Permission was sought from the editor to go the club and speak to her. If you can afford to contribute a small donation to the site it will help us to continue our work in the best interests of the public. Now, Carrie focusses her work efforts on. The group had several notable Parliamentarians on its board, including former Defence and Foreign Secretary Sir Malcolm Rifkind as its Honorary President, and John Whittingdale MP, Andrew Rosindell MP, Nigel Evans MP, and Robert Buckland MP among its Honorary Vice Presidents. But, for the moment, all we are hearing from the Culture Minister is a stone-dead silence. All Rights Reserved. Rebecca Fulton/Getty Images. He spent 40,000 on a portrait of Margaret Thatcher. The same day Amol Rajan was speaking at a Society of Editors conference. 2. Under its original name, the Conservative Friends of Russia, the group facilitated a ten-day, all-expenses-paid junket to Russia in 2012, paid for by the Russian tourist government agency, Rossotrudnichestvo. "[59], In June 2022, an article by Simon Walters appeared in The Times alleging that Boris Johnson recommended Carrie, who was then his mistress, as a candidate for a 100,000 per annum job as Chief-of-Staff in the Foreign Office while Johnson was Foreign Secretary. The minister responsible for answering appears to have a penchant for women from ex-Soviet states and is a recipient of money from a source with the same address as a pro-Kremlin oligarch. He says he wasnt thrown out of The Savoy but accepts a waiter did approach when she was kissing him after a customer complained., Whittingdale was the butt of Whitehall jokes. Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection, Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary, refurbishment of the 11 Downing Street flat, "Under new management: is Carrie Symonds the real power at No 10? Bird, Steve; Sheridan, Danielle; Horton, Helena (3 May 2020). She went to the University of Warwick to study Art History and Theatre Studies, graduating as BA (Hons) in 2009. It also supplied the Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) with a full report showing financial statements and minutes of meetings to demonstrate that there was no impropriety. We also asked whether he accepted that, in the light of the ISCs Russia Report, he was foolish to accept so much money from an entity controlled by a pro-Kremlin oligarch. [2][8], Symonds originally planned to become an actor, and unsuccessfully auditioned for the 2007 film Atonement. Alexander Lebedev bought the loss-making Evening Standard newspaper in 2009, installing his son Evgeny as proprietor. According to CNN, the evidence of Bill Browder, the campaigner behind the anti-corruption Magnitsky Acts, suggests that Russias President, Vladimir Putin, has deployed Russians to infiltrate UK society and to conceal the underlying Russian controllers and their agendas. ", "Tory pro-Russia lobbying group disbands", "Conservative Friends of Russia group disbands with immediate effect", "Who is Carrie Symonds? Matthew Elliott was a founding member. Whittingdale was for a time a director of the BUS, as was DFs former CEO, Robert Shetler-Jones. Staines and his business partner, Jag Singh, who was active in Moscow during the 2011 election campaign, later worked for the Russian Embassy on political campaigning. She subsequently worked in marketing. She paid 135,000 in April 2019 for a dinner at the luxury Goring hotel with Theresa May, also then the PM, and several female cabinet members. The WRF is one of a number of so-called Conservative friends of groups that have tried to draw in high-profile MPs. The relationship between BP and AAR often proved acrimonious and TNK-BP boss Bob Dudley was at one stage forced to flee the country fearing for his safety. ", The group was launched in August 2012[2] at the Russian Embassy in London. He was subsequently photographed in the company of the then Foreign Secretary at a fundraising event in Reading. Brian Latham reports on the intelligence leak that reveals the extent of Putin's plan to create a 'confederation' of friendly states across the Sahel through his proxy Prigozhin, Sam Bright reveals how the Russian Ambassador to the UK claimed the owner of the Independent and Evening Standard had much contributed to strengthening Russian-British relations, Mark Temnycky looks at the turbulence in Tbilisi, Georgians desire to join the EU, and the authoritarian drift of the ruling Dream Party, Sunak's warm welcome of the far right Italian Prime Minister exposes the increasingly authoritarian direction of his own Government, reports Adam Bienkov, Natalia Kogut and Maren Rohe explore the challenges Ukrainian refugees face accessing healthcare, housing and work under the Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme, We need a diverse media landscape that recognises the added responsibility of operating in a post-conflict society, writes Emma DeSouza, Byline Media Holdings Ltd, Byline Times &, Russia Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Tommy Robinson, Wagner in Africa: Russias Other Empire in the Making Bloodier than Ukraine, Georgian Government Drops Foreign Agents Bill, but the Fight Against Kremlin Influence Continues, Rishi Sunaks New Far-Right Ally and the International Authoritarian Elite, Stereotyped and Belittled: Ukrainians Suffer from UK Asylum Policy, Shifting Political Landscape on Island of Ireland Requires More Cross-Border Journalism. Despite describing itself as a think tank, no published