Afternoon summary
- Boris Johnson has voiced fears that President Putin may use chemical weapons in Ukraine. (See 5.28pm.)
That’s all from me for today. But our Ukraine coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Johnson says he fears Putin may use chemical weapons in Ukraine
Boris Johnson has voiced fears that President Putin may use chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Echoing language used by the White House, Johnson told Sky News that Russian claims about its enemies getting ready to use chemical weapons were “straight out of their playbook”, and similar to what happened before the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
In an interview with Beth Rigby, Johnson said:
I’ll make you one other prediction, by the way, which is that the stuff that you’re hearing about chemical weapons – this is straight out of their playbook.
They start saying that there are chemical weapons that have been stored by their opponents or by the Americans. And so when they themselves deploy chemical weapons, as I fear they may, they have a sort of maskirovka, a fake story, ready to go. And you’ve seen it in Syria. You saw it even in the UK.
Asked if he expected a chemical weapons attack by Russia, Johnson said:
I just note that that is what they’re already doing. It is a cynical, barbaric government, I’m afraid.
The UK and the US are publicising their concerns, and their analysis of the propaganda tactics Putin is using, in the hope of trying to deter from using these weapons. Before the war started they also sought to gain the upper hand in the information war with Moscow by releasing intelligence about the Russian troop build-up on the border with Ukraine.
Sky released these quotes ahead of the full interview being broadcast at 9pm.
The armed forces minister James Heappey made similar comments in an interview this morning (see 8.58am) but the warning carries more force coming from the PM. Heappey also said the use of chemical weapons would have to be met by an “international response”, but ministers have not clarified what that might mean.
Updated
Emma Norris from the Institute for Government thinktank has posted a thread with some snap analysis of the draft terms of reference published today for the Covid inquiry. (See 3.19pm.) It starts here.
The COVID-19 Inquiry draft terms of reference have been published and are now subject to a 4 week public consultation. A few thoughts on what these tell us and the questions that remain. https://t.co/pKPjjYcFQm
— Emma_Norris (@Emma_Norris) March 10, 2022
Twitter removes 'fake news' post from Russian embassy in UK about Mariupol hospital attack
Twitter has removed a post from the Russian embassy in London about the Mariupol hospital bombing claiming the facility was no longer operational and that images had been faked, after criticism from Downing Street.
No 10 accused the Russian embassy in London of posting disinformation on Twitter after it posted pictures of the attack emblazoned with the label “fake”. A series of follow-up tweets, including a claim that a victim of the bombing was “played” by a beauty blogger, have also been removed after Twitter said they “violated the Twitter rules”.
This is how the Russian Embassy in London has responded to the bombing of the maternity hospital in Mariupol. Utterly obscene. pic.twitter.com/l4Udc1SmM0
— Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) March 10, 2022
The move came after a spokesperson for Boris Johnson told reporters that the embassy was spreading disinformation. “It is clear this is further disinformation. You have seen the pictures of the people who were wounded during that attack, and you have seen what the prime minister said in his tweet yesterday,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said he was “not aware” that the Foreign Office had held “specific conversations” about reprimanding the embassy for the social media post.
Asked whether Boris Johnson would like to see social media platforms shut down the Russian embassy’s accounts, the spokesperson replied:
That’s obviously a matter for Twitter, but we have been clear that that is disinformation. You’ve seen the increase in the civilians that have been targeted and sadly wounded and killed on the basis of Russian attacks.
Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, accused the embassy of publishing “fake news” and said it had been reported to Twitter.
This is fake news. Reported via @DCMS https://t.co/3rK7cEGb2U
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022
The Russian UK embassy has swung behind the Kremlin’s messaging on the war, including publishing unsubstantiated claims on Wednesday that Ukrainians are planning “a provocation with toxins” in order to accuse Russia of using chemical weapons. Britain and the US fear Russia could be preparing to use a chemical weapon in Ukraine after Kremlin officials made separate allegations, without firm evidence, that the US had been supporting a bioweapons programme in the country. It is understood that Twitter has ruled the “toxins” tweet does not breach its content guidelines.
Eliot Higgins, the founder of the investigative journalism site Bellingcat, urged Twitter to “kick these propaganda spewing accounts off” the platform as he challenged the embassy’s tweets on the Mariupol hospital bombing, in which a combined 600-bed complex with children’s and maternity wards was destroyed.
