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. [14][15][16], Caroline Louise Beavan Symonds was born on 17 March 1988 to Matthew Symonds, co-founder of The Independent, and Josephine McAfee (ne Lawrence), a lawyer working for that newspaper. [61] This story was removed from the paper after No. The CFR said this was entirely coincidental. The Bow Group said No 10 needed to . 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. Oliver continued: When Caroline Preston, No 10s head of broadcast, hears us talking about the Albanian model she jokes: Oh no! Ms Symonds previously worked as head of press at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. Deripaska attracted public attention in 2008 over claims that he discussed making a donation to the Tories with George Osborne, during a meeting held aboard his yacht in the Mediterranean. It has been valued at more than 300m after extensive refurbishment. Firtashs closeness to the Kremlin, his association with Trump consigliere-turned-convict Paul Manafort and his arrest warrant issued by the FBI are facts that can be reported and cannot be denied. [9][10][11][12] She was the first unmarried partner of a prime minister to reside at Downing Street. pamela.sammons on Twitter: "It does indeed, most relevant given his Sign up to our newsletter (and get a free edition posted to you). Mamut owns extensive media assets in Russia, including the news website Lenta.ru. 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". [citation needed], Nevertheless, on 23 November 2012, the group publicly attacked the then chairman of the All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Russia, Labour MP Chris Bryant, through the publication of a press release featuring a 10-year old picture, extracted from a dating website, depicting the MP in underwear. The Russian secret state collects sex kompromat. Following a week in which Russia and its links to the UK have been in the news, the Guardian has looked into the impact of Soviet-born men and women on recent UK public life. Boris Johnson fought to save partner's 80k job at Tory HQ when she Byline Times is funded by its subscribers. 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. Receive our monthly print edition and help to support fearless, independent journalism. 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. As Otto English has confirmed on Byline Times, his visits to Lebedevs infamous Tuscan parties on one occasion as Foreign Secretary without his security detail have spooked the spooks. All Rights Reserved. Firtash and his entities deny any wrongdoing. [28][2] These accusations were claimed by an anonymous "longtime colleague" to be a smear campaign allegedly spread by Symonds's political strategist, Lynton Crosby (subsequently denied by Crosby). He admitted to being behind early plots to remove Theresa May. Given the weight of evidence, these are reasonable inquiries. 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. On October 19 2015 Mistress Kate was scheduled to work at the London Retreat [her dungeon]. After the USSRs collapse, Lebedev went into banking and the media. 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. Good reporters dont pry into other peoples bedrooms and Whittingdale has as much right to privacy as anyone. 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. Boris Johnson to marry fiancee Carrie Symonds in July 2022, report says [8] Nalobin invited the group to hold its launch party in August in the Kensington garden of the Russian ambassador, Alexander Yakovenko. Borodin said he did not discuss party policy at the event, nor make a donation. Carrie Symonds' Number 10 role must be investigated, says - Express 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. It said the industrialist had funded some of Johnsons key allies in parliament, including James Wharton, who ran Johnsons successful prime ministerial campaign. After a power struggle, AAR eventually sold its half in the venture to Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft. (Symonds now resides in Number 10 with Boris Johnson). 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. They include Alexander Temerko, a former Russian junior defence minister, and Lubov Chernukhin, a financier whose husband Vladimir served in Putins cabinet as deputy finance minister. Lebedev supported Russias takeover of Crimea and held a conference there in 2017 to counter what he said was western media bias. Pritchard sits on parliaments intelligence and security committee (ISC), which on Tuesday published its long-awaited Russia report. In 2014, Reuters reported on documents that pointed to Putin extending credit lines to Firtash of up to $11 billion which helped the oligarch influence the 2010 Presidential Election in Ukraine. Is Whittingdale vulnerable? He has made a fortune of close to 1bn by founding dating apps, including the female-focused Bumble and Badoo. Think of the person behind the recent raft of Conservative animal welfare policies, and one name springs to mind - the Prime Minister's fiancee, Carrie Symonds.. [57] Labour leader Keir Starmer said in relation to the book, "I approach politics on the basis that we should treat people with respect Obviously, respect differences of opinion, but I do not go along with the idea that we should drag everybody into the gutter. Whittingdale was accompanied by an office aide, Carrie Symonds, who was promoted to special advisor when he moved into the Cabinet in 2015. His appearances at the European Parliament are regularly covered by RT and he was asked onto the channel no less than 17 times between 2010 and 2014. His communications firm, New Century Media, founded a Positive Russia foundation to improve Moscows image in the UK. Ben Wells, described by WRF as its in-house counsel, is a solicitor whose London law firm specialises in work for Russian-speaking clients. He and his second wife, childhood friend Marina Wheeler, had announced they were divorcing in 2018 after 25 . [33], She began an affair with British politician Boris Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, in 2018 while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. Farages support for Putin was vocal until recently and he has twice described the Russian President as the most impressive world leader. Reportedly, Firtash used the gas gold to buy Ukrainian politicians to stay loyal to the Kremlin, up to and including disgraced Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. In just over a week, the group says it will hold a Multilateral Relations Conference aimed at strengthening links between Russia and the UK. In late 2017, Byline revealed that the Maltese-born professor Joseph Mifsud, named as a Russian intermediary in the Mueller Investigation, was telling colleagues he was going to meet Boris Johnson to discuss Brexit. This report found that Russia had directly tried to intervene in the 2016 EU Referendum. The big source of Firtashs money has been his control of entities supplying Russian gas to Ukraine. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. [11], The group successfully campaigned to see British World War II veterans of the Arctic Convoy campaign be awarded their Ushakov Medals by the Russian Government in 2013. As soon as I discovered, I ended the relationship., Oliver writes that he approved the press release and tracked down Whittingdale, who was about to attend a Vote Leave dinner: He is clear that he didnt realise he was going out with a prostitute who specialises in sado-masochism., The Number 10 media supremo said he put to Whittingdale the unreported press interest in his string of Russian girlfriends. Its 2012 launch party took place in the Russian ambassadors Kensington garden. [2][8], Symonds originally planned to become an actor, and unsuccessfully auditioned for the 2007 film Atonement. He introduced him to the prime minister, David Cameron. Alexander Lebedev bought the loss-making Evening Standard newspaper in 2009, installing his son Evgeny as proprietor. He wrote: He snaps, my current girlfriend isnt Russian, shes Lithuanian.. On 29 February 2020, Symonds and Johnson announced that they had become engaged in late 2019. The Standard office is around the corner from where Lebedev worked in the 1980s as an undercover spy based at the Soviet embassy. Ah, Carrie "Conservative Friends of Russia" Symonds - Twitter Mamut introduced a Russian-language section to its store in Piccadilly Circus, central London. Since 2018 Aquind has donated 242,000 to the Conservatives, including the 8,000 to John Whittingdales election fund. Mrs Johnson was first romantically linked to her now husband by the media in early 2019. [6][7] She began an affair with Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, in 2018 while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. Guests included the then Tory staffer Carrie Symonds (now the Prime Minister's wife) and senior Conservative politicians such as John Whittingdale. She subsequently worked in marketing. Exclusive: The group, once called Conservative Friends of Russia, is set to hold a multilateral relations conference next week despite Russia invading Ukraine, The Westminster Russia Forum loudly echoes official lines from Moscow. Westminster Russia Forum (WRF) was[1] a UK-wide voluntary organisation, which aims to promote improved relations with Russia. The DCMS is the lead department for policing our digital frontier and Whittingdale is in charge of its international strategy. The real problem is the Russian influence operation in the serious think tanks, [in] the City of London, and [in] the large amounts of money being made by bankers, lawyers and accountants who focus on pushing the Russian regime, including by donating large amounts of money to political parties.. The legendary oil dealmaker and former BP boss Lord Browne is executive chair of billionaire Mikhaeil Fridmans Letter One Energy group, which has a one-third stake in the oil and gas company Wintershall DEA. Subsequent attendees include alt-right commentator Milos Yiannopolous and the then MP Douglas Carswell. 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.. 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. SW1's real power players: the secret lives of spads - Evening Standard At the end of November 2012 it emerged that the group's key contact at the Russian Embassy in London was First Secretary Sergey Nalobin, the son of a KGB/FSB general, whose brother also served in the FSB. As reported on Byline Times last month, a Ukrainian born oligarch, Dmytro Firtash, currently awaiting extradition to the US, has extensive connections to both Putin, the Russian underworld and the British Brexit establishment, including John Whittingdale. ", "Who is Carrie Symonds? He endowed Oxford University by spending 75m to found the Blavatnik School of 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. Not another story about Whittingdale! I laugh about it all day.. 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. Then, working at BBC Newsnight, I was not interested in his dalliance with Miss Whiplash but his anomaly in the registration of benefits in kind and the fact that four newspapers had sat on the story perhaps because Whittingdale was seen as pro-paper and anti-Leveson. Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help. Sign up to our newsletter (and get a free edition posted to you). Concerns have been raised that unregulated pro-Moscow lobbyists at the heart of Westminster are using their links to Tory MPs to gain influence and respectability. [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. 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. 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 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. Nikolai Chernyshevsky (1828-1889) hernyshevsky distinguished himself as a publicist . In an interview with the Guardian, Temerko said he was no friend of Putins, whom he called an enemy of democracy. Westminster Russia Forum - Wikipedia Fund a better media. Downing Street flat redecoration scandal Carrie Symonds Tatler | Tatler She apologised and paid the penalty. [5] On Remembrance Day 2012 it organised a letter signed by thirty two Members of Parliament demanding the veterans be allowed the medal. UPDATE (9 March 2022): This article has been amended at the request of Ernest Reid to clarify his role within the WRF. "Baby Johnson named in tribute to doctors". Whatever youre interested in, theres a free openDemocracy newsletter for you. Cash has also gone to Theresa Villiers, who sits on the ISC. [31], Symonds was one of fourteen women who testified against Worboys at his trial. Whittingdales name was mud. To complete the set, Firtashs charity front, the Firtash Foundation, had Jack Wakefield as a director for a time. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. He spent 40,000 on a portrait of Margaret Thatcher. There is powerful evidence that the Russian propaganda machine, openly by such vehicles as RT and Sputnik, and covertly through anonymous bots, have interfered with Britains democracy. [2], In 2009, Symonds joined the Conservative Party as a press officer. Barker and Deripaska are not the only peer and oligarch double-act on the UK business scene. If you can, please show your appreciation for our free content by donating whatever you think is fair to help keep TLE growing and support real, independent, investigative journalism. [53] Cummings later said in 2021 that Symonds acted "illegally" in awarding influential jobs to her friends, including press secretary Allegra Stratton. Revealed: Boris, the Russian oligarch and the Page 3 model She later recalled Worboys offering her champagne and vodka,[2] which she believed was spiked and, after returning home, began "vomiting and laughing hysterically before passing out until 3pm the next day". 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. 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. The exemption has been granted because they would be at risk of serious violence or intimidation if their identity was published. Its launch party was at the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden in 2012, and attended by Tory MPs, peers and Russian diplomats. In the meantime, openDemocracy has revealed that the Conservative Party, which has received more than 3.5 million from Russian funders since 2010, has actually stepped up its dependence on Russian donors to at least 489,850 in the last year, compared to 350,000 in the year previously. The WRF, which loudly echoes official lines from Moscow, has links with numerous Conservative MPs and other senior UK political figures. 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. That October, Maria popped up in the House of Commons as the founder of the Global Friends of Ukraine (GFU), with patron John Whittingdale, who stuck the event on his website. Blavatnik has amassed a vast business empire, including Warner Music. Alexander Temerko said he was no friend of Vladimir Putin. Like Abramovich, he owns a mansion in Kensington Palace Gardens, a property that has been valued at up to 200m. The right-wing MP for Maldon, Margaret Thatcher acolyte and long-term Brexiter might play a get-out-of-jail card in that the registered money he received came via a cut-out for not a Russian but a Ukrainian oligarch however one so close to the Kremlin that the distinction doesnt bite. 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. 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. At no time did she give me any indication of her real occupation and I only discovered this when I was made aware that someone was trying to sell a story about me to tabloid newspapers. [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. 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. Our mission is to hold the powerful to account. 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. Cusick continued: To complete a required legal element of the story before publication, it was important Olivia King be given the opportunity to respond. Media advisor and wife of former British prime minister Boris Johnson, For other people named Carrie Johnson, see, GRO Register of Births = MAR 1988 15 449 WANDSWORTH - Caroline Louise B. Symonds, mother's maiden name = Lawrence. 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. 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? But, he said: This is the Monty Python end of Russian influence operations. A new type of newspaper independent, fearless, outside the system. Whittingdale was honorary vice-president of Conservative Friends of Russia until it was disbanded. To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here. ", "A question for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds: what is wrong with John Lewis? [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. "We are in no way funded by either government," he said, "receive no other support or direction, and are solely interested in promoting stronger trade, cultural and people to people ties. 2. Johnson attended Lebedevs 60th birthday party the day after winning Decembers general election. An investigation by Reuters, based on conversations with Temerko, alleges that he supported Johnsons campaign to take Britain out of the EU at least initially. [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. A man in John Whittingdales position could be expected to answer them. Other Ukrainians are critical of Whittingdale for evidently being closely connected to Firtash, given the latters chumminess with the Kremlin. Westminster Russia Forum quietly delays networking events He learned espionage at the Red Banner Institute and joined the KGBs prestigious first directorate, specialising in foreign intelligence work. Call for inquiry into Carrie Symonds' influence in No 10 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. Russian authorities have accused him of a massive fraud. [10], The group was officially launched in late 2012 and has since gone on to host numerous events throughout the UK, covering a variety of topics such as LGBT rights in Russia, with guest speakers Peter Tatchell and Claire Harvey. [41] Their daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte Johnson, was born on 9 December 2021 in London. The forums organisers are overwhelmingly London-based, with business interests in Russia. Luke Hardings latest book Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russias Remaking of the West (Guardian Faber) is available from the Guardian Bookshop. There is no suggestion that Shetler-Jones, Lords Oxford and Risby are now batting for the other side. In 2014, he fired its editor, Galina Timchenko, after she published an interview with a Ukrainian nationalist. Long before she became Boris's girlfriend, Carrie - a former spad (special adviser) who became head of communications for the Conservative Party - had a strong network in SW1. Conservative lobbying row over 'Westminster Russia Forum' as Putin Meet the woman driving the Government's animal welfare policies - and Now a British citizen and major donor to the Conservative Party to the tune of 1.3 million, Temerko was born in Soviet Ukraine and became head of a Russian state arms company before coming to the UK in 2011. The Covid-19 public inquiry is a historic chance to find out what really happened.

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