Cameron Thomas calls for a full statutory inquiry into Russian interference in UK politics

This month it was discovered by officials at Gloucester City Council that the authority was facing a £17.5m deficit, which had accrued since a 2021 Russian cyber attack had compromised its accounting systems. 

The finding came only weeks after Reform UK’s former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill, was jailed for taking Russian bribes to make pro-Kremlin statements, whilst serving as a UKIP MEP.

Having served with the Royal Air Force in the field of security for over 2 decades, Tewkesbury MP Cameron Thomas is well acquainted with Russian hybrid-warfare, which incorporates cyber attacks, disinformation and political interference to undermine western democracies. 

Cameron said: “Though the circumstances at Gloucester City Council are unlikely to become national news, it serves as a local reminder that the Russian war in Ukraine is far closer to home than we might like to think. Russia observes and tests our national resilience on a daily basis; all such activity is connected, and is conducted methodically against the United Kingdom and our European allies.

“This week it was revealed that a Conservative Party Peer is supporting Vladimir Putin’s ally Roman Abramovich, in his legal defence of £2.5bn which were frozen in the UK following his sale of Chelsea Football Club. I have been calling for the UK government to seize frozen Russian assets, and use them to support Ukraine against Russia.

"Meanwhile the Conservative Party would prefer that you forgot that for over a decade the Kremlin had access to Conservative MPs and UKIP MEPs, through the Conservative Friends of Russia group, later renamed the Westminster Russia Forum.

“Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine the group was disbanded, and we have never seen a full inquiry into the activity of this group. Furthermore, the unredacted Russia Report, which was withheld by Boris Johnson for reasons he has never adequately explained, has still never been made available.

“War between Russia and western democracies is closer now than it ever was during the Cold War. We must fully understand the level of foreign interference, influence and infiltration within our political parties and institutions. Nothing less than a full statutory inquiry will suffice. Nothing less will bring the scale of malign activity into the light, and it is crucial that we see the results before the next General Election.”