MPs Say They Will Not Be Intimidated By New Russian Sanctions
21 British parliamentarians have been issued new sanctions by Russia (Alamy)
4 min read
Russia has sanctioned 15 UK MPs and six members of the House of Lords, accusing them of making "hostile statements and unfounded accusations".
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on Wednesday, the Kremlin accused the UK of carrying out an "ongoing confrontational course, which includes efforts to demonize our country".
"A decision has been made to include a number of members of the UK Parliament in the Russian "stop list"," the statement said.
It cited "hostile statements and unfounded accusations" as reasons for banning these members of UK Parliament from entering Russia.
Labour MP Blair McDougall, who is among those sanctioned, told PoliticsHome: “It’s a compliment to be targeted by a thuggish criminal regime.
"Other than support for Ukraine, amongst the reasons for the sanction was that I was rude about Vladimir Putin, tells a story about how pathetic and brittle his regime is. Clearly these sanctions aren’t going to stop anyone on the list standing up for Ukraine."
He added that many of the parliamentarians on the list released today have been among those leading calls for the UK and other governments to freeze Russian assets in response to the country's ongoing attack on Ukraine.
"It's evidence of how much they don't want us to use those assets for Ukraine," McDougall said.
"And a few of those on the list are very vocal on the issue of stolen children as well, which is again an area of sensitivity for them, because it exposes how cruel they are.”
Jeevun Sandher, another Labour MP who has been sanctioned, said: “Almost a century ago, British politicians made the mistake of letting dictators like Putin redraw Europe’s borders by force.
"That led to the most destructive war in humanity’s history. We should be doing everything we can to stop that happening again. If that means me being sanctioned by Russia, so be it.”
Sanctioned Labour MP Johanna Baxter added: “The sanctions are not going to silence me on the issue of returning the stolen children of Ukraine.”
Liberal Democrat Defence Spokesperson Helen Maguire MP said: "I will wear this retaliatory sanction as a badge of honour — as will my Liberal Democrat colleagues also placed on Moscow’s blacklist."
Peer Lord Alton of Liverpool, who chairs Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights, told PoliticsHome: "Putin’s regime will have to get in the queue behind China, North Korea, and Iran.
"To keep it in perspective, keep in mind the horrific things that these dictatorships and authoritarians do to their own citizens. Those of us privileged to live in democratic societies must not be intimidated but use our freedoms to champion the human rights of those who have been deprived of theirs."
The full list of MPs and peers issued new sanctions by Russia:
