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. She subsequently worked in marketing. His MEPs have consistently voted down sanctions packages for Russia over its invasion of eastern Ukraine. 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. 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. The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work. To complete the set, Firtashs charity front, the Firtash Foundation, had Jack Wakefield as a director for a time. They include Alexander Temerko, a former. [27][23] It was reported that she was asked to leave her post as director of communications, with Conservative Party sources in the Daily Mail newspaper claiming that the firing was due to poor performance and allegations of significant unjustified expenses claims. 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. Although the WRF calls itself a think tank, there is no record of any research ever published by the group. We do not charge or put articles behind a paywall. His then teenage son was educated at a leading British private school. Despite describing itself as a think tank, no published research exists, and they are likely more akin to a lobbying group. Back in 2012, the Foreign Policy journal noted that the websites news feedcontinued to feature only state-owned or state-subsidised outlets. A few months later, Britain voted for Brexit, Cameron fell on his sword, Theresa May came in and axed Whittingdale in her first shuffle. Boris Johnson has maintained a close relationship with the proprietor of the Independent, Evgeny Lebedev himself the son of a former KGB spy. 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. 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. [38], Symonds married Boris Johnson on 29 May 2021 in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral attended by thirty guests. Boris Johnson pictured with Alexander Temerko, who has given more than 1.3m to the Conservative party. In December 2012 it claimed victory in its campaign (as the newly formed Westminster Russia Forum [6] as the Prime Minister David Cameron announced that a new medal would be created. 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. Guests included the then Tory staffer Carrie Symonds (now the Prime Minister's wife) and senior Conservative politicians such as John Whittingdale. The former banker turns down interview requests and has not publicly explained why she has given the Conservative party more than 1.7m. Udod was invited to a drinks party hosted by Banks on the night of the shock EU Referendum result in June 2016. [61] This story was removed from the paper after No. When I go through it with him, he begins to bluster, saying she was a Page 3 model not a soft porn actress. All have homes in London, with several visiting regularly from Moscow. [32][2], Symonds was previously in a relationship with The Sun journalist Harry Cole. Whittingdale was honorary vice-president of Conservative Friends of Russia until it was disbanded. Moreover, the report revealed how the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-backed St Petersburg-based troll farmindicted for election interference in the US, was simultaneously intervening in British politics, with a marked emphasis on stirring up Islamophobia and racial hatred. But we can't do it without you. UPDATE: Following the publication of this story, the Westminster Russia Forum put out an overnight statementdisassociating itself from the invasion of Ukraine and saying it had "suspended all planned events until further notice". Though Conservative Friends of Russia was subsequently disbanded, Nalobin seems to have established some key Conservative contacts before he left the country under a shadow. [19][20], Symonds was the result of an affair between her parents, who were both married to other people at the time. The first event was co-hosted with blogger Paul Staines. Some have given money to political parties. 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. From 2011 onward, Nalobin met various British social media influencers at a regular Digital Barbecue. Former German chancellor Gerhard Schrder has maintained that his ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin are a valuable channel of communication. Had Russia paid for a social media campaign of this scale, the committee estimated, it would have cost between 1.4 and 4.14 million. Borodin denies this and says hes the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt. [2][8], In July 2019, Johnson became prime minister and both he and Symonds officially moved into the flat above 11 Downing Street. The Lib Dem leader of Portsmouth City Council, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, has denounced the exemption as appalling, saying that the companys links with Russia meant special care had to be taken. 10 job and her friends take key jobs Byline Times put a series of questions to John Whittingdale, including questions on his apparent links with Firtash, whether he should repay the 14,435, who paid for Ms Tymofienkos services and/or expenses, and whether his private life has made him vulnerable to kompromat. [24][25], Symonds became the Conservative Party's head of communications in 2018,[26] but left the position later that year,[17] taking up a job in public relations for the Oceana project. [2] She has also worked as a media special adviser for Conservative Cabinet ministers Sajid Javid (Communities, Local Government and Housing Secretary) and John Whittingdale (Culture, Media and Sport Secretary). 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 campaign included a letter signed by 32 Members of Parliament which was submitted to the Honours and Decorations (HD) Committee on Remembrance Day, requesting that the veterans be rewarded with a medal in recognition of the part they played in the vital Arctic Convoy missions throughout the Second World War.[12][13]. Symonds and Whittingdale were fixtures at beanos thrown by the Conservative Friends of Russia, a group set up with the help of Sergey Nalobin, widely suspected of being an FSB spy. It is unclear whether the trip went ahead. It was active in the campaign calling on the UK Foreign Office to allow British Arctic Veterans of World War Two to receive the Russian Ushakov Medal. 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.. 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.. [13] Symonds married Johnson in 2021. [41] Their daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, was born on 9 December 2021 in London. introduced several prominent Kremlin figures to senior Conservatives. Prior to . She subsequently told The Telegraph that he was "a sad, wicked man who is a danger to society. ", "Carrie Johnson: Who is the prime minister's wife? The campaigns director, Dominic Cummings, spent three years in Russia from 1994 to 1997. Alexander Lebedev (left) and his son Evgeny (right), with the former chancellor George Osborne in September last year, when Osborne was editor of the Evening Standard. You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER . 'The person in the room is king': Faction close to Carrie Symonds makes View our Privacy PolicyandTerms & Conditions, TheLondonEconomic.com Open, accessible and accountable news, sport, culture and lifestyle. The DCMS Committee also found evidence that Russia had access to a Cambridge Analytica database which been compiled through the hacking of 50 to 170 million Facebook users and deployed this during both the EU Referendum and the 2016 Presidential Election campaign to target UK and US voters. Carrie Johnson: Who is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife? What is disturbing is just how often he has been the recipient of the generosity of a Soviet-born oligarch, Dmytro Firtash, currently being sought by the FBI for corruption charges. Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help. Receive our monthly print edition and help to support fearless, independent journalism. He would not be drawn on whether the Kremlin had interfered in the EU referendum vote in support of Leave, but said that he opposed Brexit. This article was corrected to on 18 November 2019 when Jennifer Arcuri denied she attended the Russian Embassy Digital Barbecues. Ultimately he sold his shares for 550m in 2018 to the US sports tycoon Stan Kroenke. For Ms. Symonds, a former Conservative Party communications chief who now works for an animal-rights group, it is the latest trial in a year overstuffed with dramatics: the near-fatal illness of . The WRF has hosted events with Tory MPs such as Daniel Kawczynski, Caroline Nokes, John Redwood and John Whittingdale, as well as Labours former foreign secretary Jack Straw. [31], Symonds was one of fourteen women who testified against Worboys at his trial. However, an investment company run by a close colleague did take part in the privatisation of Alrosa diamond mines. Cummings is now Boris Johnsons senior advisor. The Times has reported that a fourth, controlling figure in Aquind has been granted rare anonymity by Companies House, despite anti-corruption rules promoting greater transparency in 2016. The Scottish National party has called on Pritchard to resign from the committee or give the money back. [53] Cummings later said in 2021 that Symonds acted "illegally" in awarding influential jobs to her friends, including press secretary Allegra Stratton. Barker and Deripaska are not the only peer and oligarch double-act on the UK business scene. A gangster with a conviction for firearms was also reportedly going out with King at the same time as Whittingdale and was trying to sell tapes of King talking about what she did with the then Culture Secretary. 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. Call for inquiry into Carrie Symonds' influence in No 10 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. To return to Keir Starmers question, should Britain ban RT? They have been engaged since late. It has existed in some form for a decade, yet is not required to register as a lobbyist, sparking fears that pro-Putin interests could be influencing opinion unchecked. She's only 31, and plugged into a rising generation of hyper-ambitious millennials. 