Abramovich ‘withdraws his UK visa application’

CHELSEA owner Roman Abramovich has withdrawn his application for a UK visa, it is believed.

His decision came after British authorities held it up for several weeks as part of Whitehall’s war on wealthy oligarchs. A source close to the Russian tycoon told the BBC his application to extend his investor visa, believed to have expired in April, had not been refused or denied.

But it had been delayed due to tighter vetting. More than 700 Russian millionaires must now prove their wealth is not built on ‘dirty money’ to obtain the tier 1 visa they need to live and work in Britain. Mr Abramovich, who is said to be worth £8.6billion and has lived in London since buying Chelsea FC in 2003, was given Israeli citizenship this week but that merely allows him to visit Britain, not to work here.

On Thursday he pulled the plug on a £1billion redevelopment of Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium in apparent retaliation for delays to his UK visa. Some say he may now pull out of the club entirely and the tighter visa rules have sparked fears of an exodus by Russian oligarchs that could damage the City.

But Tory MP Bob Seely said last night it would be a ‘price worth paying’ if it sent a message to Vladimir Putin and his cronies in the wake of the Salisbury nerve agent attack.

‘It is a price worth paying’