Dominic Raab has defended Boris Johnson's friendship with Russian oligarchs, claiming the Prime Minister is a "very sociable individual".
The deputy Prime Minister, who was standing in for Mr Johnson at PMQs, was roundly mocked by MPs after making the comments in response to a question from Labour' s Matt Western. Mr Western listed Tory donors from Russia such as Lubov Chernukhin, and pointed out that the Prime Minister had celebrated his election victory at a party hosted by former KGB agent Alexander Lebedev.
It is estimated that the Tories have received around £2m from donors who have made money from Russia or Russian individuals since Johnson came to power. Mr Western, channelling Mrs Merton, asked: "'What first attracted the Prime Minister to the billionaire Russian oligarchs?'"
