Britain must respond to Putin with a full set of sanctions, now. pic.twitter.com/156qPqa6t0

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) February 22, 2022

Yesterday the Prime Minister addressed the House of Commons in response to the Russian invasion of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine.

Labour unequivocally condemns this invasion. It is an unjustifiable act of aggression from President Putin who seems determined to plunge Ukraine into a wider war. We are steadfast in our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And we are united with our international allies in our firm opposition to President Putin’s actions.

Labour welcomed the sanctions announced yesterday by the Prime Minister against five Russian banks, and three Russian billionaires with financial interests in Britain. However, we must go further. The Government has yet to impose a full package of sanctions on Russia. The Labour Party is clear that the time to do this is now. We must also bring an end to the UK being a soft touch on Russian illicit finance. The leader of the Labour Party, Keir Starmer set out how to do this here.

If we do not act decisively now, President Putin will once again take away the message that the benefits of aggression outweigh the costs. You can watch the response from the Leader of the Opposition to the Prime Minister’s statement in the clip above or you can read it in full here