Reeves and Lammy threaten to sue Roman Abramovich over Chelsea FC sale money
Rachel Reeves and David Lammy have threatened to take former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich to court to seize the proceeds of his sale of the club.
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The Russian oligarch sold the Premier League club after being hit with sanctions by the UK Government over alleged links to Vladimir Putin.
Labour has pledged to use these funds, which are believed to be around £2.5 billion, for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, but has been left frustrated by Abramovich’s refusal to agree a deal to release the cash.
In a joint statement, the chancellor and foreign secretary said: "The government is determined to see the proceeds from the sale of Chelsea Football Club reach humanitarian causes in Ukraine, following Russia's illegal full-scale invasion.
"We are deeply frustrated that it has not been possible to reach an agreement on this with Mr Abramovich so far.
"While the door for negotiations will remain open, we are fully prepared to pursue this through the courts if required, to ensure people suffering in Ukraine can benefit from these proceeds as soon as possible."
Abramovich sold Chelsea after 19 years in the wake of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine despite denying any links to the Russian dictator.
The cash has been earmarked for use in support of Ukraine’s defence and cannot be moved without permission from the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation.
Talks are said to have taken place between Labour and Abramovic’s representatives in March but have since reached a deadlock.
It is unknown if any meetings have since taken place.