Updated
Ministers have today been unwilling to say what they would do if President Putin were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. (See 9.53am and 2.36pm.) But Jonathan Powell, who was chief of staff to Tony Blair when he was PM, told the World at One at lunchtime that the UK and its allies needed to have an answer to this question. He explained:
That’s what the west needs to think about, particularly the US needs to think about, very hard – if Putin were to use a tactical nuclear weapon or chemical weapons in Ukraine, would that be a red line crossed, and would we have to act?
Remember we faced this issue in Syria where ... [Bashar al-Assad] used chemical weapons ... with, of course, Russian support. We said we were going to act and then we didn’t act. I think that would be catastrophic in terms of appeasement to Putin and ending up in a situation where he will keep taking further action. So, I think we need to be clear about what our red lines are ...
I understand why we’re not getting dragged into the third world war ... which is why I say we need to offer a way out ... for Putin if he is prepared to take it. But if he crosses one of these red lines, a tactical nuclear weapon, or chemical weapons, I think we should think very seriously indeed if that is a red line for us and we’re going to act. Because, otherwise, we simply get escalation and more escalation ... and then we are going to have to deal with it when we are in a worse situation.
Updated
Here is some reaction to Priti Patel’s announcement about simplifying the visa application process for some Ukrainains from groups that work with refugees.
From Andy Hewett, head of advocacy at the Refugee Council
Whilst we welcome any step to ease the process for desperate Ukrainians in search of safety in this country, this announcement does not go anywhere near far enough.
Rather than continuing with a system that requires Ukrainian refugees to apply for a visa, the government urgently needs to temporarily waive visa requirements so that all Ukrainian families fleeing war and bloodshed can easily reach the UK and access the protection that is their fundamental right under the Refugee Convention.
From Mike Adamson, chief executive of British Red Cross
The simplest way of fixing this quickly is to remove visa requirements for Ukrainians who want to come here, at least temporarily, in line with the actions of countries across Europe. As confirmed today, security checks can still be carried out before they enter the UK.
From Daniel Sohege, director of Stand for All, an advocacy group for refugees.
It's a big change, but it isn't close to far enough. This still leave hundreds of people waiting weeks/months, and countless more completely abandoned due to the limitations of the schemes. The UK needs to immediately waive visa requirements. 1/ https://t.co/zVR0eI3LaC
— Daniel Sohege 🧡 (@stand_for_all) March 10, 2022
Chris Bryant urges goverment to target 'proxies' of Russian oligarchs, including Tory ones
During business questions in the Commons this morning Chris Bryant, the Labour MP who used parliamentary privilege to describe Roman Abramovich as someone with links to the Russian state and to “corrupt activity”, said the government should now be taking action against the “proxies” of Russian oligarchs in the UK. He told MPs:
Why on earth didn’t the government do something much sooner about it? I am delighted that Roman Abramovich and [Oleg] Deripaska have been sanctioned today, to be honest I think they should have been sanctioned several years ago.
Are we going to tackle the people who have acted as proxies for these people? Like Greg Barker [the Conservative peer who recently resigned as chairman of EN+, the mining company part-owned by Deripaska]? Arron Banks [the pro-Ukip millionaire who funded the Leave.EU campaign]? Ben Elliot [the Conservative party co-chairman whose luxury concierge company, Quintessentially, has many Russian clients]? Are we going to sanction some of the people - all the people who have been acting as proxies for them?
Are we going to sanction some of the people like Dmitry Mazepin, who are Belarusians who have been actively supporting the invasion in Ukraine? Because I think the whole house wants to take a full united approach to this but we just worry that the UK sanctioned seven people today, the EU - all 27 countries - sanctioned 160 yesterday.
In response to Bryant, Mark Spencer, the Commons leader, said:
I think we now are in a place where we have the most robust sanctions regime in place ... I don’t think it is helpful to have a running commentary on individual names in this chamber but he should rest assured the United Kingdom is taking action, will continue to take action and we will be very robust in those sanctions.
Updated
The culture department has released details of the licence under which Chelsea FC will be allowed to continue operating while its owner, Roman Abramovic, is subject to sanctions. It explains, for example, how fans can use tickets they already have for matches, but not buy new ones.
Ukrainian refugee total could soon reach 4 million, officials fear
Western officials have described the refugee situation in Ukraine as “unprecedented”, with concerns the total number of people fleeing could reach 4 million within days, PA Media reports. PA says:
One official said: “The UNHRC [United Nations Human Rights Council] briefed us and other leading donors just last night.
“As of then, their number of refugees had topped 2 million - they are at 2.2 million as of last night - but they are worried we could see 4 million over the next few days.
