[13] Their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born on 29 April 2020 in London. [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. Is Whittingdale vulnerable? Despite describing itself as a think tank, no published research exists, and they are likely more akin to a lobbying group. [17][18] Her paternal grandfather was John Beavan, Baron Ardwick (at one time editor of the Daily Herald and later, during the 1970s, a Labour Party MEP), and her paternal grandmother was Anne Symonds, a BBC World Service journalist. All have homes in London, with several visiting regularly from Moscow. ", "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? The connections between Putins anti-EU agenda and Brexit politicians go much deeper. It looks like Happy Families, Russia-style. Dont miss a story! Now, Carrie focusses her work efforts on. Our leading investigations include: empire & the culture war,Brexit, crony contracts,Russian interference,the Coronavirus pandemic,democracy in danger, andthe crisis in British journalism. To complete the set, Firtashs charity front, the Firtash Foundation, had Jack Wakefield as a director for a time. Conservative UK: Think tank calls for probe into Carrie Symonds' role Call for inquiry into Carrie Symonds' influence in No 10 She was a similar age and lived close to me. The Russian diplomat Udod is reported to be have been the handler of Russian spies in the UK. By the spring of 2016, four newspapers the Mirror, the Sun, the Mail on Sunday and The Independent had the story of Whittingdales extraordinary relationship with professional dominatrix Olivia King, also known as Mistress Kate, but had not run it. On October 19 2015 Mistress Kate was scheduled to work at the London Retreat [her dungeon]. [54], Conservative MP Caroline Nokes asserted that Carrie Johnson's influence has been exaggerated for sexist purposes;[53] she has been likened to both Lady Macbeth and Marie Antoinette ("Carrie Antoinette") by her critics. [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. ", The statement concludes:"We are aware that to some our views on promoting dialogue may appear strange but we are committed to doing what we can to promoting grassroots understanding and peace.". Subsequent attendees include alt-right commentator Milos Yiannopolous and the then MP Douglas Carswell. He admitted to being behind early plots to remove Theresa May. 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. 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. Firtash posted 105 million bail money, the largest get-out-jail note in Austrian history. Putin and Schrder: A controversial friendship - DW - 08/08/2022 [61] This story was removed from the paper after No. Some have given money to political parties. Nikolai Chernyshevsky (1828-1889) hernyshevsky distinguished himself as a publicist . 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. Nicholas Cobb, chairman of the (now) Westminster Russia Forum, wrote to. [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). Until this point, Whittingdale had not commented on the Byline pieces or an article in Private Eye. [60][61] After senior aide Ben Gascoigne threatened to resign if she was appointed, the proposal was dropped. SW1's real power players: the secret lives of spads - Evening Standard ", "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. As a Ukrainian living in the UK, I am a patriot and wished to assist my home country in a time of crisis. [45] She was also influential in making sure that Lee Cain did not get a job as the prime minister's chief of staff,[46] and urged Boris Johnson to fire environment secretary George Eustice from his role. Sign up to our newsletter (and get a free edition posted to you). [42][43], Amid the Partygate scandal, she was issued with a fixed penalty notice in April 2022 for breaching COVID-19 regulations. John Whittingdale MP and Carrie Symonds, then a young Tory party worker and now Johnsons fiancee, were among the guests. The PR executive and former Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside has introduced several prominent Kremlin figures to senior Conservatives. 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. Carrie Symonds trashes rumours she is getting rid of dog Dilyn - Yahoo! Find out more about us. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Ms Symonds wrote that the couple had a "baby hatching early s The Kremlins attempts tointervene continue. Conservative Friends of Russia held its 2012 launch party in the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden, with about 250 Russian and British guests present, including Tories who went on to. Direct party funding is only the tip of the iceberg. How party donations, sports teams and lavish London residences have granted access to highest echelons of public life. In an interview with the Guardian, Temerko said he was no friend of Putins, whom he called an enemy of democracy. 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. 