A bill that would allow the government to seize Russian cash frozen in UK bank accounts and use it to rebuild war-torn Ukraine has been blocked from progressing through the House of Commons.
Labour MP Chris Bryant sponsored the proposals, but they were denied a second reading in the Commons.
The Seizure of Russian State Assets and Support for Ukraine Bill was aimed at ensuring that Russian assets in the UK, currently frozen as the war in Ukraine continues, were used to support the country.
The private member’s bill would give ministers a 60-day deadline to come up with plans for seizing the cash to support Ukraine.
But the government frontbench objected to it, and MPs will now be unlikely to debate it again before the current session of parliament ends in the autumn.
Labour former minister Mr Chris had urged the government not to block his bill as the Commons Friday sitting aimed at debating backbenchers’ lawmaking proposals began.
Oligarchs sanctioned by the UK — in pictures
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The UK has sanctioned more than 1,400 individuals and businesses, including 100 oligarchs and their relatives, since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. The list of oligarchs includes: Roman Abramovich, 55. PA -
Katerina Tikhonova, left, and Maria Vorontsova, unseen, also known as Maria Putina, daughters of Russia President Vladimir Putin. Reuters -
Oleg Deripaska, 54. The industrialist is worth £2 billion and has had close links with the British political establishment. He has a multimillion pound property portfolio in the UK. Reuters -
Igor Sechin, 61. Officials described Mr Sechin as Mr Putin's right-hand man and the second most important person in the country. Reuters -
Andrey Kostin, 65. The chairman of VTB, a Russian state-owned bank. Mr Kostin is also a member of the supreme council of the United Russia political party and deemed a close associate of Mr Putin. AP Photo -
Alexei Miller, 60. The chief executive of energy company Gazprom, Russia's largest company and the world's biggest public energy supplier. AFP -
Nikolai Tokarev, 71, president of the Russia state-owned pipeline company Transneft. Mr Tokarev is a former KGB officer who served with Mr Putin in East Germany towards the end of the Cold War. AP Photo -
Kirill Shamalov, 39. He is Russia's youngest billionaire and the ex-husband of Mr Putin's daughter Katerina Tikhonova. Reuters -
Pyotr Fradkov, 43. He is head of the sanctioned Promsvyazbank, which finances Russian defence industries, and the son of Mikhail Fradkov, a former prime minister of Russia and chief of its foreign intelligence service. Reuters -
Denis Bortnikov, 47. The deputy president of government-affiliated VTB bank. His father, Alexander Bortnikov, is head of the Federal Security Service. Getty Images -
Yury Slyusar, 47. The director of United Aircraft Corporation, one of the major defence organisations that has also been sanctioned. Getty Images
The Rhondda MP told the Commons: “As I understand it, the government is toying — but hasn’t perhaps made a final decision on this — with objecting. If a single person objects, then it doesn’t go forward for its second reading today.
“I gather that the government’s briefing to the press overnight says that the reason that they might object is because it is not suitable for such a measure to be introduced in a private member’s bill, even though it has cross-party support from lots of Conservative members and chairs of two prominent select committees, both of whom are Conservatives.”
Deputy Commons speaker Rosie Winterton confirmed the bill was “orderly” and added: “It is not appropriate for me to offer a view about whether a private member’s bill is an appropriate vehicle for his objectives — that is a matter for the House.
“But I can confirm that such bills have been used for a variety of purposes as he describes and obviously we will wait to see what happens later.”