“These are unprecedented movements of people in Europe, or indeed probably anywhere else in the world.”
The official added: “I would like to stress the sheer scale of this, which is something that we haven’t seen, certainly since the end of the second world war, and that is a real challenge to us all.”
Updated
In his interview in Liverpool Boris Johnson repeated his claim about the UK having the best record in Europe on settling vulnerable refugees. He told repoters:
I think the UK has got an outstanding record of accepting vulnerable people fleeing from war zones. I think we have done more since 2015 to settle vulnerable people than any other country.
It is a claim that Johnson, and other ministers, make frequently. But it is deeply misleading, as David Aaronovitch explains in his Times column (paywall) today. Aaronovitch explains:
Let’s get to the nub of this. “No country in Europe,” says Johnson when taxed with our inaction, “has done more to settle vulnerable people since 2015 than the UK.”
What would a layperson understand this to mean, other than that the UK had taken more refugees since 2015 than any other European country? In fact the claim only applies to one single scheme under which we have resettled 25,000 people from refugee camps. In terms of overall numbers of refugees we were seventh in Europe, far behind Germany and even Austria. And per capita, according to the Migration Observatory at Oxford, we took 1.4 refugees per thousand, compared with Sweden’s 16 per thousand. We are not “very, very generous”.
Government publishes draft terms of reference for Covid inquiry
The government has this afternoon published the draft terms of reference for the Covid inquiry. It says the two aims of the inquiry are to “examine the Covid-19 response and the impact of the pandemic in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and produce a factual narrative account” and to “identify the lessons to be learned from the above, thereby to inform the UK’s preparations for future pandemics”.
This language suggests that attributing blame for policy failings will not be the main focus.
The Ministry of Defence has launched a new national shipbuilding strategy. It says it will lead to more than 150 commercial and naval vessels being build over the next 30 years. Announcing it in the Commons, Jeremy Quin, the defence minister, said:
It’s worth reminding ourselves that even in the digital age, some 95% of UK trade by volume and 90% by value is carried by sea. Given this dependence, it is vital we continue safeguarding our access to global maritime trade even as we open up our sales and seek out new markets and new sustainable technologies.
Increasing North Sea oil and gas production is not a “practical” solution to the energy crisis caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Nicola Sturgeon.
Pressed at first minister’s questions by the Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross to “maximise” the output from the North Sea, Sturgeon said the best move was to “accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels” and that the immediate action needed was for the UK chancellor to offset the soaring costs of heating homes.
Sturgeon said it would take years to open up new oil or gas fields.
Updated
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has given an interview to CNN in Washington, where she is delivering a major speech later today. (See 9.53am.) Here are the main new lines from what she said.
- She said it would be a “grave mistake” for President Putin to use chemical weapons in Ukraine - but would not say how the UK would react. The US government and others have been briefing journalists about intelligence assessments saying Putin is considering using these weapons. Asked if the use of such weapons would be a red line for the UK, and how it would react, Truss said:
We are very concerned about the potential use of chemical weapons. Now, of course, we’ve seen Russia use these weapons before in fields of conflict, but that would be a grave mistake on the part of Russia, adding to the grave mistakes that have already been made by Putin.
Truss is normally one of the most hawkish members of the government, but in this answer she was more non-committal than James Heappey, the armed forces minister, who told the BBC this morning that the use of chemical weapons by Russia would trigger “an international response”. (See 8.58am.)
- She said the UK was opposed to enforcing even a limited no-fly zone over Ukraine. Asked if Britain could support a “limited” no-fly zone with “a very narrowly defined humanitarian mission”, she replied:
The issue ... with a no-fly zone is that would bring Nato into direct conflict with Russia, however limited that no-fly zone is. What our view is, is the best way to help the Ukrainians with their air defence is to supply equipment like the Starstreak, which we are supplying to the Ukrainians. That will help Ukraine defend their own country, it will help them defend their skies, but it won’t bring Nato into the conflict.
Chelsea FC can be sold, provided Abramovich does not benefit, No 10 says
Downing Street has said that the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC, will not necessarily stop the club being sold. But Abramovich would not be allowed to benefit, it said. The No 10 spokesperson said:
It’s fair to say the government is open to the sale of the club but currently it would require another licence, and that would require further conversation with the Treasury and other departments ...
The important thing is under no circumstances would any sale allow Roman Abramovich to profit from that or take any money from that sale.
Last week Abramovich said in a statement that he wanted to sell the club, with net proceeds from the sale going to a charitable foundation to help the victims of the war in Ukraine.
