Labour MP Chris Bryant said he had a leaked Home Office document which suggested Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich should not be allowed to be based in the UK.
Friday 25 February 2022 14:44, UK
Chelsea owner and Russian-Israeli billionaire Roman Abramovich should have his assets seized, an MP has told the government.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Labour MP Chris Bryant said he had a leaked Home Office document which suggested Abramovich should not be allowed to be based in the UK.
It showed that at the time, Bryant said, Abramovich was of interest to the government "due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices".
The document, he said, cited court proceedings in which Abramovich admitted paying for political influence.
"That is nearly three years ago and yet remarkably little has been done in relation. Surely Mr Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country?
"Surely we should be looking at seizing some of his assets including his £152m home?" Bryant added.
A spokesman for Abramovich has declined to comment.
The Prime Minister's spokesman said: "I couldn't comment on individuals in that way or leaked documents of that type."
A company called USM was sanctioned by the US Government on Thursday night. However, contrary to reports, this is not the same USM connected to Everton's major shareholder Farhad Moshiri or the one which sponsors their Finch Farm training ground.
Downing Street confirmed five further oligarchs who are particularly close to the Kremlin will be sanctioned, including Russia's youngest billionaire and former husband of Vladimir Putin's daughter, Kirill Shamalov, the chairman and CEO of PSB bank Petr Fradkov, deputy president of VTB bank Denis Bortnikov, general director of United Aircraft Corporation Yury Slyusar and CEO of Novikombank Georgieva Elena Aleksandrovna.
Making a statement in the Commons, Boris Johnson said that more than 100 businesses and individuals will be tackled in total, including "all the major manufacturers that support Putin's war machine".
UEFA will move the Champions League final from Russian city St Petersburg on Friday due to the escalating situation in Ukraine.
The final was due to take place at the 68,000-capacity Gazprom Arena in St Petersburg on May 28 but UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called an "extraordinary meeting" of the Executive Committee for Friday to confirm the decision to move the match.
It is unclear whether the governing body will confirm a new venue for the final.
The Ukrainian FA also want the 2023 UEFA Super Cup final to be moved from Kazan in Russia and have asked FIFA and UEFA to ban Russian teams from their competitions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed an attack on Ukraine with explosions heard in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv while blasts were also reported in the cities of Odessa and Kharkiv.
In other developments:
