Boris Johnson faces fresh calls to impose sanctions on Abramovich

Boris Johnson faced fresh calls on Wednesday to impose sanctions on Roman Abramovich after the European Union sanctioned the owner of Chelsea Football Club, who has close ties to Vladimir Putin.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said the prime minister should follow the EU's lead by sanctioning Mr Abramovich, the most prominent Russian oligarch in Britain.

“We must stand up to Putin and those who prop up his regime.

"Roman Abramovich is the owner of Chelsea Football Club and various other high-value assets in the United Kingdom. He's a person of interest to the Home Office because of his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices," Mr Starmer said.

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“Last week the prime minister said that Abramovich is facing sanctions. He later corrected the record to say that he isn’t. Well, why on earth isn’t he?”

Mr Abramovich, who said he was handing "stewardship and care" of Chelsea to the trustees of its foundation after last week's invasion of Ukraine, has denied having financial links with the Kremlin.

Mr Starmer also called on Mr Johnson to join the EU in sanctioning former Russian deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov, who owns two flats in Westminster worth more than £11 million.

"We only know which oligarch lurks beneath that shell company because of the information obtained and disclosed by Alexei Navalny. Navalny, of course, was poisoned by the Russian state and he now sits in a Putin jail," he said.

“I’m ashamed that we only know about Shuvalov’s Westminster flats because a dissident risked his life. Is the prime minister?”

‘Ill-gotten loot’

Mr Johnson said he could not comment on individuals but insisted that Britain was doing everything possible to expose “ill-gotten Russian loot”. And he said that British law firms working for Russian oligarchs could face penalties if they help their clients to evade sanctions.

“The legal profession, everybody involved in assisting in those who wish to hide money in London and assisting corrupt oligarchs, have been set on notice that their actions are under scrutiny,” he said.

“If they break the law, if they undermine the interests of this country and advance the interests of Putin’s war machine, they will pay a price.”

He was speaking during prime minister's questions, which began with MPs giving a standing ovation to the Ukrainian ambassador, who was in the visitors' gallery. The prime minister, who has spoken with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy every day since the invasion began a week ago, later welcomed a United Nations General Assembly resolution condemning the Russian action.

"Rarely has the contrast between right and wrong been so stark; 141 countries voted to condemn Putin's war. Along with my almost daily conversations with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, I have engaged world leaders in our joint mission to denounce Russia's actions and make clear – for the sake of innocent civilians – Russia should withdraw from Ukraine, and Putin must fail. We are – and will continue to be – unified in our resounding admiration for the courage and bravery of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the Ukrainian people," he said.