Starmer says government was too slow in sanctioning Abramovich
Keir Starmer has also been speaking to reporters. He is in Estonia, with the shadow defence secretary John Healey, where he has been visiting British troops who are serving as part of the Nato mission in the country. Here are some of the main points he has been making.
- Starmer condemned the Home Office’s treatment of Ukrainian refugees, saying it had been a “complete shambles”. He said:
I’m here in Estonia with British forces who have an incredible reputation across the world, enhancing our reputation as the United Kingdom.
The Home Office approach to visas has been the complete opposite, a complete shambles that is diminishing our reputation across the world.
We’ve got a Home Office where the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing and they need to restore their reputation, get on with the job, and find a way of having a safe route to sanctuary for people who are desperately fleeing for their lives.
- He said he supported the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich and others today, but said they should have been implemented sooner. He said:
I’m slightly frustrated, we called for this weeks ago and whilst we’re very supportive of the action the government has taken on sanctions, there are echoes of Afghanistan here. We need to go further and faster on this
I called for these sanctions against Abramovich two weeks ago now and a feature of the government’s reaction here is that they are too slow. I support what they are doing and we voted for these sanctions to go through, but we do want a government to go further and faster, and not be so slow.
- He refused to say whether he agreed with Liz Truss’s claim that Abramavich and the other sanctioned oligarchs had “the blood of the Ukrainian people on their hands”. (See 9.30am.) Asked if he agreed with that comment, he said:
Anybody who’s supported Putin is supporting the appalling situation that we see unfolding before us on a daily basis. At the moment the most immediate and important thing is that we have the most effective sanctions in place not just to isolate Russia but to cripple Russia’s ability to function.
Johnson says UK will continue to 'tighten economic vice around Putin regime'
Boris Johnson has given a pooled TV interview while on a visit to Liverpool. Here are the main points.
- Johnson said the UK would continue to “tighten the economic vice around the Putin regime” with further sanctions in the future. He said:
You can also expect to see the UK, again, leading in conversations with our friends and partners around the world to make sure that as Putin doubles down in violence against the Ukrainian people, we in the rest of the world, we who condemn his behaviour, work together to tighten the economic vice around the Putin regime, and that’s what we’re going to do.
- He defended the time taken to impose sanctions on oligarchs like Roman Abramovich, saying for legal reasons the government had to be “very careful”. He said:
The right to property is something that English law, UK law takes very seriously. You have got to go through due process.
Last week at PMQs, Keir Starmer said Abramovich should have already been subject to sanctions.
- Johnson said there was “enough of a link” between Abramovich and the other oligarchs being sanctioned to justify action being taken against them. Asked about the evidence against them, he said:
I can’t comment on what individuals are doing but what we’ve concluded is that there is enough connection, enough of the link between the Putin regime and the individuals in question, to justify the action.
I think when you look at what is happening in Ukraine, and you look to the casual rejection of every norm of civilised behaviour in bombing a maternity hospital, I think people in this country, I can see that people connected to the Putin regime need to be sanctioned, and that’s what we’re doing.
- He said British troops going to Ukraine to join the fight against the Russians could face court martial if they returned. Asked about a 19-year-old from Warrington said to have travelled to Ukraine to fight Russia, Johnson said:
I think that everybody seeing what’s happening in Ukraine will understand those feelings and I think many people, many people in our armed forces, will sympathise because I don’t think I’ve ever seen such clear distinction in international affairs between right and wrong and good and evil in what President Putin is doing to people in Ukraine.
But we have very clear laws in this country. You shouldn’t go to Ukraine, and I’m afraid people going from our armed services, as the chief of the defence staff made clear the other day, will face court martial.
Updated
Daniel Kawczynski, the Conservative MP who has been strongly criticised by a colleague for saying that taking in more Ukrainian refugees would be “immoral” (see 9.07am), has said that, because he was making the comment on Twitter, he could not fully explain what he meant. He told BBC Radio Shropshire:
I think I’m actually going to leave Twitter because you can’t really explain yourself in 240 characters.
I’m the only MP born in Poland ... I feel passionately about this issue and I’m appalled by what the brutal Russian regime are doing to these people.
I put this tweet because I genuinely feel the best way we can help is to send money to support these people for the next weeks, months, maybe even years.
Updated
Ian Blackford has said reports he is considering stepping down soon as the SNP’s leader at Westminster are “total crap”, PA Media reports. Responding to a Politico report, Blackford said:
I have got a job to do leading the group, I am fully focused on doing so and I intend to lead us through all the challenges we face and to stand by the side of the first minister ready for the campaign ahead.
David Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary, has welcomed the announcement about Roman Abramovich and six other Russian oligarchs being sanctioned today.
At last! This is the right decision. But it shouldn’t have taken the government weeks.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) March 10, 2022
Too few oligarchs linked to Putin’s rogue regime have faced sanctions from the UK. We are lagging behind the EU and the US.
The government must finally close the sanctions gap. https://t.co/5TnO4QxM7y
This is from the BBC’s home editor, Mark Easton, pointing out who is not covered by the new visa application rules announced by Priti Patel earlier.
Worth pointing out who is NOT covered by @ukhomeoffice virtual visa scheme:
— Mark Easton (@BBCMarkEaston) March 10, 2022
Ukrainians without a passport (ID card not good enough)
Ukrainian residents who are not Ukrainian
All refugees who don't have family in UK
And this is from the Green MP Caroline Lucas making broadly the same point.
And just to be clear, @pritipatel's backtracking still offers no immediate route to the UK for Ukrainians without family in the UK. The Government keeps saying the 'humanitarian sponsorship' visa will be 'uncapped'. Kind of irrelevant when it isn't even open yet…
— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) March 10, 2022
Patel cites Windrush as example of why Ukrainian refugees need proof of their right to be in UK
Earlier in the statement Priti Patel cited the Windrush scandal as a reason why it was important to insist on Ukrainians coming to the UK having visas. In her response to Yvette Cooper, she said she was always planning to make an announcement this morning (and not bounced into it by Labour’s UQ). Patel went on:
[Cooper] has asked why we are not making these changes immediately – they are subject to digital verification and there is no comparison to BNO [the British National Overseas scheme – a visa scheme for people from Hong Kong] whatsoever because 90% of Ukrainians do not have chipped passports, so they would be excluded.
Visa applications are important in terms of this process and what we are seeing, and it is important that we’re flexible in our response and we have been.
I think this country, and all governments including probably a government that she once served in, will recognise that there was something known as the Windrush scandal and it’s important that everyone who arrives into the UK has physical and digital records of their status here in the UK to ensure that they are accessible to schemes.
The process is absolutely vital in terms of the verification, notification and permission to travel, but importantly to give people the status when they come to the United Kingdom to have that right to work, the right to access and benefits, and also the digital verification of their status.
The Windrush reference came as a surprise. This is from my colleague Heather Stewart.
Wow: defending Home Office approach on Ukraine, Patel just cited "something known as the Windrush scandal," to underline how important it is that "everyone arriving in the UK has digital and physical records".
— Heather Stewart (@GuardianHeather) March 10, 2022
Not sure that's the lesson most people drew from it.
And this is from the Independent’s Rob Merrick.
Patel then claimed biometric checks are needed to prevent a repeat of the Windrush scandal.....let's remember she has kept in place the 'hostile environment' that caused the scandal
— Rob Merrick (@Rob_Merrick) March 10, 2022
Updated
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has given a partial welcome to the changes announced by Priti Patel, but says they do not go far enough.
Need to see detail of course - but this seems (I hope) to be a very significant shift towards a position of sanctuary first, paperwork second. If so, and while very belated, it is welcome - indeed, a massive relief. The UK position until now has been deeply shameful https://t.co/tMKdeJHp0b
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 10, 2022
That said, if it still requires visa applications to be made before travel to UK, it does not yet go far enough https://t.co/3X7XApcCBQ
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 10, 2022
In the Commons, in response to a question from Damian Green (Con), Priti Patel said the changes announced today (see 10.53am) would apply to the family visa scheme for Ukrainain refugees. She said she could not say what the arrangements would be for the sponsorship scheme (that will allow Ukrainains without close relatives in the UK to come if they have a sponsor) because the details have not been announced yet.
In her response to Priti Patel, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, welcomed the change to the visa application rules, but said refugees should not have to wait until Tuesday for the new system to become operative. She also said Patel was only making this announcement in response to the urgent question tabled by Labour. She said:
Why does it always take being hauled into the House of Commons to make basic changes to help vulnerable people who are fleeing from Ukraine?
It is welcome that [Patel’s] now introducing the online approach, that we know they tried different ways of doing for the Hong Kong visas, but why has it taken so long when she has had intelligence for weeks, if not months, that she needed to prepare for a Russian invasion of Ukraine?
Why still if we’ve still got to wait until Tuesday for this new system to come in, what is to happen for everybody else in the meantime?
