Oral Answers to Questions

Gavin Newlands Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd March 2022 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Angela Crawley for her second question. No, she does not want it, so let’s try somebody else. I call Gavin Newlands.

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

4. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on seizing the assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

[Chris Stephens (Glasgow South West) (SNP)]

12. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on seizing the assets of sanctioned Russian oligarchs.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (James Cartlidge)]

I am pleased to report that the Ministry of Justice is working closely with colleagues across Government to look at how we can go further to crack down on illicit money in British property, including considering temporary asset seizures beyond the freezing regime that we already have in place. I am not yet in a position to present the details of this to the House. It is a complex issue involving important policy and legal considerations. What I can say is that unlike the Putin regime, the Government will always preserve the rule of law and act against kleptocratic wealth.

[Gavin Newlands]

When concerns about Russian interference in UK politics were raised by the Intelligence and Security Committee a couple of years ago, the Prime Minister laughed them off, saying that they were driven by “Islington remainers” unable to accept Brexit. What confidence should we have that the Government are taking the threat seriously, particularly given the slow approach to sanctioning oligarchs that saw Putin’s cronies handed two weeks to rush their wealth out of the UK before the rules came into force?

[James Cartlidge]

Everybody can be incredibly confident that the UK has acted swiftly to execute the biggest package of sanctions ever imposed against a G20 nation. Let us be clear that the UK has designated more than 1,000 individuals, entities and subsidiaries under the Russia sanctions regime since the invasion, including President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov. More than 3 million Russian companies are barred from raising money on UK capital markets. We will also target more than 500 members of the Duma and Federation Council. That makes up the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions Russia has ever seen.