Alisher Usmanov, (pictured left with Vladimir Putin) has been sanctioned by the UK
(Picture: AP)Ukrainian refugees could be housed in properties seized from oligarchs, a cabinet minister said on Friday.
The Government is drawing up plans to confiscate the UK property of the Russian elites with links to the Kremlin in a reported escalation of sanctions.
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said he would "absolutely" support giving seized oligarch homes to refugees.
Asked whether Britain could capture property assets owned by the Russian elites as punishment for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, he told LBC said: "Yes, if we've got the evidence and the legal basis, then we'll do it."
Pressed on whether he would back using those properties to house Ukrainian refugees - a move called for by the Liberal Democrats and reportedly argued for in Government by Housing Secretary Michael Gove - Mr Raab replied: "Yes, absolutely.
"We are looking at everything in the round. It is a team effort across Government, from the foreign and defence secretary through to Michael Gove and, of course, the Prime Minister is driving this very hard."
On Thursday night the Government sanctioned two more Russian oligarchs - industrialist Alisher Usmanov and former deputy prime minister Igor Shuvalov.
But ministers have faced criticism that it has taken too long to target people with links to Putin.
Since Russia launched the invasion on February 24, Britain has imposed sanctions on 11 wealthy Russians plus Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, as well as four Belarusian military officials
The EU has sanctioned 22 oligarchs, freezing their assets and banning them from travelling into the countries.
Labour MP Chris Bryant said the UK needed to "get a blooming move on" with imposing restrictions and called for Mr Usmanov's Surry mansion Sutton Place to be seized and used to house Ukrainian refugees.
Mr Raab insisted that the UK is "at the vanguard" of imposing sanctions on Kremlin-linked money.
He told BBC Breakfast: "There has been a running commentary that the UK has somehow been slow - we've not been slow.
"We've been at the vanguard of taking action and, of course, what is really important is we act in concert with our allies, European, American and other Nato allies.
"For example, we have sanctioned more Russian banks than the EU, including Sberbank, which is the biggest Russian bank. We've made it clear and introduced measures so that three million Russian companies cannot raise loans or get listed on the UK stock market.
"These measures - and each country has slightly different sanctions regimes - are all aimed at tightening the noose, if you like, and starving off the finance that is going into Putin's war machine."