Cooper also suggested the armed forces should be deployed to speed up processing at visa application centres.
Patel says Ukrainians with passports will be able to get visas fully online under new system
Priti Patel, the home secretary, has promised a streamlined online visa application system for Ukrainians seeking to flee the war with Russia in response to criticism of her approach to the crisis, PA Media reports:
She told MPs the changes will come in from Tuesday following assurances from the security services that the UK can still be protected from Russian efforts to infiltrate the country by posing as Ukrainian refugees.
The Home Office has come under pressure from opposition and Tory MPs – as well as the Ukrainian government – to simplify the system which allows family members of people settled in the UK to join their relatives.
Patel said: “From Tuesday, I can announce that Ukrainians with passports will no longer need to go to a visa application centre to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.
“Instead, once their application has been considered and appropriate checks completed, they will receive direct notification that they’re eligible for the scheme and can come to the UK.
“In short, Ukrainians with passports will be able to get permission to come here fully online from wherever they are and will be able to give their biometrics once in Britain.
“This will mean that visa application centres across Europe can focus their efforts on helping Ukrainians without passports.”
More than 2 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s invasion.
While the European Union allows visa-free travel for Ukrainians fleeing the fighting, the UK insisted they are necessary to guarantee security.
Patel told the Commons: “I am in daily contact with the intelligence and security agencies who are providing me with regular threat assessments.
“What happened in Salisbury showed what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is willing to do on our soil. It also demonstrated that a small number of people with evil intentions can wreak havoc on our streets.”
Patel said she was able to change the visa regime following security agencies’ fresh advice.
Updated
Priti Patel is speaking in the House of Commons on the changes to the visa system for Ukrainian refugees coming to the UK. The video is below:
Patel to simplify visa application process for Ukrainians, so most will be able to apply online not in person
The Home Office is announcing a major simplification of the visa system for Ukrainian refugees coming to the UK, the BBC’s Adam Fleming reports.
🇺🇦🇬🇧BIG CHANGE. From Tuesday the Ukrainian visa scheme will be DIGITAL for those with passports and ID cards. So only complex or vulnerable cases will have have to go to visa application centres in Europe. This has been agreed with the security services. (1)
— Adam Fleming (@adamfleming) March 10, 2022
So an applicant will apply online, get an email authorising their travel, get a stamp in their passport when they arrive in the UK and then give their biometrics later at a VAC in the UK. (2)
— Adam Fleming (@adamfleming) March 10, 2022
This frees up capacity and crucially allows people to do the whole process in Ukraine before they leave. (3)
— Adam Fleming (@adamfleming) March 10, 2022
Updated
Ukraine war marks paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11, says Truss
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is causing a paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11 in how democracy will confront future threats, the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, will predict in a speech in Washington later today. My colleague Patrick Wintour has the story here.
And here is a key passage from the speech briefed in advance. Truss will say:
Putin has launched a full-frontal assault not just on the Ukrainian people, but also on the very foundation of our societies and the rules by which we coexist – sovereignty, democracy, the UN charter.
He has shattered the architecture of global security. The invasion of Ukraine is a paradigm shift on the scale of 9/11. How we respond today will set the pattern for this new era.
If we let Putin’s expansionism go unchallenged it would send a dangerous message to would-be aggressors and authoritarians around the world. We can’t allow that to happen.
Why the seven oligarchs are being sanctioned
And here is more detail on the seven oligarchs being sanctioned by the UK today, from the Foreign Office briefing.
Roman Abramovich has stakes in steel giant Evraz, Norilsk Nickel and owns Chelsea FC. He sold a 73% stake in Russian oil firm Sibneft to state-owned gas titan Gazprom for £9.87bn in 2005. His net worth is an estimated £9.4bn. He is one of the few oligarchs from the 1990s to maintain prominence under Putin. None of our allies have yet sanctioned Abramovich.
Oleg Deripaska has stakes in En+ Group, a major extractives and energy company which owns UC Rusal, one of the world’s major aluminium producers. He has a multi-million pound property portfolio in the UK. His net worth is an estimated £2bn. The US designated Deripaska in 2018.
Igor Sechin is the chief executive of Rosneft, a Russian state oil company and particularly close and influential ally of Putin. Sechin has been sanctioned by the US and EU.
Andrey Kostin is chairman of VTB bank, the second largest bank in Russia. VTB Bank was designated by the UK on 24 February 2022. Kostin is a close associate of Putin, and has long supported Kremlin objectives through VTB Bank. His net worth is an estimated £379mn. Kostin has been sanctioned by the US and EU.
