LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Penny Mordaunt, a senior Tory minister, has advised that her colleagues cease accepting donations from Alexander Temerko, a prominent party donor who has labelled her as an “absolutely uncontrollable woman” and a “threat to national security.”
A trade minister, Mordaunt, said she had no problem with colleagues accepting money from Temerko in the past, but that everyone should be aware of how he has treated her now.
The dispute between Temerko and Mordaunt erupted after the government denied his business, Aquind, permission to build an undersea electrical cable between France and the United Kingdom. Mordaunt, whose Portsmouth electorate would have been affected by the £1.2 billion project, lobbied against it.
Temerko last donated to the Conservative Party the previous year, but he has recently socialised with Conservatives, including a meeting in the House of Lords with a cabinet minister and dinner with Jeremy Hunt, cabinet minister. Mr Johnson’s friend Temerko is known to refer to him as Sasha, after Johnson’s real first name, Alexander.
Mordaunt said the party’s code of conduct “should apply to all members, including donors” in a statement. “Donating to a political party is a social good,” she continued. It promotes democracy and positive outcomes in the communities. She’s sure the donor community feels doubly betrayed when someone does not behave as they anticipate.
In light of the events in Ukraine, she wants to be clear that her reservations about Mr Temerko have nothing to do with his background or previous career, she continued. It all has to do with his treatment of her and her constituents.
Neither does she have a problem with colleagues or organisations who have in the past accepted money in good faith from him. They will have been completely unaware of these difficulties. But now everyone does, she added.
Members of parliament should not be threatened, she stressed. Democracy must not be jeopardised. Bullies must be dealt with harshly.
“Alexander Temerko is a Ukrainian-born British businessman who has spent his life standing up to Putin and as a result has faced great personal danger,” Hunt told Business Insider, which broke the story first. It was an honour to meet him yesterday and convey my sympathies for the family members he has just lost as a result of Putin’s cruel war.”
A spokesperson for Temerko has been contacted for comment.
Temerko made the remarks about Mordaunt in January, after the project was rejected by the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, who said the project’s “adverse repercussions weigh against the proposed development.”
Aquind and its co-owner Temerko have donated a total of £1.1 million to the Conservative Party, with contributions to 21 Tory MPs and ministers.
According to records in the Pandora papers, Aquind’s majority owner, Viktor Fedotov, secretly co-owned a corporation once accused of participating in a large embezzlement operation in Russia, according to the Guardian and BBC.
Fedotov and Aquind’s lawyers have categorically refuted any allegations of wrongdoing. The corporation claims to have acted in a transparent and open manner, claiming that their donations were “completely authorised, correctly stated, and not provided in exchange for any special treatment.” All donations were lawfully and appropriately declared, according to the Conservatives.
