An MP has called for a former Soviet bloc oil and arms tycoon who has given donations to consecutive Welsh secretaries should be censured due to his conduct. Alexander Temerko has given thousands to many Conservative MPs including former Welsh secretary Alun Cairns and current secretary Simon Hart.
Mr Temerko was born in Ukraine but left at 17 and held roles in the Russian defence ministry as well as running Russian oil firm Yukos. Since gaining British citizenship in 2011, he has given almost £1.6m to members of the Conservative party. He presents himself in public as an entrepreneur who opposes Britain’s departure from the European Union because it’s bad for his UK energy business, and as a dissident critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin but there are questions about his links to current-day Russia and position so close to those at the top of British politics.
Business Insider has reported that minister for trade policy Penny Mordaunt has met with party co-chairman Oliver Dowden and members of the party treasurer's team to consider disciplinary measures against the Ukrainian-born businessman. Mr Termerko called her an "uncontrollable woman".
Read more: Who bankrolled your MP
Ms Mordaunt reportedly said it was "not appropriate for things to carry on as business as usual" and that it would be "very bad if this went unaddressed," something Mr Dowden was receptive to. Ms Mordaunt would consider a more formal complaints procedure if no action was taken against Mr Temerko.
The Conservative Party code of conduct says all members must "treat others in a professional and straightforward manner" and "not use their position to bully, abuse, victimise, harass or unlawfully discriminate against others." The pair are involved in a bitter dispute over a £1.2bn project to build an electricity link between England and France.
In January, Temerko threatened the trade minister with legal action after the Aquind project was blocked by Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, and described her as the "biggest threat to security." He also said he would write to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whom he describes as a friend, regarding her position in the government.
He has since dropped his threat of legal action, though is ploughing ahead with a judicial review of Aquind.
Mordaunt was not involved in the decision but had spoken out against the interconnector project — which would lay cables through her constituency in Portsmouth — warning it posed a risk to Britain's energy security.
She recently urged colleagues to stop doing business with Mr Temerko, telling Insider that "everyone" was now aware of his threats towards her. She noted at the time that donors should abide by the same code of conduct as other party members.
Mordaunt told Insider: "Every member of our party is rightly held to a standard of conduct. This applies to donors too. If we don't address this kind of behaviour we are doing both our elected representatives and our donor community a disservice.
"It also undermines public trust. It is quite wrong and needs to be recognised as such."
Her intervention came as Mr Temerko held meetings with Conservative figures, including former foreign secretary and one-time leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt.
Simon Hart has received £41,231.66 from Mr Temerko and his related companies since 2014.
A donation of £22,565 came from Aquind Ltd on March 19, 2019. A private donation of £2,000 from Mr Temerko on February 15, 2019 and another of £6,666.66 on February 22, 2016. A further payment from the Offshore Group Newcastle Ltd of £10,000 was registered on September 22, 2014.
Mr Temerko has also given donations to former Welsh secretary and current Vale of Glamorgan MP Alun Cairns. He received a £5,000 donation in June 2019 and in April 2014 he gave another £5,000 in a personal donation. This was followed in September of the same year with £5,000 but this time from the Offshore Group Newcastle Ltd business.
A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "These very substantial donations raise a number of yet, unanswered questions. Why would someone who had previously run a Russian state arms conglomerate involved with Russia’s defence ministry make donations of over £41,000 to Simon Hart, a Welsh Conservative MP and now Welsh Secretary, over a five year period?
"What due diligence did Mr Hart and the Conservative Party undertake before accepting the donations? What did Mr Temerko want to achieve from his very generous act and what did Simon Hart think Mr Temerko expected as a consequence?
"People in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, and indeed people across Wales, will be wondering what the answers to those questions are.”
Mr Temerko and the Conservative Party were both contacted for comment.