Alexei Miller is CEO of energy company Gazprom, making him one of the most important executives supporting the Russian government. Miller served under Putin in the 1990s when Putin was deputy mayor in St Petersburg. Miller has been sanctioned by the US.
Nikolai Tokarev is president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. He first met Putin, when both served as KGB officers in Dresden in East Germany in the 1980s. They have remained closely associated ever since. Tokarev has been sanctioned by the US and EU.
Dmitri Lebedev is chairman of the board of directors of Bank Rossiya. The UK designated Bank Rossiya, widely considered to be the Kremlin’s private bank, on 22 February 2022. Lebedev was sanctioned by the US in 2016.
Updated
Dorries says Chelsea FC can keep playing matches, but Abramovich won't benefit
Chelsea FC will still be allowed to play matches despite its owner, Roman Abramovich, being sanctioned, the government says. It explains:
Given the significant impact that today’s sanctions would have on Chelsea football club and the potential knock on effects of this, the government has this morning published a licence which authorises a number of football-related activities to continue at Chelsea. This includes permissions for the club to continue playing matches and other football related activity which will in turn protect the Premier League, the wider football pyramid, loyal fans and other clubs. This licence will only allow certain explicitly named actions to ensure the designated individual is not able to circumvent UK sanctions. The licence will be kept under constant review and we will work closely with the football authorities.
Nadine Dorries, the culture secretary, has also been posting about this on Twitter. She says
1/ 4🧵Putin’s attack on Ukraine continues & we are witnessing new levels of evil by the hour. Today the Government has announced further sanctions against individuals linked to the Russian Government. This list includes Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea Football Club.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022
2/4 Our priority is to hold those who have enabled the Putin regime to account. Today’s sanctions obviously have a direct impact on Chlesea & its fans. We have been working hard to ensure the club & the national game are not unnecessarily harmed by these important sanctions.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022
3/4 To ensure the club can continue to compete and operate we are issuing a special licence that will allow fixtures to be fulfilled, staff to be paid and existing ticket holders to attend matches while, crucially, depriving Abramovich of benefiting from his ownership of the club
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022
4/4 I know this brings some uncertainty, but the Government will work with the league & clubs to keep football being played while ensuring sanctions hit those intended. Football clubs are cultural assets and the bedrock of our communities. We're committed to protecting them.
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) March 10, 2022
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This is from Boris Johnson on today’s sanctions announcement.
There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin’s vicious assault on Ukraine.
Today’s sanctions are the latest step in the UK’s unwavering support for the Ukrainian people. We will be ruthless in pursuing those who enable the killing of civilians, destruction of hospitals and illegal occupation of sovereign allies.
Truss says sanctioned oligarchs such as Abramovich have 'blood of Ukrainian people on their hands'
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, says the seven Russian oligarchs being sanctioned today have the blood of the Ukrainain people on their hands. In a statement she said:
Today’s sanctions show once again that oligarchs and kleptocrats have no place in our economy or society. With their close links to Putin they are complicit in his aggression.
The blood of the Ukrainian people is on their hands. They should hang their heads in shame.
Our support for Ukraine will not waver. We will not stop in this mission to ramp up the pressure on the Putin regime and choke off funds to his brutal war machine.
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Full list of seven Russian oligarch being sanctioned by UK today
Here is an extract from the Foreign Office press release about today’s sanctions.
As part of the UK’s leading efforts to isolate Putin and those around him, these oligarchs – who have a collective net worth of around £15bn – will have their assets in the UK frozen, they are banned from travelling here and no UK citizen or company may do business with them.
Those newly-sanctioned by the UK include Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea Football Club, worth more than £9bn; leading industrialist Oleg Deripaska worth £2bn, and Rosneft CEO, Igor Sechin. A further group of Russia-based oligarchs close to Putin have also been placed under sanction. Those sanctioned today are:
- Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC who also has stakes in steel giant Evraz and Norilsk Nickel.
- Oleg Deripaska, who has stakes in En+ Group.
- Igor Sechin, chief executive of Rosneft.
- Andrey Kostin, chairman of VTB bank.
- Alexei Miller, CEO of energy company Gazprom.
- Nikolai Tokarev, president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft.
- Dmitri Lebedev, chairman of the board of directors at Bank Rossiya.
Updated
Truss says Abramovich and other oligarchs sanctioned today have assets worth £15bn
Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, has just posted this on Twitter.
