Boris Johnson has denied intervening to override security concerns about the peerage granted to Lord Lebedev.
The prime minister has been accused of personally stepping in to help secure a peerage for his friend Lebedev despite reservations from the security agencies.
Lebedev’s peerage has come under intense scrutiny following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a spotlight was shone on wealthy Russians in London.
Lebedev is the Moscow-born son of an ex-KGB agent and owns the Evening Standard and Independent newspapers.
Asked about the allegations today, Johnson said: “That is simply incorrect. But what I can tell you is, it suits Putin’s agenda to try to characterise this as a struggle between the West and Russia.
“It suits his agenda to say that the UK, that we in Nato countries, are anti-Russia, European countries are now anti-Russian.
“It’s very, very, very important that we get the message over that we’re not anti-Russian, we’re not against Russians. Our quarrel is simply with the regime and the aggression of Vladimir Putin.”
Allegations, outlined in the Sunday papers, claimed that Johnson pushed ahead with the nomination after intelligence officials raised concerns.
According to the Sunday Times, Johnson is said to have responded to advice to drop it by claiming: “This is anti-Russianism.”
But on Monday Johnson said it would “obviously be extraordinary” if the security services had deemed Lebedev to be a risk and he had intervened to ensure the peerage was granted, adding: “But that’s not the case.”
The prime minister also dodged a question about whether he met Lebedev in March 2020, at the height of the first wave of the pandemic, to discuss the peerage.
Lebedev has spoken only once in the Lords and never voted in Parliament.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has called for a senior parliamentary committee to investigate the claims Johnson pushed for the peerage, despite security concerns.
Lebedev derives his wealth from his father Alexander, a billionaire oligarch, who was previously described as a Putin critic but is thought to retain close ties to the Kremlin.
This morning, foreign office minister James Cleverly also defended Lebedev’s place in the House of Lords.
“He is here as a British dual national, he is a businessman, he has been an effective businessman,” Cleverly told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Asked why the son of a former KGB agent had been granted a seat in Parliament, Cleverly replied: “My father was a former chartered surveyor, but I’m not. So what your father did for work is, I’m not completely sure totally relevant.”