Russia Ramps up Sanctions by Banning 39 UK Politicians and Journalists

Britain's former Prime Minister David Cameron arrives to attend the National Service of Remembrance, on Remembrance Sunday, at The Cenotaph in Westminster, London, Britain, on Nov. 10, 2019. Simon Dawson/Reuters

David Cameron, Sir Keir Starmer, and BBC presenter Huw Edwards are among the latest UK politicians and journalists to be banned from Russia.

The Russian foreign ministry issued a list of 39 newly sanctioned individuals it said are no longer allowed to enter the Russian Federation.

It said the action was in response to UK sanctions issued against Russian ministers, officials, and members of influential families linked to the Kremlin following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian foreign ministry claimed those individuals sanctioned have contributed to “London’s hostile course aimed at the demonisation of our country and its international isolation”.

Former prime minister Cameron is the first name on the list, followed by Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, a former NATO secretary-general, while Labour leader Starmer and shadow cabinet ministers Lisa Nandy, David Lammy, and Nick Thomas-Symonds also feature.

Scottish National Party (SNP) Westminster leader Ian Blackford, Scottish government Economy Secretary Kate Forbes, and transport minister Wendy Morton, previously in the Foreign Office, are also among those included.

Piers Morgan attends the 2019 British Academy Britannia Awards presented by American Airlines and Jaguar Land Rover at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Oct. 25, 2019. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for BAFTA LA

Journalists including Edwards, TalkTV’s Piers Morgan, ITV’s Robert Peston, and head of Sky News, John Ryley, are listed alongside reporters at various outlets.

Morgan, writing on Twitter, said: “It wasn’t on my immediate vacation to-do list.”

The Russian foreign ministry said in a statement: “As has been noted more than once, the pernicious actions of the UK in planting Russophobia, spreading false information about our country, and supporting the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime will receive an adequate and decisive response from the Russian side.

“The choice in favour of confrontation is a conscious decision of the British political establishment, which bears all responsibility for the consequences.”

The statement also said it will continue work to expand the list.

Earlier this year, Russia said it was taking action against 287 MPs in retaliation for sanctions against Russian politicians.

But the list included several former MPs.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in April that MPs should regard their inclusion on the list as a “badge of honour”.

By Richard Wheeler