The UK government has been criticised for its “toothless” use of the sanctions regime, as campaigners raised concerns that the enforcement body set up in 2016 to patrol breaches has only ever issued only six fines worth a combined £21m.
As the government announces a fresh wave of sanctions against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine on Thursday, opposition politicians and campaigners warned that the UK’s failure to take action against existing suspected breaches of sanctions “undermines any real deterrent value that UK sanctions could have”.
