: “For those who campaigned so energetically against the free movement for British people to ironically now call for the free movement of plants, is the clearest distillation of the heartless, irrational and backwards priorities that drives some Eurosceptics. “At a time when Brits are lining up to help people fleeing war and support others fighting tyranny, this parochial way of thinking is completely out of step with where the country is at.”Defra minister Victoria Prentis replied to Sir Robert saying that plant imports posted “a risk because they can act as hosts or vectors and are one of the primary ways in which new pests and diseases can be introduced”.She added that “high plant health and biosecurity standards keep harmful pests and diseases out of the UK, benefiting both the horticultural trade and the environment in the long term” and said the UK “has some of the highest plant health and biosecurity standards in the world”. More

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, Minister for Children and Families, was asked by Conservative MP Caroline Johnson about the rising number of transgender students in UK schools.Ms Johnson said: “The number of children who identify as transgender is increasing and schools need to strike a balance of ensuring that these children can be cared for properly and that their needs are properly met,” while also meeting the needs of the wider school population.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.Ms Johnson asked Mr Quince what guidance the Department for Education could give to schools in dealing with situations like these “in a sensitive way that provides for the privacy and dignity and wellbeing of all the students”. More

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 accused of making a “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.“Just because something was, doesn’t mean it will always continue to be so whether that be rule from Moscow, or the result of an eight-year-old referendum,” he wrote.It came as SNP MSP Michelle Thomson apologised after tweeting about Ukraine’s emergency application to join the EU accompanied by the message: “Just goes to show what political will can achieve. Remember this Scotland!”Ms Thomson, the MSP for Falkirk East, subsequently deleted her post and wrote: “I noted and then tweeted something earlier that was insensitive regarding Ukraine … Apologies if I offended anyone.”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”.Asked about Mr Russell’s remarks on Wednesday, Ms Sturgeon said: “There is no connection between a war in Ukraine and the support and campaign for independence in Scotland.”Scotland’s first minister claimed it would be “overstating things” to suggest that comparisons had been made between Ukraine and the Scottish independence campaign.The SNP leader said: “What I think should unite all of us right now are some fundamental values, the values that underpin I think much of our democracy in Scotland – and certainly underpin my party and the independence movement.”She added: “The commitment to democracy, freedom, the rule of international law and the value of the world coming together in solidarity.”Responding to Ms Sturgeon’s comments, Mr Rennie said: “I’m glad Nicola Sturgeon has made it clear to her supporters that there is no connection between the war in Ukraine and Scottish independence.”He added: “I hope this puts an end to crass and insensitive remarks so we can now unite behind the people of Ukraine.”The row follows outrage over remarks made by Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams, who appeared to liken Vladimir Putin’s claim of a right to rule Ukraine to England’s treatment of Wales.The Welsh nationalist party’s defence spokesman, claimed there is “a particular menace” for Wales in the Russian president denying Ukraine is a country in its own right.Mr Williams wrote in a newspaper column: “Ukraine is not a real country he says. It does not have a right to exist. It is he, far away in Moscow, who has the right to rule. We in Wales are familiar with these arguments.”Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, hit back at the comments, saying: “Wales is a willing and democratic part of the United Kingdom. To draw any comparison is at best insensitive and, at worst, minimises what Ukrainians are going through.” More