Starmer tells Abramovich to ‘pay up now’ or face court. Abramovich should ‘pay up’ £2.5bn from Chelsea FC sale or face court action, Starmer says
The PM is asked to update MPs on what the UK is doing to support Ukraine as it goes through a fourth winter at war with Russia.
Sir Keir Starmer says he’s been working with Ukraine and its allies on how to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukrainians “in their hour of need”.
“Today, Mr Speaker, I can announce that we’re issuing a licence to transfer £2.5bn from the sale of Chelsea Football Club that’s been frozen since 2022.
“My message to Abramovich is this: The clock is ticking, honour the commitment that you made, and pay up now. And if you don’t, we’re prepared to go to court, so every penny reaches those whose lives have been torn apart by Putin’s illegal war.”Mr Abramovich, the former owner of Chelsea Football Club, pledged in 2022 that money from the sale of the club would be used to benefit victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The money has been frozen in a British bank account since the sale after he was sanctioned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But there has been a delay in releasing the funds due to a disagreement between the UK government and his lawyers over how the money should be spent in Ukraine.