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. [5] On Remembrance Day 2012 it organised a letter signed by thirty two Members of Parliament demanding the veterans be allowed the medal. How party donations, sports teams and lavish London residences have granted access to highest echelons of public life. SW1's real power players: the secret lives of spads - Evening Standard Symonds, a former Conservative head of communications, played a significant role in tearing down Johnson's old Number 10 and in advising the prime minister on how to put together a new one. Mamut replaced her with a pro-Kremlin journalist. Pritchard sits on parliaments intelligence and security committee (ISC), which on Tuesday published its long-awaited Russia report. Like many others,. While Yakovenko and Udod made overtures to UKIP and Nigel Farage, another expelled Russian diplomat, Sergei Nalobin, first secretary in the Russian Embassys political section, was reaching out to rebuild ties with the Conservative Party. 2. Whittingdale was for a time a director of the BUS, as was DFs former CEO, Robert Shetler-Jones. He spent 40,000 on a portrait of Margaret Thatcher. By Anne McElvoy. We also introduce new voices of colour in Our Lives Matter. As a Ukrainian living in the UK, I am a patriot and wished to assist my home country in a time of crisis. Boris Johnson Marries Fiance Carrie Symonds In Private Wedding "[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 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. 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. Boris Johnson, Carrie Symonds are engaged and will have a baby - The Its chair Nicholas Cobb subsequently provided openDemocracy with a comment, stressing that the group was member-funded and volunteer-run. Socialmissfit on Twitter: "RT @WriterJackWhite: In 2012 Johnson's [2][8], Symonds originally planned to become an actor, and unsuccessfully auditioned for the 2007 film Atonement. Whittingdale enjoyed 14,435 of free trips to Ukraine and Vienna paid for by the British Ukraine Society (BUS) which shared the same Knightsbridge address as the Firtash Foundation and the main Firtash entity, Group DF. In 2012, Burnside took a Russian embassy diplomat, Sergei Nalobin, to a Conservative party fundraising dinner. I was not remunerated. Ah, Carrie "Conservative Friends of Russia" Symonds, later Johnson . Cusick continued: To complete a required legal element of the story before publication, it was important Olivia King be given the opportunity to respond. Carrie Symonds trashes rumours she is getting rid of dog Dilyn - Yahoo! Alexander Lebedev bought the loss-making Evening Standard newspaper in 2009, installing his son Evgeny as proprietor. A few miles across north London lies Arsenal Football Club, in which the Uzbek-born Russian metals, mining and publishing billionaire Alisher Usmanov was a long-time shareholder even at one time considering a full takeover. [51] Cummings also said that the prime minister "cancel[led] an inquiry about a leak because it might implicate his girlfriend's friends";[52] Cummings accused Henry Newman, the senior adviser in Downing Street and ally of Carrie Symonds, of being a "chatty rat" who leaked plans for a second lockdown in October. [13] Their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born on 29 April 2020 in London. Nalobin, the son of a senior officer in the FSB, the successor to the KGB, founded the Conservative Friends of Russia, a parliamentary group. [48][49][50], During Dominic Cummings's tenure as chief adviser, Cummings and Carrie Symonds were said to represent two separate factions influencing the prime minister. Its last activity was a retweet of a report by Russian Foreign Ministry-owned broadcaster Russia Today on 20 February, stating that de-escalation of military tensions in Ukraine was underway. Her largesse seems directed at whoever is the Conservative leader. 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? Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Borodin said he did not discuss party policy at the event, nor make a donation. 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. Though he at first denied it, Farage met the Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko in May 2013. Roman Abramovich, pictured in the stands at Chelsea FCs Stamford Bridge ground, in 2017 - the last year Chelsea won the Premier League. [23] Symonds was present when Whittingdale and others launched Conservative Friends of Russia (later called the Westminster Russia Forum and disbanded in March 2022) and has attended several of its meetings. Read More no less than 17 times between 2010 and 2014. invited him to meet the Russian Ambassador too, gold consolidation deal was pursued for several months, reported to be have been the handler of Russian spies in the UK, Bannon, Brexit, Johnson and Cambridge Analytica: the Daughter of Time, Boris Johnson and Donald Trumps Private Talks on Privatising the NHS Reveal Denials were Untrue, Suella Braverman to Address Radical 'National Conservatism' Event With Ties to US Right, Stereotyped and Belittled: Ukrainians Suffer from UK Asylum Policy, Demonising Inflation and the True Cost of Living. He was subsequently photographed in the company of the then Foreign Secretary at a fundraising event in Reading. Is it possible that the minister has acted so recklessly that he could be embarrassed by the Russian secret state? Conservative lobbying row over 'Westminster Russia Forum' as Putin He is now the media editor at the BBC. Nigel Farages former party UKIP has been a strong supporter of Russia for over a decade. Given the weight of evidence, these are reasonable inquiries. Russian authorities have accused him of a massive fraud. 