Tories took £1.25m from oligarch's firm AFTER he was sanctioned in wake of Russia's Ukraine invasion

Rishi Sunak's Conservative party took £1.25million from Sir Len Blavatnik's firm before the election despite him being sanctioned by Ukraine in December

The Tory party has pocketed £1.25million from a firm owned by an oligarch – AFTER he was sanctioned in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Sir Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries gave the money to the Conservatives this year ahead of the general election. But the funds arrived after the billionaire was sanctioned by war-torn Ukraine in December last year.

The Conservatives happily took the money in June before then PM Rishi Sunak declared only weeks later that Vladimir Putin was hoping for a Labour general election victory. The Lib Dems said the Tory party had “serious questions to answer” over accepting the cash. And a Labour source accused the Conservatives of hypocrisy.

Blavatnik, knighted by the late Queen in 2017 for services to philanthropy, is said to have made billions from a partnership with BP in Russia. The 67-year-old – born in Ukraine during the Soviet era but who holds US and UK citizenship – is worth over $30billion, according to Forbes. But his reputation took a hit in December when he was among individuals sanctioned by Ukraine in December.

Despite being sanctioned by the UK’s ally and the government’s tough stance on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Tories saw fit to accept Blavatnik’s cash. Blavatnik has not been designated by the UK, which has sanctioned over 1,700 individuals in relation to Russia.

His Access Industries (UK) Ltd firm donated £1m and £250,000 to the Conservatives in May, with both donations accepted in June, Electoral Commission records show. Only weeks later, Sunak reportedly warned: “The Conservatives have stood up to our adversaries to protect British interests and British values time and time again. We have stood shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine against Russian aggression and we will keep doing so if re-elected. It is clear from the evidence, Russia does not want us to be re-elected.

"Putin would like nothing more than for Britain to step back, to appease his aggression rather than face it down and that is what will happen with another party in power. Nigel Farage has talked of appeasing Russia which will only play into Putin's hands and Labour will cut UK defence spending on day one. This will embolden our enemies and send a signal to our allies that Britain is not with them anymore.”

Sunak’s party also boasted in its election manifesto: “We have led the world in support of Ukraine against Putin’s aggression, as the first European country to mobilise lethal aid and to send Western tanks and long-range missiles. Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukraine are an assault on European security.”

And, in a section about defence priorities, the party pledged to: “Guaranteeing Ukraine the support it needs for the long haul, assuring current levels of support for as long as they are required. We will secure additional military supplies for Ukraine and build international agreement to use immobilised Russian assets to support Ukraine.”

Tom Keatinge, Director of the Centre for Finance and Security at the thinktank RUSI, said: “Ukraine’s sanctioning of Blavatnik does not have legal standing in the UK, however concerns have been raised about money with connections to Russia and the former Soviet Union and thus regardless of the legal position, accepting such donations is ill judged at best.”

A spokesperson for Blavatnik said: “Sir Leonard is a long-standing supporter of the Conservative party. Like all political donations, his are in the public record and subject to strict regulations and scrutiny.”

In 2020, Parliament’s intelligence and security committee’s Russia report was released highlighting how the UK appeared to have been seen “as a particularly favourable destination for Russian oligarchs and their money”. It added: “The money was also invested in extending patronage and building influence across a wide sphere of the British establishment – PR firms, charities, political interests, academia and cultural institutions were all willing beneficiaries of Russian money, contributing to a ‘reputation laundering’ process.”

A Liberal Democrat spokesperson said: “The Conservative Party clearly have serious questions to answer over these donations.” A Labour source said: “The Tories are hypocrites and they’ve learnt nothing. It’s time they got their house in order. While Russia continues its brutal, illegal invasion of Ukraine, perhaps the Conservatives can explain to the public why it continues to take cash from Putin-linked funders.”

Access Industries and the Conservatives were contacted for comment.