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. Given the weight of evidence, these are reasonable inquiries. But Nalobins most controversial role was helping to establish the Conservative Friends of Russia. The groups act as a conduit between the party and certain countries or regions. Back in 2012, the Foreign Policy journal noted that the websites news feedcontinued to feature only state-owned or state-subsidised outlets. A group formerly known as the Conservative Friends of Russia (CRF) is advertising its first in-person conference for two years next week, despite Russias invasion of Ukraine on Thursday. He was subsequently photographed in the company of the then Foreign Secretary at a fundraising event in Reading. According to The Guardian, a judicial review was granted permission to examine how the decision was reached. The couple have an 8m London mansion, owned by an offshore trust, a jet and two yachts. In spring 2018, Johnson flew to the Lebedevs villa in Perugia, Italy. UPDATE (9 March 2022): This article has been amended at the request of Ernest Reid to clarify his role within the WRF. 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. And 31% of Republicans prefer close relations with Russia compared with 21% among Democrats. This article was corrected to on 18 November 2019 when Jennifer Arcuri denied she attended the Russian Embassy Digital Barbecues. He is now the media editor at the BBC. 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". It does indeed, most relevant given his various Russian connection. The WRF is one of a number of so-called Conservative friends of groups that have tried to draw in high-profile MPs. While direct contacts between Conservatives and Russian officials appear to have chilled when Nalobin was effectively expelled in 2015, intermediaries still made approaches. 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. Johnson and Temerko were close, sharing bottles of wine and sometimes calling each other Sasha, it added. The source for the Firtash-Mogilevich connection was reportedly Firtash himself to then US Ambassador to Ukraine, William Taylor, in 2008. The Bow Group said No 10 needed to. He described Russia's social life as "a dull and gloomy existence, devoid of strength and energy". 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. 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. The payment was made by Henley Concierge, a firm registered to a cottage on Borodins 120m country estate near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Boris Johnson pictured with Alexander Temerko, who has given more than 1.3m to the Conservative party. 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. Hawley added: Friends of groups of political parties are alarmingly unregulated, and provide a back door for unofficial lobbying, access and paid influence. [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. Carrie Johnson went on to become communications director for The Conservative Party aged 29, on a rumoured annual salary of 80,000. Like many others,. A new type of newspaper independent, fearless, outside the system. In 2012, Burnside took a Russian embassy diplomat, Sergei Nalobin, to a Conservative party fundraising dinner. The WRF, which loudly echoes official lines from Moscow, has links with numerous Conservative MPs and other senior UK political figures. Meanwhile, Lebedevs billionaire Moscow contemporary Alexander Mamut bought the bookshop chain Waterstones in 2011 for 53.5m. [37] She used to be a practising Catholic and had her son baptised into the Catholic Church. Carrie Symonds has dismissed reports that she and Boris Johnson are getting rid of their pet dog Dilyn. 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? Minister John Whittingdale was the groups honorary vice-president when it first launched, he attended the opening with then office aide Carrie Symonds, now Carrie Johnson, wife of Prime Minister Johnson. Tymofienko is now working on an 800,000 scheme promoting intellectual property in Ukraine at QMC London funded by the British Government. Elements of the suppressed report have now leaked out. From 2011 onward, Nalobin met various British social media influencers at a regular Digital Barbecue. [56] Journalist Sarah Vine, on the other hand, said that while it is easy to "blame the woman", the truth is "far more complicated", adding that Johnson's head did not deserve "to be on the block". He and his second wife, childhood friend Marina Wheeler, had announced they were divorcing in 2018 after 25 . 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.. Lebdevev plus Carrie Johnson a founder member of Conservative Friends of Russia Farage supports other European right-wing politicians such as Marine Le Pen and Matteo Salvini who have received Russian funding. Decorating Scandal Engulfs Boris Johnson and Puts Fiance in Spotlight The Russia Report is scathing about the power of Moscow gold to win the hearts and minds of corrupt British figures, but the evidence remains in the shadows. It has been valued at more than 300m after extensive refurbishment. 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. Former MEP and party secretary, Gerard Batten, has been close to former KGB figures since the 1980s and identified Alexander Litvinenko as a disaffected FSB officer six months before he was murdered by polonium poisoning by Putins security services. The mansion in Londons upmarket Highgate was bought for 50m in 2008 by the family of the Russian fertiliser baron Andrey Guryev, through an offshore company called Safran Holdings, located in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands. 