Minister says ‘Brexit’ is leading opposition to Russia as EU countries slow down

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One of Boris Johnson’s ministers has claimed that the campaign against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is being led by “Brexit” while EU countries are “slowing down”.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Simon Clarke singled out criticism for Germany, as the UK government prepares to impose new sanctions on Moscow in the event of an invasion.

“Brexit is one of the most prominent opponents of the actions of [Vladimir] Putin’s regime,” he said. “If you look at the European Union, it is countries like Germany that are slow to respond to this crisis.”

Clarke told Sky News: “We are the ones who tighten this sanctions regime, making sure that we support our NATO allies and stand up to Putin in a way that is frankly leading the continent rather than following it.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer also dismissed the notion that the UK was being put at risk by the suspected flow of Russian dirty money into London, claiming that British policy was “essentially clean”.

Asked by host Kay Burley about donations to the Conservative Party from Lubov Chernokhin – a former banker with Russian and British citizenship – and other Russian donors, Clark said: “No one has taken money from the Russians.”

The minister added: “Let’s be very clear about this. One needs to be a UK citizen to make a donation. Any such donations are announced and properly screened.”

“There is nothing wrong with anyone in business having a connection to any country, as long as it is a legally earned wealth,” said Mr. Clark, adding: “How they choose to spend it at that point is up to them.”

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said: “I think it is important that we not screw things up on this issue. Doing so is undermining a broader belief in politics. I think British politics is basically clean.”

Mr Clark said he did not believe Johnson had lied about 10th-ranked parties during the pandemic and described the prime minister as a “good man” ahead of the imminent release of a revised version of the Sue Gray report.

He also told LBC that Brexit “has allowed us to get rid of a load of red tape – it’s been a huge success indeed”, as the government prepares to release a pamphlet to celebrate “the benefits of Brexit”.

It comes as the Foreign Office is expected to lay out plans to tighten Britain’s sanctions regime on Monday in a bid to target Russia’s financial interests.

Mr Clark said that if Russia took “additional measures” against Ukraine, sanctions would be tightened, targeting companies and individuals “with close ties to the Kremlin”.

However, officials in Washington are said to fear that the dirty money suspected of flowing into London will undermine efforts to punish Russia in the coming weeks.

US State Department officials have expressed “dismay and frustration” over the British government’s failure to tackle the flow of Russian money into the city, according to The Times.

A report from the Center for American Progress, a think-tank close to the Joe Biden administration, warned that the US would have to take the lead in confronting “Russian corrupt people” – because the UK had become “a major hub for Russian oligarchs and their rulers’ wealth”.

Conservative counterpart Lord Agnew – who largely resigned as efficiency czar in Whitehall earlier this week – has claimed the government has turned down the opportunity to introduce anti-fraud legislation next Parliamentary year, attacking the decision as an “idiot”.

Conservative MP John Penrose, Johnson’s anti-corruption chief, has warned the government against delaying an economic crimes bill that would expose corrupt use of front companies to buy British property.

Penrose said the “well of excuses” had “dry up” after years of promising legislation on tackling the problem – warning that it would be “as famous as a cup of cold” if the proposed bill was abandoned or floated in tall grass.

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