research exists, and they are likely more akin to a lobbying group. But the joke was at the publics expense. Find out more about us. Sign up to our newsletter (and get a free edition posted to you). Cash has also gone to Theresa Villiers, who sits on the ISC. While direct contacts between Conservatives and Russian officials appear to have chilled when Nalobin was effectively expelled in 2015, intermediaries still made approaches. He defended the donations in media interviews on Thursday. Ultimately he sold his shares for 550m in 2018 to the US sports tycoon Stan Kroenke. The connections between Putins anti-EU agenda and Brexit politicians go much deeper. Other donations have flowed to Brandon Lewis, the former Tory party chairman. Tymofienko set up an interview with a Ukrainian television station for her boss. That same month, Tymofienko was photographed with another ex-Soviet oligarch, Alexander Temerko, and Conservative minister Philip Hammond at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham. Boris Johnson has maintained a close relationship with the proprietor of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev himself the son of a former KGB spy. Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. Not another story about Whittingdale! I laugh about it all day.. This group was launched in the Russian Embassy's gardens in August 2012 by Yakovenko and Nalobin, and attended by senior Conservatives such as the then chair of the DCMS Committee, and soon-to-be Culture Minister, John Whittingdale, who was the group's honorary vice president. Under its original name, the Conservative Friends of Russia, the group facilitated a ten-day, all-expenses-paid junket to Russia in 2012, paid for by the Russian tourist government. What followed was at least four meetings with Banks and the ambassador, which opened the door to at least three potentially lucrative investment opportunities in Russian-owned gold and state diamond mines. Ask George Osborne, Craig Oliver or Carrie Symonds. Born in the Soviet Union, Chernukhin is the biggest female donor in British political history and one of the Tories most important cash supporters. A few months later, Britain voted for Brexit, Cameron fell on his sword, Theresa May came in and axed Whittingdale in her first shuffle. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, wave from the steps of 10 Downing Street in London. Last October, Twitter closed down3,613 new Internet Research Agency accounts. usinesspeople born in the Soviet Union play a significant role in British business and politics. It is high time that these groups were brought out of the shadows and properly regulated, Debate in the WRF seems to be heavily one-sided. Fund a better media. The group described itself as "an organisation created for those with an interest in Russian politics, business, history and culture, with the aim of strengthening relations between the British and Russian communities and informing political decision making within both countries. It is vital that free media is allowed to exist to expose hypocrisy, corruption, wrongdoing and abuse of power. Edward Lucas, a foreign policy expert on Russia, told openDemocracy: This is about as badly timed as possible, to be relaunching their events just as the invasion of Ukraine starts.. One Conservative Party guest on the Russia trip told openDemocracy that the forums current setup had no meaningful connection to CFR but despite its rebrand to WFR, the group today still refers to itself as having been founded in 2012. openDemocracy has also obtained emails showing that in 2013, during the Tory coalition with the Liberal Democrats, Russian diplomat Sergey Nalobin attempted to organise a similar trip to Russia for senior Lib Dems. [31], Symonds was the youngest of Worboys's victims, and waived her anonymity to talk about her experiences and, later, to campaign against his early release, fundraising for a successful judicial review of the decision. He wrote: He snaps, my current girlfriend isnt Russian, shes Lithuanian.. He learned espionage at the Red Banner Institute and joined the KGBs prestigious first directorate, specialising in foreign intelligence work. John Whittingdale MP and Carrie Symonds, then a young Tory party worker and now Johnsons fiancee, were among the guests. The Russia Report by Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) stated: The UK is clearly a target for Russias disinformation campaigns and political influence operations and must therefore equip itself to counter such efforts., Britains intelligence agencies told the committee: They informed us that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) holds primary responsibility for disinformation campaigns.. Shortly afterwards, Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who had served as a minister under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and was then chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee, resigned from the group, saying he had been unhappy for some time about the group's behaviour and "political direction". After Austrian police arrested Firtash on behalf of the FBI in March 2014 for his part in the alleged $18.5 million bribe scandal using Group DF to conceal bribe payments using threats and intimidation to further the goals of the criminal enterprise a multi-million-dollar titanium deal Whittingdale carried on as before, making one final trip to Kyiv and two visits to Vienna where Firtash is now based courtesy of the BUS. 08/08/2022. [35][36], On 29 February 2020, Symonds and Boris Johnson announced that they had become engaged in late 2019 and were expecting their first child together in early summer. According to the Observer, he was keen to get involved in fundraising for the Conservative Party and wanted to know of the rivalry between David Cameron and Boris Johnson. Sergei Roldugin appeared in the Panama Papers. Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski dubbed a Putin apologist by other MPs addressed the group in 2016, complaining There is very little debate in the House of Commons about Russia.. Caroline Louise Beavan Johnson[3][4][5] (ne Symonds; born 17 March 1988) is a British media consultant and the wife of former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point. Good reporters dont pry into other peoples bedrooms and Whittingdale has as much right to privacy as anyone. [2], In 2009, Symonds joined the Conservative Party as a press officer. According to Reuters, Temerko describes himself as a friend who would plot late into the night over a bottle of wine when Johnson became Foreign Secretary. The payment was made by Henley Concierge, a firm registered to a cottage on Borodins 120m country estate near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Whittingdales responsibilities at the DCMS include oversight of foreign television networks, including the Kremlins poodle network RT. Byline Times is funded by its subscribers. Businesspeople born in the Soviet Union play a significant role in British business and politics. Shestakov is an old friend of Putins and with him co-authored several books, including Learn Judo With Vladimir Putin and Judo: History, Theory, Practice. Carrie Symonds has dismissed reports that she and Boris Johnson are getting rid of their pet dog Dilyn. As speculation continues to abound over just how Boris Johnson funded the revamp at No 11, Tatler revisits our April cover story on Carrie Symonds - in which Anne McElvoy first revealed the details of the circumstances surrounding the makeover. As he recounts in his memoir, Hunt the Banker, the KGB approached Lebedev in his final year at university in Moscow. Oliver wrote: The following weekend The Mail on Sunday has new allegations about him and a woman called Stephanie Hudson, a former soft porn actress. He is now the media editor at the BBC. Its 2012 launch party took place in the Russian ambassadors Kensington garden. How party donations, sports teams and lavish London residences have granted access to highest echelons of public life. The Conservatives have received more than 3m from wealthy Soviet-born donors all of whom can legally give money to the party as British citizens. The groups act as a conduit between the party and certain countries or regions. Nalobin, the son of a high-ranking spy for Russias Federal Security Service, was subsequently removed from the UK by the Home Office in 2015 in a spying row. As Adam Schiff, chair of the House Intelligence Committee in the US, has said: From what weve seen, the parallels between the Russian intervention in Brexit and the Russian intervention in the Trump campaign appear to be extraordinary., Here is a summary of findings of Russian influence in Britain so far which Boris Johnson doesnt want you to see. The company is seeking to build a controversial 1.2 billion electricity cable connecting Normandy with Lovedean in Hampshire as anxieties about the resilience of the British national grid continue. She's only 31, and plugged into a rising generation of hyper-ambitious millennials. Boris Johnson's partner could make history by moving into 10 Downing Street", "Boris Johnson's partner 'left 80k Tory HQ job over unauthorised expense claims', "The Londoner: Tory staffers rally behind Carrie Symonds", "PM's row with Lynton Crosby over briefings against girlfriend Carrie Symonds", "John Worboys: Victim Carrie Symonds' story", "Carrie Symonds: It's such a relief to know John Worboys will stay in prison", "What drives First Fiance Carrie Symonds, asks Freddy Gray", "Carrie Symonds, girlfriend of British PM Boris Johnson, has been denied a visa to the US", "Carrie Symonds to carry out first solo event since Boris Johnson became PM at 'birdwatchers' Glastonbury', "Carrie Symonds warns politicians of 'gigantic' climate crisis responsibility", "Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds name baby boy Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson after doctors who saved PM's life", "Italian airport quashes claims of secret Boris Johnson trip", "Everything we know about Carrie Symonds' wedding look", "Carrie Symonds wears a boho-organza tiered white gown and flower crown for a wedding with Boris Johnson", "Carrie Johnson and Boris Johnson expecting second child", "Boris and Carrie Johnson announce birth of a girl", "Romy Iris Charlotte: Boris Johnson and Carrie name their baby daughter", "Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak reject calls to resign over lockdown fines", "Court to probe Carrie Symonds' influence on PM after cancellation of badger cull", "Lee Cain: Johnson's senior aide resigns amid infighting at No 10", "Carrie Symonds' influence at No 10 extends much further than the decor", "How could Boris and Carrie's Downing St refurbishment cost 200,000? Russian authorities have accused him of a massive fraud. The Independent was a tenant of Associated Newspapers and the Mail group, Cusick suggested, liked Whittingdales policy of not implementing the full Leveson reforms on