7 major Russian PHILOSOPHERS you should know - Russia Beyond ", "PM's partner Carrie Symonds makes first speech since No 10 move", "Everything you need to know about Boris Johnson's fiance Carrie Symonds, who just gave birth to a baby boy", "Boris Johnson becomes UK's new prime minister", "Why Carrie Symonds is the embodiment of the Boris Johnson brand", "Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds move into Downing Street", "The Women Who Stay With Problematic Men", "Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds engaged and expecting baby", "Boris Johnson marries Carrie Symonds in secret wedding", "Boris Johnson marries Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral", "Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds married in secret wedding ceremony at Westminster Cathedral", "Who is Carrie Symonds? A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. Nikolai Chernyshevsky (1828-1889) hernyshevsky distinguished himself as a publicist . ", He also stressed that the forum was now non-partisan despite its Conservative roots, and said: "We rarely meet anyone from Parliament, our civil service or other political institutions, and have for some years now focused on promoting trade and softer areas of cooperation none of which requires lobbying. The exemption has been granted because they would be at risk of serious violence or intimidation if their identity was published. Ask George Osborne, Craig Oliver or Carrie Symonds. Is Whittingdale vulnerable? Super-wealthy businessmen from former Soviet countries also control a dizzying array of UK assets spanning football clubs, oil and gas and multimillion-pound mansions. In 2014, she paid 160,000 at a Tory fundraiser to play tennis with Cameron and Johnson, then the PM and London mayor. To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here. He learned espionage at the Red Banner Institute and joined the KGBs prestigious first directorate, specialising in foreign intelligence work. The world found out about their conversation in December 2010 thanks to a Wikileaks cable, although Firtash has denied what the ambassador said he said. He co-authored an anti-EU book with an aide, Pavel Stroilov, who had allegedly fled Russia with smuggled secret Soviet documents. Whittingdale had been protected from scrutiny for a long time. While direct contacts between Conservatives and Russian officials appear to have chilled when Nalobin was effectively expelled in 2015, intermediaries still made approaches. [37] She used to be a practising Catholic and had her son baptised into the Catholic Church. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. Find out more about us. The Covid-19 public inquiry is a historic chance to find out what really happened. Ernest Reid, billed on the WRF website as its ambassador at large, has provided commentary for Russia Today and the WRF sympathetic to Russian foreign ministry objectives. 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. She told Byline Times: my involvement with the Ukraine APPG [All-Party Parliamentary Group] was entirely voluntary on an informal and part-time basis. Ah, Carrie "Conservative Friends of Russia" Symonds - Twitter Born in the Soviet Union, Chernukhin is the biggest female donor in British political history and one of the Tories most important cash supporters. 08/08/2022. [2] She was brought up by her mother in East Sheen, South West London, and between 1999 and 2006 attended Godolphin and Latymer School, a private day school for girls. Not another story about Whittingdale! I laugh about it all day.. PM accused of cover-up over report on Russian meddling in UK politics In 2013, Borodin attended the Conservatives summer ball with his wife Tatiana Korsakova, a model, four months after receiving political asylum. 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. Lets examine the record of John Whittingdale, the Minister for Media and Data within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), responsible for defending us against Russias propaganda machine. Another prominent figure is Andrei Borodin, the former president of the Bank of Moscow. Two years later, at the UKIP Conference in October 2015, a senior embassy official, Alexander Udod, approached Farages new funder, Arron Banks, and invited him to meet the Russian Ambassador too. [7], The group's neutrality and support was questioned by the media, despite the group stating no political links or bias to Russia and made it clear that its funding comes from membership and events, by publishing its financial accounts. He admitted to being behind early plots to remove Theresa May. The connections between Putins anti-EU agenda and Brexit politicians go much deeper. He also sponsors the Baillie Gifford literature prize and is the main benefactor of multiple London museums and art galleries.
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