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. [3] The group's launch gained mixed reviews in the media from proponents and opponents of the conservatives, with some journalists questioning its neutrality.[4]. In 2014, she paid 160,000 at a Tory fundraiser to play tennis with Cameron and Johnson, then the PM and London mayor. She subsequently told The Telegraph that he was "a sad, wicked man who is a danger to society. Lord Barker of Battle, as he has been known since his elevation to the House of Lords, has also worked for another Russian businessman with the ear of Britains powerful elite, Oleg Deripaska. He also sponsors the Baillie Gifford literature prize and is the main benefactor of multiple London museums and art galleries. [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. (Symonds now resides in Number 10 with Boris Johnson). "[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. After a power struggle, AAR eventually sold its half in the venture to Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft. Firtash and his entities deny any wrongdoing. You can also SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER . Is it possible that the minister has acted so recklessly that he could be embarrassed by the Russian secret state? He has received 24,500, according to Electoral Commission filings. Conservative Friends of Russia has been disbanded with immediate effect following the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Whittingdale was honorary vice-president of Conservative Friends of Russia until it was disbanded. Westminster Russia Forum - Wikipedia pamela.sammons on Twitter: "It does indeed, most relevant given his 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. As he recounts in his memoir, Hunt the Banker, the KGB approached Lebedev in his final year at university in Moscow. Firtashs silent business partner for some part of his career is alleged to have been Russias Al Capone-at-large, Semion The Brainy Don Mogilevich, himself linked to the Solntsevskaya Organized Crime Group. Alarmingly, the Russia Report found that our security services have not found evidence of the same because they have not looked. [32][2], Symonds was previously in a relationship with The Sun journalist Harry Cole. 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. A new type of newspaper independent, fearless, outside the system. 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. For the moment, Firtash continues to insist on his innocence and remains in Austria while he battles the Americans who want to lock him up. The inquiry, which the Bow Group says should be "independent of the Government and the Conservative Party", needed to consider the specific role Ms Symonds plays in Downing Street, details of . Raffle prizes included a biography of Putin and bottles of vodka. Luke Hardings latest book Shadow State: Murder, Mayhem and Russias Remaking of the West (Guardian Faber) is available from the Guardian Bookshop. [39][40] In July 2021, she announced that they were expecting their second child together, also revealing that she had suffered a miscarriage earlier that year. After the USSRs collapse, Lebedev went into banking and the media. The campaigns director, Dominic Cummings, spent three years in Russia from 1994 to 1997. (modern). Event attendees have included Carrie Johnson, the Conservative Partys former head of communications and now the prime ministers wife. Westminster Russia Forum quietly delays networking events Boris Johnson is reportedly to marry his fiancee, Carrie Symond s, in July 2022 after sending save-the-date cards to family and friends, according to the Sun. A conservative think tank has called for an independent inquiry into Boris Johnson's fiance, Carrie Symonds, and her "possible influence" in government. [38], Symonds married Boris Johnson on 29 May 2021 in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral attended by thirty guests. Ben Wells, described by WRF as its in-house counsel, is a solicitor whose London law firm specialises in work for Russian-speaking clients. [34] On 16 August 2019, she made her first public appearance since entering 10 Downing Street, when she addressed what she called the "gigantic" climate crisis. The Russian connections to Vote Leave go beyond its chief executive Matthew Elliott. Boris Johnson marries fiancee in 'secret ceremony', "Carrie Symonds: who is Boris Johnson's live-in girlfriend? 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. That interference includes both the Scottish and Brexit referendums and making worse our racial, economic and nationalist tensions by fuelling the far right, the far left and ultra-nationalism on social media. ", 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. 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. 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. ", The group was launched in August 2012[2] at the Russian Embassy in London. He co-authored an anti-EU book with an aide, Pavel Stroilov, who had allegedly fled Russia with smuggled secret Soviet documents. 