Fleet Street. With MPs less likely to speak at the group in recent years, the WRF has turned its focus to working on public opinion. This report found that Russia had directly tried to intervene in the 2016 EU Referendum. The BUS is headed by ex-MP Richard Spring, now Lord Risby; on the advisory board is Lord Oxford who as Raymond Asquith, MI6 officer, got Soviet defector Oleg Gordievsky out of Russia in a car boot. Matthew Elliott, destined to become the chief executive of the official Vote Leave campaign, was a founding member of Conservative Friends of Russia and visited the Moscow Duma as part of a delegation. [31], Symonds was one of fourteen women who testified against Worboys at his trial. The controversial trip attracted significant adverse coverage and, after a further string of scandals, a number of Tory MPs who had been patrons all resigned, including Robert Buckland, Nigel Evans and former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind. Its chair, Nicholas Cobb, runs an energy communications firm focused on Russia and former Soviet republics, who has appeared on Russia Today as a pro-Moscow pundit. They include Simone Finn, the deputy chief of staff, who hosted Symonds' 30th birthday party which was attended by the Cabinet Office minister, Michael Gove, and Johnson. Given the weight of evidence, these are reasonable inquiries. Boris Johnson's girlfriend and Tory PR guru, set to join new prime minister in 10 Downing Street", "Carrie Symonds: Who is Boris Johnson's fiancee? She left the role shortly before it was publicly revealed she was dating Boris Johnson. Jacks sister Mary is married to the Prime Ministers chief advisor, Dominic Cummings. The former banker turns down interview requests and has not publicly explained why she has given the Conservative party more than 1.7m. Reactions to Johnson-Symonds wedding announcement, Brits Spend Billions On University Degrees They Never Use, UK joins US in withdrawing staff and families from Ukraine embassy, Two women who lost family to stabbings unveil latest knife-drive haul, EuroMillions Results for Friday 26 August 2022 Tonights winning numbers. Back in April 2016, Whittingdales adventurous private life was the subject of a joke by then Chancellor George Osborne in a speech to the parliamentary lobby. And 31% of Republicans prefer close relations with Russia compared with 21% among Democrats. A former security official told the Byline Times he could absolutely confirm that members of the intelligence services are aware and concerned. She was a similar age and lived close to me. Find out more about us. His communications firm, New Century Media, founded a Positive Russia foundation to improve Moscows image in the UK. Read More Nalobin, who now lives in a Moscow apartment block known as the FSB block, is the son of Nikolai Nalobin, a former KGB general. ", "John Lewis: rich woman's nightmare, poor woman's dream", "How Cummings and Carrie Symonds vie for Johnson's attention", "Sorting through the shrapnel: what Dominic Cummings' grenade-ridden riposte means", "Carrie Symonds defended over 'sexist fabrication' that she tried to get minister fired", "Carrie Symonds 'tried to install friends in key roles', Dominic Cummings claims", "Samantha Cameron defends Carrie Symonds over 'Lady Macbeth' attacks", "Carrie Symonds is a serious political player so it's not sexist to ask 'What's her game? Please check individual images for licensing details. The WRF, which loudly echoes official lines from Moscow, has links with numerous Conservative MPs and other senior UK political figures. RT @WriterJackWhite: In 2012 Johnson's "great friend" later expelled FSB spy Sergei Nalobin who attended the launch party of Conservative Friends of Russia with Harry Cole, & Vote Leave's Jag Singh, Carrie Symonds, John Whittingdale (& possibly Dominic Cummings & Matthew Elliott) arranged a 10 visit The Israeli-Russian billionaire has limited UK business interests outside football, but his extensive property portfolio includes a 15-bedroom mansion in Londons prestigious Kensington Palace Gardens, bought for 90m in 2011. Dont miss a story! It is high time that these groups were brought out of the shadows, properly regulated, and that the public are able to have far greater insight into how they operate and who is behind them.. But the woman known to . His Leave.EU campaign also regularly recycled Russian racist propaganda. One of Burnsides employees is Alex Nekrassov, whose late father Alexander was a Kremlin adviser and hardline Putin apologist. E.g. Guests included Conservative activists such as future Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott. The following year, Burnside invited Vasily Shestakov, an influential MP in Russias Duma, to the same Tory fundraising dinner. Nicholas Cobb, chairman of the (now) Westminster Russia Forum, wrote to. Sign up to our newsletter (and get a free edition posted to you). Peter Jukes reports on more revelations about the transatlantic right-wing network, and why the Government is withholding key information on the former Prime Ministers role, The former Prime Minister feared his discussions with the US President about privatising the NHS would cause "mischief" if they became public, according to a new book, The Home Secretary is a keynote speaker at the conference, which has previously hosted Hungarian autocrat Viktor Orban, reports Karam Bales, Natalia Kogut and Maren Rohe explore the challenges Ukrainian refugees face accessing healthcare, housing and work under