But the joke was at the publics expense. 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.. Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, wave from the steps of 10 Downing Street in London. Nigel Farages former party UKIP has been a strong supporter of Russia for over a decade. [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. In fact, the press had been sniffing around another woman entirely, Natalia Lokhanova, a 30-year-old from Belarus when she had gone out with Whittingdale four years before and the daughter of a Soviet military officer. Another rich oligarch born in the Soviet Union, Alexander Temerko, has contributed more than 1 million to the Conservatives since he gained British citizenship in 2011 and also financed Johnsons leadership campaign. 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. Whittingdales name was mud. Activities of the Conservative Friends of Russia, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Spectator article 'Tory pro-Russia lobbying group disbands', Russian Embassy hosts Conservative Friends of Russia, "Conservative Friends of Russia under fire for launch after Pussy Riot verdict | Politics", "British Arctic Convoys veterans should be rewarded; UK Edition", "Lobbyist expresses delight at Arctic Convoy medal news: Voice of Russia - UK Edition", "In Plain Sight: The Kremlin's London Lobby", "I'm a victim of Russian smear campaign, says MP photographed in underwear", "UK Russia Relations: An interview with the Chairman of the Westminster Russia Forum", "LGBT RIGHTS IN RUSSIA with guest speakers PETER | InterLaw Diversity Forum for LGBT Networks", "Westminster Russia Forum: Ushakov medal presentation ahead of G8 summit | PoliticsHome | Press Release | PoliticsHome", "The British Merchant Navy - Old Friends Plus", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Westminster_Russia_Forum&oldid=1146571163, 2012 establishments in the United Kingdom, Organisations based in the City of Westminster, Articles needing additional references from December 2016, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 25 March 2023, at 18:12. 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. [2], In 2009, Symonds joined the Conservative Party as a press officer. She left the role shortly before it was publicly revealed she was dating Boris Johnson. This group was launched in the Russian Embassys 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 groups honorary vice president. Whittingdales responsibilities at the DCMS include oversight of foreign television networks, including the Kremlins poodle network RT. Who is Carrie Symonds? The PR exec behind Boris Johnson The DCMS is the lead department for policing our digital frontier and Whittingdale is in charge of its international strategy. 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. In just over a week, the group says it will hold a Multilateral Relations Conference aimed at strengthening links between Russia and the UK. [29][30], She is a patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation. They say he let her see confidential documents in his ministerial Red Box, texted her photos from Chequers, and was asked to leave the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel after mutual drunken heavy petting. Carrie Symonds' Number 10 role must be investigated, says - Express 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. 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. Boris Johnson pictured with Alexander Temerko, who has given more than 1.3m to the Conservative party. In an interview with the Guardian, Temerko said he was no friend of Putins, whom he called an enemy of democracy. 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. He has received 24,500, according to Electoral Commission filings. Cusick continued: To complete a required legal element of the story before publication, it was important Olivia King be given the opportunity to respond. Since you are here, we wanted to ask for your help. The Chelsea owners wealth is derived partly from proceeds from the controversial privatisation of the oil giant Sibneft after the fall of the Soviet Union. The forum originally launched as Conservative Friends of Russia in 2012, a political interest group for those with an interest in Russian politics, business, history and culture, with the aim of strengthening . Prior to . Firtash and his entities deny any wrongdoing. The payment was made by Henley Concierge, a firm registered to a cottage on Borodins 120m country estate near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. [37] She used to be a practising Catholic and had her son baptised into the Catholic Church. 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.. Receive our monthly print edition and help to support fearless, independent journalism. 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. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International licence. 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. The WRF did not respond to openDemocracys questions on whether the event on March 4 would still go ahead. The following year, Burnside invited Vasily Shestakov, an influential MP in Russias Duma, to the same Tory fundraising dinner. Mamut introduced a Russian-language section to its store in Piccadilly Circus, central London. "[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 Whittingdale-Firtash connection made his reappointment last summer to the DCMS (albeit at the lower peg as Minister of State as opposed to Secretary of State) by new Prime Minister Boris Johnson all the more surprising. Tories call for inquiry into Boris's fiancee Carrie Symonds' role in 'governing' the UK after Dominic Cummings ally Oliver Lewis quits No. 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.. The WRFs multilateral forum events have grown from 50 attendees at the first in 2015 to 170 in 2020, which drew 47 speakers on UK-Russia relations, and was overwhelmingly effusive on the need for strong ties with the Putin regime. 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 was a similar age and lived close to me. According to its chairman, Dominic Grieve, Boris Johnson personally blocked for bogus reasons the imminent publication of a cross-party report on Russia meddling in UK politics by Parliaments Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). 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 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. Three named directors are Richard Glasspool, a former partner at KPMG Russia and former head of the risk committee of the Credit Bank of Moscow, run by Putin-friendly oligarch Roman Avdeev; Kirill Glukhovskoy, formerly a senior lawyer with major Russian energy companies according to the Aquind website; and oligarch Alexander Temerko. 