Michael Gove has said he wants to use the homes of sanctioned Russian oligarchs like Roman Abramovich to house Ukrainian refugees.
The Scots cabinet Minister said he preferred CalMac ferries over superyachts when asked about his own links to the owner of Chelsea football club.
Gove confirmed he was pushing for mansions belonging to super-rich allies of the Kremlin to be seized for “humanitarian” purposes.
The UK has slapped asset freezes and travel bans on a string of wealthy Russians, including Chelsea FC owner Abramovich who owns a Kensington mansion and a riverside apartment in London.
Gove admitted there was a “high legal bar” but added:“I want to explore an option which would allow us to use the homes and properties of sanctioned individuals - as long as they are sanctioned - for humanitarian and other purposes.”
Asked by the BBC’s Sophy Raworth if he had ever met Chelsea owner Romam Abramovich or been on the Russian oligarch’s yacht, Gove replied: “No, I think the biggest boat I’ve been on is the CalMac ferry from Oban to Colonsay.”
Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael welcomed the move, but said the Government was “moving so slowly that they risk letting Kremlin-linked oligarchs off the hook”.
He added: “So far the government has sanctioned just 18 oligarchs, fewer than one a day since the invasion.
“At this rate there won’t be any oligarchs’ mansions left to seize - they’ll have all sold up and fled the country.”
Abramovich and six other elite Russians were added to the UK sanctions list on Thursday.
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