No 10 blocks Russia EU referendum report until after election

[muriel_volestrangler]

A potentially explosive parliamentary report on the security threat posed by Russia to the UK has been effectively blocked from being published before the general election by Downing Street.

The 50-page document from the intelligence and security committee (ISC) examined allegations that Kremlin-sponsored activity distorted the result of the 2016 EU referendum – but has to be cleared by No 10 before it can be released.

Downing Street indicated late on Monday morning that it would not approve publication before parliament is dissolved on Tuesday evening, meaning that it cannot now appear before the election on 12 December.
...
The committee chairman, Dominic Grieve, has previously said that he was concerned about the delay in clearing the keenly awaited report. Over the weekend the MP, a former attorney general, said: “If the prime minister has a reason why he can’t publish or doesn’t wish this report to be published we need to know about it please.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/04/no-10-blocks-russia-eu-referendum-report-until-after-election

My guess is that something embarrassing about Dominic Cummings or Johnson is in there. Not necessarily illegal activity, but naive acceptance of Russian propaganda, or negligence in checking sources of information and/or money.

[Soph0571]

1. Russia interference all over it

And they know it.

[Denzil_DC]

2. Well, we already know about some of the money links with oligarchs.

We also know that Cummings spent three years in Russia early in his career - that in itself isn't ground for suspicion (I know and know of a number of people who did similar during the same period, and they're certainly not tools of Putin), but it's hard to believe some of the right-wing media wouldn't make hay of it if the boot was on the other foot.

Earlier very scant leaks of this report's findings claim that it doesn't find proof of overt Russian state interference, but until it's published, people are bound and entitled to wonder ...

[Denzil_DC]

3. Revealed: Russian donors have stepped up Tory funding

As Johnson accused of ‘cover-up’ over Kremlin interference, major new Russian donations to Conservatives revealed – despite previous Tory pledge to distance themselves from Russian money.
...
By far the largest recent Russian donor has been Lubov Chernukhin. The wife of a former Russian deputy finance minister, Chernukhin has donated more than £450,000 to the Conservatives in the last year.

Former arms tycoon Alexander Temerko is another prominent Russian donor in Tory circles who has given money in the past year. Temerko, who has spoken warmly about his “friend” Boris Johnson, has gifted over £1.2 million to the Conservatives over the past seven years and has reportedly admitted being involved in a Eurosceptic plot to oust May as Tory leader less than a year ago.
...
The Conservatives have received more than £3.5 million from Russian funders since 2010. While donations slowed down after the poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in March 2018, they have picked up again in recent months, according to filings at the Electoral Commission.
...
Founded by former Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside, New Century Media was paid by the Kremlin to promote a “positive image” of Russia in the UK in 2013.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-money-investigations/revealed-russian-donors-have-stepped-tory-funding/

[Denzil_DC]

4. Russian Tory donors named in secret report

Nine Russian business people who gave money to the Conservative Party are named in a secret intelligence report on the threats posed to UK democracy which was suppressed last week by Downing Street.

Oligarchs and other wealthy Tory donors were included in the report on illicit Russian activities in Britain by the cross-party intelligence and security select committee (ISC), whose publication was blocked by No 10.

Some Russian donors are personally close to the prime minister. Alexander Temerko, who has worked for the Kremlin’s defence ministry and has spoken warmly about his “friend” Boris Johnson, has gifted more than £1.2m to the Conservatives over the past seven years.

MPs on the ISC, which conducted an 18-month inquiry, were also briefed on Alexander Lebedev, the former KGB spy in London whom the last Labour government allowed to buy the London Evening Standard newspaper.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/russian-tory-donors-named-in-secret-report-z98nqpkx0

Currently a Sunday Times exclusive (though it didn't frontpage it for some reason ...), but it will no doubt be picked up by other media over the next day or so.