Labor pressure to reduce grace period Russian oligarchs must register property in the UK

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Labor will seek to force the government to reduce the time Russian oligarchs have to register property in the UK in a bid to prevent them from moving their assets abroad.

Lawmakers will debate the Economic Crimes Bill as the House of Commons is expected to convene to pressure Vladimir Putin’s richest ally in response to his invasion of Ukraine.

Under the proposed law, foreign property owners in the UK will have 18 months before the new rules take effect to declare ownership. Since then, the Government has committed to reducing this waiting time to six months.

But Labor is pushing for proposals to go further and has put forward an amendment that would reduce the grace period to just 28 days, to avoid giving the oligarchs what it calls a “free exit from London” card.

Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds Labor said: “It’s not good enough that the government wants to give Putin cronies months to sell and evade sanctions. The invasion of Ukraine and continued Russian aggression demands action now, not six months from now.”

The ministers are understood to be considering steps to make it harder for the oligarchs to try to silence their critics by making upsetting claims in court.

Tory veteran David Davis introduced the amendments to the law alongside Labor’s Liam Byrne to give judges the power to bring strategic lawsuits against public participation, known as “Slapps”, which have been used by the wealthy to silence his critics and journalists.

Davis said on Sunday: “For too long, very wealthy oligarchs have used our legal system to silence their critics. have to stop

“Any company that works for the oligarchy and is found to be breaking the rules must face the full force of the law.”

Ministers are believed to be working on a similar plan to tackle the problem.

It came as Boris Johnson released a six-point action plan to support Ukraine and ensure Russia failed to take control of its neighbour.

Johnson said he had “never in my life seen an international crisis where the line between good and evil was so sharp,” and urged world leaders to back a plan to confront Putin.

write in New York Time, The Prime Minister said that “the unity of the West has impressed and encouraged”.

But he said: “Have we done enough for Ukraine? The honest answer is no.

“We must not let anyone in the Kremlin get away with misrepresenting our intentions to find a post facto justification for their war of choice,” Johnson wrote.

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Roderick Gilbert

"Entrepreneur. Internet fanatic. Certified zombie scholar. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon expert."

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