Boris Johnson is relaxed about Russia-linked cash flowing into Tory coffers and won't review the Conservative Party's policies, his press secretary confirmed today.
The Prime Minister is under pressure to order party chiefs to hand back around £2m of donations from Russia-linked sources given to the party since he became leader.
It comes as increasingly hostile Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two breakaway regions in Ukraine on Monday and as nearly 200,000 amassed near Ukraine's border.
Labour Leader Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of presiding over an "era of oligarch impunity" in the Commons, and underlined that individuals or companies with links to Russia have donated £2m to either the Conservative Party, individual Tory MPs - some of which are Cabinet ministers - or Conservative associations.
But the PM's Press Secretary confirmed on Wednesday he is “completely comfortable” with the donations, adding there will be no review of party policies because “we believe all due diligence is in place".
She added: “The Conservative Party does not accept foreign donations - that is illegal.
“And as you know, donations are all properly and transparently declared to the Electoral Commission.
“But I would make the point that there are people in this country of Russian origin who are British citizens, and many are critics of Putin. So it’s wrong and discriminatory to tar them all with the same brush.”
Asked if there was a "culture of oligarch impunity in the UK", Boris Johnson ’s spokesman replied: “No.”
Foreign Office minister Amanda Milling, who is the Tory party's former chair, also came under fire in the Commons as Labour MP Margaret Hodge claimed in the Commons that the figure for Russia-linked donations to the Tory party came to about £3.6m over the last decade.
"What I would urge the minister, and I really do say this more in sorrow than in anger, [...] to go back to her colleagues, sort this out, get that money out.
"I wouldn't give it back to Russia, I would give it organisations like Transparency International who do a fantastic job in helping us to get corruption.
"Until the Conservative Party does that they will have no credibility at all in the argument in fighting corruption."
Ms Milling replied that proper guidance was being followed.
Records show Alexander Temerko and his firm Aquind Energy have made a string of donations.
Some £10,000 went to Treasury Secretary Simon Clarke’s Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency. Aquind is seeking permission to build a huge energy interconnector under the English Channel and in 2012 it got a £4.5m government grant.
In 2015 Mr Sunak also saw a £6,000 donation to his Richmond, Yorks, constituency from Mr Temerko, a former aide to ex-Russian President Boris Yeltsin.
International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan removed herself from decisions on the Aquind plan because of £17,000 in donations from Mr Temerko during her days as a business minister.
COP26 president Alok Sharma accepted £10,000 in donations from Aquind in 2019, plus £15,000 from Mr Temerko’s old venture Offshore Group Newcastle (OGN), in 2014. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis received a donation of £10,000 from banker Ms Lubov Chernukhin, the Tories’ biggest individual donor.
Dominic Raab declared a £25,000 donation to his Esher and Walton constituency from Dmitry Leus – whose £500,000 gift to royal charities triggered a row over claims foreigners could “buy” residency.
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing by Mr Temerko, Ms Chernukhin or Mr Leus – all British citizens.
A spokesperson for Mr Leus told the Mirror: “He has played no active part in politics. He has devoted time and resources to philanthropic causes, in 2018 setting up the Leus Family Foundation, a registered UK charity, to support children and young people.”
A spokesperson for Mr Temerko said: “Mr Temerko is a Ukrainian-born British citizen and has no links to Russia.”
Lawyers for Ms Chernukhin have said: “Donations have never been tainted by Kremlin or other influence.”
