THE Prime Minister and other senior Cabinet members attended a Tory dinner at which at least one Russian-linked donor was present on the night of the Ukraine invasion, it has been reported.
According to The Times, Boris Johnson spoke at the fundraiser before telling other guests he would need to leave to deal with the imminent invasion of Ukraine.
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace were also among the 75 attendees at the central London event.
Wealthy donors at the dinner included Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a former Russian deputy finance minister under Putin.
Lubov Chernukhin is pictured on the right of Theresa May
Her husband Vladimir was also chairman of VEB.RF, the Russian state development corporation placed under sanctions this week.
She has given the Conservatives around £2 million since 2012, making her the biggest female political donor in UK history. She also once bid £20,000 at a Conservative fundraiser for a dinner with Ruth Davidson. The Scottish Tories say the dinner never took place.
It emerged recently that she had given the party another £80,250 in the last quarter of 2021.
The Tories have faced calls to hand the money from Chernukhin and other Russian-linked donors back, or donate it to Ukrainian humanitarian causes.
According to Downing Street, Johnson only went to the fundraiser for 20 minutes on February 23, before heading off to "deal with the war".
During that time he gave a speech on his achievements as Prime Minister, before Gove gave a longer speech on “Boris’s behalf”.
READ MORE: Boris Johnson compares fighting war in Ukraine to voting for Brexit
A Number 10 spokesperson told The Times: “The Prime Minister briefly attended this event which was a longstanding diary engagement. Fundraising is a legitimate part of our democratic process and it is not unusual for the Prime Minister, or any political leader, to attend such an event.”
A spokesperson for the Conservatives commented: “From Salisbury to Ukraine, this Conservative government has been resolute in standing up to Russian aggression and has led international efforts against Russia from the off and it is frankly risible for The Sunday Times to suggest otherwise.
“This was a longstanding engagement. Fundraising is a legitimate part of our democratic process, a process that shouldn’t be stopped because of Putin.
“The Sunday Times suggestion that people who have been vocal critics of Putin and in some instances have had to flee Russia are linked to that regime simply by means of their heritage is wholly wrong.”
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