TO IR ES’ £2.8M RUSSIAN CASH
Outrage as May takes millions in fatcat donations
THERESA May has accepted almost £3million from donors with links to Russia since becoming PM, the Mirror can reveal.
Banker Lubov Chernukhin, whose husband Vladimir is a former ally of Vladimir Putin, was entertained at a London hotel by Mrs May after donating £135,000 at a fundraiser.
She has given £805,262 since Mrs May came to power in July 2016. Her spokesman declined to comment.
Mrs May promised to distance the party from Moscow-connected business figures when she took office.
Two other donors linked to Russia have given more than £2.1million between them. Labour said the Electoral Commission figures raised “a lot of questions” about Tory funding.
Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman said: “These are large sums linked to particular interests, both domestic and international, and that’s the problem. We don’t want that kind of money in our political system.”
Sir Alistair Graham, former head of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, urged the Tories to return Mrs Chernukhin’s money. He said: “It’s not acceptable that this money is being used to fund a political party.”
There is no suggestion of wrongdoing. A No10 spokesman said: “The donations the Conservative Party receives are declared transparently.”
Ehud Sheleg, who became party Treasurer this year, is understood to have donated £1,863,650 since 2016.
He visited Putin-linked ministers in Russia in 2015, meeting Mintimer Shaimiev, ex-president of the Tatarstan region, and close ally of Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev.
President Putin visited the region in February for talks with Shaimiev’s successor, Rustam Minnikhanov, but reportedly also met Mr Shaimiev. A source said of Mr Sheleg’s visit: “No business engagement of any kind was carried forward.” The Tories also received £293,315 from Alexander Temerko and his firm Aquind Ltd.
Mr Temerko was born in Ukraine when it was part of the USSR.
He was a defence agency chief then vice president of oil giant Yukos, before fleeing Russia. He is now a vocal critic of President Putin.
Mr Temerko, along with Mrs Chernukhin, dined with Mrs May between April and June 2018 as members of the Leader’s Group of elite Tory donors, who pay £50,000 to join.
It means he has now given the Tory party more than £1million, all of which were legitimate donations.
Mr Temerko became a UK citizen in 2004. His representatives said: “Alexander Temerko, a British citizen, is one of the most vocal opponents of the Putin regime.
“Mr Temerko supports the Conservative Party, which shares his view on Putin’s Russia.”