The British Parliament's foreign affairs committee has slammed the government for "turning a blind eye" to the role London's financial centre plays in laundering the proceeds of Russian corruption, saying it helps the Kremlin finance its aggressive foreign policy.
The committee says in a report published today that despite the tough rhetoric over the nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain earlier this year, President Vladimir Putin's allies were able to continue "business as usual" in the UK.
The committee says "the use of London as a base for the corrupt assets of Kremlin-connected individuals is now linked to a wider Russia strategy with implications for the UK's national security."