the Government's Homes for Ukraine scheme, Anthony Yates looks at Rishi Sunak's promises over inflation which might help him cynically suppress public pay demands but do nothing to address the roots of our economic malaise, Exclusive analysis by Byline Times uncovers the staggering amounts being paid by forces for public and employer liability claims, Byline Media Holdings Ltd, Byline Times &, indicted for election interference in the US, 3,613 new Internet Research Agency accounts. Related: Elevenses: Maybe its because were little Englanders. Whatever youre interested in, theres a free openDemocracy newsletter for you. [9], The group's Board lost all of its Conservative MPs amid allegations of being too close to the Russian authorities and it was rebranded as the Westminster Russia Forum, a non-partisan group, which claims to promote an open platform to debate various issues such as international diplomacy, energy security and internal political systems. He has made a fortune of close to 1bn by founding dating apps, including the female-focused Bumble and Badoo. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson married fiance Carrie Symonds in a scaled down ceremony in Westminster Chapel Saturday that was kept secret in advance. [41] Their daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, was born on 9 December 2021 in London. Some of what follows is an investigation into Whittingdale I carried out for the BBC in 2016 and 2017, which was never broadcast. A new type of newspaper independent, fearless, outside the system. Firtash and his entities deny any wrongdoing. We also introduce new voices of colour in Our Lives Matter. Lubov Chernukhin (fourth from right, next to Theresa May) paid 135,000 to attend a dinner last year with senior female Conservatives at the Goring hotel in central London. But that pales in comparison to the estimated price tag on Witanhurst, often referred to as Britains most expensive home. A brief analysis of the data revealed that these accountstweeted about Brexit 1,525 times. Chernukhins husband served as a Russian minister in 2000, during Putins first presidential term. Nicholas Cobb, chairman of the (now) Westminster Russia Forum, wrote to supporters saying that it is with a great regret and sadness that the group is to be shut down. New to Byline Times? Our leading investigations include: empire & the culture war,Brexit, crony contracts,Russian interference,the Coronavirus pandemic,democracy in danger, andthe crisis in British journalism. The Bow Group said No 10 needed to. Raffle prizes included a biography of Putin and bottles of vodka. With senior staff from Vote Leave a campaign which benefited from the online operations of the Russian state during the Brexit referendum now running the Conservative Partys General Election campaign, the financial contributions of its wealthy oligarchs, and with many senior figures apparently personally compromised by past associations, the question remains: what else is in the ISC report that is more damaging than what we already know? Since 2018 Aquind has donated 242,000 to the Conservatives, including the 8,000 to John Whittingdales election fund. Osborne listed the various economic models that could form the basis for Brexit the Canadian model, the Norwegian model, the Albanian model before adding that was enough about Mr Whittingdales relationships. Some have given money to political parties. ", "Carrie Johnson: Who is the prime minister's wife? Other Ukrainians are critical of Whittingdale for evidently being closely connected to Firtash, given the latters chumminess with the Kremlin. We scrambled so hard to get our BBC Newsnight story on that night, running the extraordinary statement drafted by Carrie Symonds, that I mispronounced dominatrix much to the amusement of then-editor Ian Katz. Subsequent attendees include alt-right commentator Milos Yiannopolous and the then MP Douglas Carswell. You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER . The forums organisers are overwhelmingly London-based, with business interests in Russia. Elements of the suppressed report have now leaked out. And we asked whether, given the 8,000 election money from Aquind came from an entity whose controlling party is unknown, he should repay that too. Nigel Farages former party UKIP has been a strong supporter of Russia for over a decade. Receive our monthly print edition and help to support fearless, independent journalism. The following month, she was barred from entering the United States as her visa application was rejected due to a previous visit with her close friend Nimco Ali to Somaliland, which the US considers to be part of immigration-restricted Somalia. We support the people of Ukraine and continue to stand with the people of Russia this war is not in their name and we will continue to support them in their time of need.. In 2013, Borodin attended the Conservatives summer ball with his wife Tatiana Korsakova, a model, four months after receiving political asylum. The dam broke first with a piece by Nick Mutch on Byline.com, setting out Whittingdales non-registration of a trip with King to the MTV Awards in Amsterdam. Whittingdales name was mud. He later left Moscow and became a British citizen in 2011. In just over a week, the group says it will hold a Multilateral Relations Conference aimed at strengthening links between Russia and the UK. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government.
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