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 He was chairman of Vnesheconombank (VEB), a bank and state corporation with reported close ties to the Kremlin security establishment. Other Ukrainians are critical of Whittingdale for evidently being closely connected to Firtash, given the latters chumminess with the Kremlin. [2][8], In July 2019, Johnson became prime minister and both he and Symonds officially moved into the flat above 11 Downing Street. 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. By Anne McElvoy. The exemption has been granted because they would be at risk of serious violence or intimidation if their identity was published. We only ask you to donate what you can afford, with an option to cancel your subscription at any point. The WRF did not respond to openDemocracys questions on whether the event on March 4 would still go ahead. It is high time that these groups were brought out of the shadows, adequately regulated and that the public can have far greater insight into how they operate and who is behind them.. He later left Moscow and became a British citizen in 2011. It tried to fuel social divisions, including religious tensions, in the aftermath of the Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park terror attacks, it stated. Read more, Editorial enquiries, please contact: [emailprotected], Commercial enquiries, please contact: [emailprotected]. 23 Apr 2023 07:27:08 10 job and her friends take key jobs [2][8] In July 2019, Johnson became prime minister and both he and Symonds officially moved into the flat above 11 Downing Street. Though he at first denied it, Farage met the Russian Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko in May 2013. In 2017, Deripaska listed his En+ energy and metals group on the London Stock Exchange and turned to Lord Barker to serve as its chairman. It has an active Twitter feed, echoing official lines from Kremlin-funded organisations although it has been uncharacteristically silent since Putins movement this week of recognising the separatist Peoples Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east of Ukraine, and since the start of todays invasion. Call for inquiry into Carrie Symonds' influence in No 10 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. The then foreign secretary left his security detail behind and was spotted at the airport on his way home, dishevelled and hungover. [13] Symonds married Johnson in 2021. 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. Their financial clout affords members of this select group considerable influence and access to Britains professional and ruling classes. 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. Symonds worked as a Conservative Party media official and an environmental activist, and remains a senior advisor to the ocean conservation charity Oceana, and is a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation. ", "Carrie Johnson: Who is the prime minister's wife? 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. E.g. Craig Oliver, David Camerons spin doctor, takes up the story in his surprisingly good book, Unleashing Demons: I am almost home that evening when I get a call from John Whittingdales Special Adviser, Carrie Symonds Carrie has already drafted a statement which includes the following: Between August 2013 and February 2014, I had a relationship with someone who I first met through Match.com. [29][30], She is a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation. A few days later Number 10 had to deal again with the Culture Secretarys exotic home life. 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 . Tymofienko set up an interview with a Ukrainian television station for her boss. Whittingdale did not register Maria as a Commons researcher. It is clear in retrospect that the Russian attempt to intervene in British politics was a two-pronged affair. All Rights Reserved. Cusick continued: To complete a required legal element of the story before publication, it was important Olivia King be given the opportunity to respond. Byline Times is funded by its subscribers. 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. Whittingdale, then Culture Secretary, was in the room and appeared to take the gag well as he roared with laughter. Whatever youre interested in, theres a free openDemocracy newsletter for you. Carrie Johnson: Who is Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife? [21] She worked at Conservative Campaign Headquarters,[22] and later campaigned for Boris Johnson in the 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection. What drives First Fiance Carrie Symonds, asks Freddy Gray 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. Please check individual images for licensing details. 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. She went to the University of Warwick to study Art History and Theatre Studies, graduating as BA (Hons) in 2009. One of the other billionaires behind AAR, Sir Leonard (Len) Blavatnik, also wields significant influence in the UK. ", "A question for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds: what is wrong with John Lewis? [9][10][11][12] She was the first unmarried partner of a prime minister to reside at Downing Street. Journalism in Britain is under threat. Sergey Nalobin once jokingly described himself on Twitter as a brutal agent of the Putin dictatorship. 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?

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