SANCTIONED: 7 Russian oligarchs targeted in £15bn sanction hit - including Abramovich and Deripaska
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) March 10, 2022
The List ⬇️https://t.co/j1ehzJCjTq pic.twitter.com/gsLV3KtVxR
Roman Abramovich to have UK assets frozen after he and six other Russian oligarchs added to sanctions list
Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea FC owner, is one of seven Russian oligarchs who has just been sanctioned by the UK, Reuters reports. It says:
Britain said on Thursday it had imposed asset freezes on seven Russian businessmen including Roman Abramovich, Igor Sechin, Oleg Deripaska and Dmitri Lebedev after they were added to the country’s sanctions list.
“There can be no safe havens for those who have supported Putin*s vicious assault on Ukraine,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
Abramovich is the owner of Chelsea soccer club, Deripaska has stakes in En+ Group, Sechin is the chief executive of Rosneft and Lebedev is chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Rossiya.
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Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, has been granted a Commons urgent question on the entry rules for Ukrainian refugees. It will take place at 10.30am.
Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski claims taking in more Ukrainian refugees would be 'illiterate and immoral'
The Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski has been accused by a senior colleague of spouting “utterly risible, illiterate, immoral and offensive bile” over Ukrainian refugees.
Kawczynski caused offence with a post on Twitter that has now been deleted. The Polish journalist Jakub Krupa has a screenshot.
Since Kawczyński has now deleted his original tweet - after being so proud of it last night that he even pinned it to the top of his profile - here's a reminder of what it said so we don't forget what kind of a person he is.
— Jakub Krupa (@JakubKrupa) March 10, 2022
👏 for @Simon4NDorset for calling it out. https://t.co/Anxe40SwPZ pic.twitter.com/3Jiv6yJPS1
That prompted this response early this morning from Simon Hoare, the Conservative chair of the Commons Northern Ireland committee.
What utterly risible, illiterate immoral and offensive bile. Haven’t you heard what @BorisJohnson has been saying? You do not speak for the Tory Party. I’m not sure you speak for humanity #whitehotfury https://t.co/l6O0Jla0OO
— Simon Hoare MP (@Simon4NDorset) March 10, 2022
As PA Media reports, as well as deleting his tweet, Kawczynski subsequently blocked the Twitter account of the PA news agency journalist who reported on Hoare’s criticism. In January, Kawczynski was suspended from the Commons for a single day for undermining an apology he gave for bullying staff.
UPDATE: Kawczynski later sought to explain his comment in a radio inteview. See 12.46pm.
Updated
Here is the Ministry of Defence’s latest update on the situation in Ukraine.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 10 March 2022
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) March 10, 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/uGIai2vjg2
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/kUN8pCzuT4
Putin must expect ‘international response’ if he uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, says minister
Good morning. Yesterday the White House said publicly that it was worried about President Putin using chemical weapons in Ukraine. President Biden press secretary delivered the warning as “Western sources” told journalists that they had “good reason” to think that Putin was considering deploying these weapons in the war which is going worse for Russia than he expected. My colleague Dan Sabbagh has the story here.
James Heappey, the armed forces minister, has been doing interview this morning and he told the Today programme that, if Putin were to use chemical weapons, he should expect an “international response”. But, when asked if that might involve something like Nato countries sending fighter jets to Ukraine, or setting up a no-fly zone, Heappey would not be drawn on those options.
He said that he had first read the “very high level intelligence” about the possibility of Putin using chemical weapons last week and that he was “utterly appalled” that this was even being considered. The US was right to publicise this, he said, to try to deter Putin. He went on:
President Putin needs to be clear that the use of chemical weapons is just the most despicable thing that anybody can imagine. As horrid as the pictures are that we’re seeing on our TV screens today of an artillery strike against the hospital, they are but nothing by comparison to the suffering and devastation chemical weapons can cause.
Asked what would happen if Putin did use these weapons, he went on:
I don’t think it’s helpful to get into any firm commitment right now about where that red line sits. But I think President Putin needs to be very clear that when other countries have used chemical weapons, it has caused an international response.
And I think that the US are right to declassify the intelligence so that Putin knows that we know that he’s got this under consideration, and I think he should reflect very urgently on what has happened to other countries where they have used this.
I will post more from his interviews shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: NHS England publishes it latest waiting time figuers
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
12pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, takes questions in the Scottish parliament.
And Boris Johnson is on a visit to Liverpool today, where he will make an announcement about shipbuilding.
I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.
If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. I’m on @AndrewSparrow.
Alternatively, you can email me at andrew.sparrow@theguardian.com.
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