Superyachts of Russian oligarchs — in pictures
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A judge in Fiji has ruled that US authorities can seize the Russian-owned superyacht Amadea. Fiji Sun / AP -
Fijian authorities on April 19 applied to block a superyacht reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov from leaving its waters, as the US moved to seize it. Fiji Sun / AP -
The superyacht Amadea, reportedly owned by Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov. Fiji Sun / AFP -
Solaris, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is pictured in Yalikavak, southwest Turkey. Reuters -
Germany has officially confiscated the world's largest superyacht, the 'Dilbar', owned by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, as part of sanctions against Moscow following the outbreak of war in Ukraine. AFP -
The Dilbar, covered with plastic sheets, is docked in a shipyard of Blohm & Voss in the harbour of Hamburg, Germany. AFP -
The Flying Fox superyacht is seen docked at Don Diego Port in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, which is linked to Russian oligarch Dmitry Kamenshchik. Getty Images -
The Flying Fox superyacht. Getty Images -
The Flying Fox superyacht. Getty Images -
MySky superyacht owned by Russia's Igor Kesaev is seen in the waters of the Indian Ocean near Male, Maldives. Reuters -
Titan superyacht owned by Russia's Alexander Abramov is seen in the waters of the Indian Ocean near Male, Maldives. Reuters -
Spanish Civil Guards stand by the Tango superyacht, belonging to Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg, which was seized on behalf of US authorities. Photo: Juan Poyates Oliver / Reuters -
Solaris, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, is pictured in Bodrum, southwest Turkey. Reuters -
The superyacht Nord, reportedly owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov, is docked in the far eastern port of Vladivostok, Russia. Reuters -
The superyacht Nord, reportedly owned by the sanctioned Russian oligarch Alexei Mordashov. Reuters -
Britain on Tuesday detained a Russian-owned, $50-million superyacht boasting a fresh-water swimming pool, in what it called a "warning" to Moscow of the consequences for invading Ukraine. AFP -
The impounding of Phi, the first superyacht ever to be held in British waters, comes after the UK sanctioned hundreds of Russian individuals and entities in recent weeks over the Kremlin's war. AFP -
The PHI superyacht, detained by a unit of Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA). AFP -
Solaris, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, docks at a marina in Bodrum, in southwest Turkey. Ihlas News Agency / Reuters -
Eclipse, a superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Reuters -
The superyacht 'Scheherazade', which has been linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is moored in the port at Marina di Carrara on March 23, 2022 in Carrara, Italy. Getty Images -
The yacht 'Scheherazade', which is about 140 metres long and worth over 700 million dollars, is moored at the 'The Italian Sea Group' shipyard. Getty Images -
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky requested the seizure of the superyacht Scheherazade in a speech to the Italian Parliament. Getty Images -
The superyacht Amadea. Fiji Sun / AFP
When the government did later object to allowing the bill to progress for further scrutiny, Mr Bryant said he was “genuinely astounded” and furious with ministers.
After claiming he would “continue to press this”, he claimed the government would “end up introducing something very similar, very soon”.
The Rhondda MP’s comments raised the heckles of Tory grandee Christopher Chope, who said: “I don’t think I have ever heard such an inappropriate comment from a senior member of this House.
“He knows jolly well what the rules are. He only printed his bill on Thursday. There is no explanatory notes in relation to it, and he is expecting his bill to be able to take priority over all the other bills just because he thinks a lot of himself and he thinks he has got a good cause.
“Lots of us have got good causes but we don’t argue the toss with the rules.”
US sanctions more Russian oligarchs — in pictures
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Witanhurst is located in Highgate Village above Hampstead Heath, London. Photo: Keith Newformula -
London neighbourhoods favoured by Russian owners are Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Hampstead and Highgate, the wealthiest areas of the capital. Getty Images -
The Russian billionaire Andrey Guryev owns Witanhurst, the second largest private residence in London after Buckingham Palace, and has 65 rooms, 25 bedrooms and a ballroom. Getty Images -
Witanhurst was bought by the Guryev family through an offshore company called Safran Holdings, located in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands, for £50 million in 2008. Getty Images -
Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko in Moscow, Russia, in February 9, 2018. Reuters -
The 118-metre superyacht belonging to Mr Melnichenko anchored in the port of Ras Al Khaimah. AP -
Mr Melnichenko was slapped with sanctions by the US Treasury Department on Tuesday. AP -
'Motor Yacht A' is seen moored on the River Thames beside the 'HMS Belfast' in London in 2016. Reuters -
'Motor Yacht A' is seen near the harbour in Monaco on May 4, 2017. Reuters -
The superyacht belonging to Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko, which has been sequestered by Italian police, is seen at the port of Trieste, Italy, on March 12, 2022. Reuters -
Mr Melnichenko's sailing yacht in Trieste, Italy, on March 10, 2022. It is the largest private sail-assisted motor yacht in the world. AFP -
Russian oligarch Dmitry Pumpyanskiy. Photo: Kremlin.ru -
Russian President Vladimir Putin with Mr Pumpyanskiy in July 2014. Photo: Kremlin.ru -
The superyacht 'Alfa Nero' is owned by Andrey Guryev. Photo: Schnippchen -
The 'Alfa Nero' in the Port of Antibes on the French Riviera. Photo: Wikipedia
Ministers have previously insisted that seizing frozen Russian assets would be difficult to enact.
A cross-party group of MPs urged the government to adopt its proposals to repurpose cash from Russian oligarchs while debating the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill in January.
At the time, security minister Tom Tugendhat stressed he had had “long conversations” with representatives from other western governments about seizing the Russian cash, but no country had yet come up with a legally sound solution for how to claim it.