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. Lebedev funded Russias independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper. 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. 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. According to the Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry last week, an official-level whistleblower has raised concerns about Cummings time in Russia, and questions about his relationships with figures in Russian politics, intelligence, and security as well as his relationship with Nalobins Conservative friends of Russia. Her largesse seems directed at whoever is the Conservative leader. He admitted to being behind early plots to remove Theresa May. (Matt Dunham/AP) LONDON British . To complete the set, Firtashs charity front, the Firtash Foundation, had Jack Wakefield as a director for a time. [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. Whittingdale was honorary vice-president of Conservative Friends of Russia until it was disbanded. Whittingdale was accompanied by an office aide, Carrie Symonds, who was promoted to special advisor when he moved into the Cabinet in 2015. Mamut replaced her with a pro-Kremlin journalist. 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. [6][7] She began an affair with Johnson, then Foreign Secretary, in 2018 while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler. This article was corrected to on 18 November 2019 when Jennifer Arcuri denied she attended the Russian Embassy Digital Barbecues. 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. 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. [9][10][11][12] She was the first unmarried partner of a prime minister to reside at Downing Street. History. The same day Amol Rajan was speaking at a Society of Editors conference. The TLE shop is also now open, with all profits going to supporting our work. Cusick wrote that Amol Rajan had a problem. 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. 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 said: As the unwarranted, barbaric and unjustified invasion of sovereign Ukraine shows no signs of ending, we once again want to completely, unequivocally and in full condemn this act of aggression. However, an investment company run by a close colleague did take part in the privatisation of Alrosa diamond mines. According to The Guardian, a judicial review was granted permission to examine how the decision was reached. Read more, Editorial enquiries, please contact: [emailprotected], Commercial enquiries, please contact: [emailprotected]. 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. 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. 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. One of the other billionaires behind AAR, Sir Leonard (Len) Blavatnik, also wields significant influence in the UK. [2][8], In July 2019, Johnson became prime minister and both he and Symonds officially moved into the flat above 11 Downing Street. 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. [57], In December 2021, Politico Europe named her as one of the "disrupters" in its annual list of 28 people who will shape Europe in the year to come. Jim Cusick then reported on Byline how his former editor at The Independent, Amol Rajan, had killed the story. ", "A question for Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds: what is wrong with John Lewis? 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? Rebecca Fulton/Getty Images. The PR executive and former Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside has introduced several prominent Kremlin figures to senior Conservatives. 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. [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. [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. He has made a fortune of close to 1bn by founding dating apps, including the female-focused Bumble and Badoo. [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. After a power struggle, AAR eventually sold its half in the venture to Russian state-owned oil giant Rosneft. ', "Carrie Johnson: I'm target of a brutal briefing campaign", "Senior Tory and Labour figures speak out over media focus on Carrie Johnson", "No 10 spoke to Times before Carrie Johnson story dropped", "Times journalist: I stand by my Johnson scoop", Spouses of the prime minister of the United Kingdom, 2019 Conservative Party leadership election, Death and funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, Trade negotiation between the UK and the EU, 2022 vote of confidence in the Johnson ministry, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carrie_Johnson&oldid=1151168239, People educated at Godolphin and Latymer School, Spouses of prime ministers of the United Kingdom, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 10:00. A few days later Number 10 had to deal again with the Culture Secretarys exotic home life. He endowed Oxford University by spending 75m to found the Blavatnik School of Government. Jacks sister Mary is married to the Prime Ministers chief advisor, Dominic Cummings. To donate or subscribe to The London Economic, click here. 10 job and her friends take key jobs ", 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. 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. That deal left BP with a near-20% stake in the Kremlin-backed company, making cordial Russian relations vital for BP. But, for the moment, all we are hearing from the Culture Minister is a stone-dead silence. Rajan, who has denied doing so, killed the story before it was put to King. 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. The connections between Putins anti-EU agenda and Brexit politicians go much deeper. 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. Firtash posted 105 million bail money, the largest get-out-jail note in Austrian history. Meet the woman driving the Government's animal welfare policies - and Last October, Twitter closed down3,613 new Internet Research Agency accounts. Find out more about us. Nicholas Cobb, chairman of the (now) Westminster Russia Forum, wrote to. The groups act as a conduit between the party and certain countries or regions. 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 . ", "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? Born in the Soviet Union, Chernukhin is the biggest female donor in British political history and one of the Tories most important cash supporters. [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". [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. 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In 2018, he sold a majority stake in Waterstones to a hedge fund. Its launch party was at the Russian ambassador's Kensington garden in 2012, and attended by Tory MPs, peers and Russian diplomats.