Stung by criticism, UK's Johnson speeds up Russia sanctions

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Economic Crime Bill will let British authorities ”pursue Putin’s allies in the U.K. with the full backing of the law, beyond doubt or legal challenge.” Johnson was meeting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch leader Mark Rutte on Monday to discuss toughening the West’s response to the invasion. Opposition politicians and anti-corruption campaigners say Johnson’s Conservatives have allowed ill-gotten money to slosh into U.K. properties, banks and businesses for years, turning London into a “laundromat” for dirty cash. In a damning 2020 report whose release was delayed for months by the government, Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee said that since the 1990s Britain has “welcomed Russian money, and few questions — if any — were asked about the provenance of this considerable wealth.” “There are a lot of Russians with very close links to Putin who are well integrated into the U.K. business and social scene, and accepted because of their wealth,” the report said. Transparency campaigners say the governing Conservatives have received 2 million pounds in donations from people linked to Russia since Johnson became prime minister in 2019.