London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 12, 2025

Relative of David Warburton given job at firm of businessman who gave MP large loan

Relative of David Warburton given job at firm of businessman who gave MP large loan

Exclusive: MP, who is facing allegations relating to sexual harassment and cocaine use, borrowed up to £150,000
A close relative of the Conservative MP David Warburton was offered a lucrative advisory role at the firm of a businessman who had provided the politician with an undeclared loan of up to £150,000 for a holiday rental property, the Guardian can reveal.

The party has removed the whip from the MP for Somerton and Frome, who is understood to be facing allegations of sexual harassment, cocaine use and failing to declare a loan from Roman Joukovski, a financial adviser who specialised in offshore tax advice and providing tier one “golden” investor visas to foreign citizens.

Warburton introduced his wife’s uncle, the businessman Rodney Baker-Bates, to Joukovski in summer 2018. Baker-Bates was subsequently offered a £75,000 a year advisory role at Dolfin, the business Joukovski founded, sources have told the Guardian.

After being asked to stay away from the parliamentary estate and reportedly being referred to parliament’s harassment watchdog, Warburton was taken to a psychiatric hospital on Sunday afternoon for treatment for shock and stress.

He is said to have denied any wrongdoing, and insisted that he had “enormous amounts of defence, but unfortunately the way things work means that doesn’t come out first”.

Colleagues expressed shock at the alleged behaviour, describing the married father-of-two as quiet, polite and hard-working.

But three women were quoted by the Sunday Times as having raised concerns about his conduct, and the paper also alleged that Warburton had received a loan of £100,000 from Joukovski.

Sources have told the Guardian the loan in 2017 was closer to £150,000 and was repaid with a “high interest rate” of 8%. The loan was for a holiday rental property and described by sources as being “commercially driven”. The loan was repaid in full.

MPs are required by parliamentary rules to register a so-called interest, in this case a loan, within 28 days if it has any bearing on their parliamentary activities. If an MP is any doubt about whether an interest should be declared, they are advised to do so. At no point has Warburton disclosed details of his financial relationship with Joukovski.

Warburton, Joukovski and Baker-Bates have been approached for comment.

The accusations against him could provoke inquiries by three bodies. There is no allegation of wrongdoing against Joukovski or Baker-Bates.

There was no confirmation from the House of Commons about whether an investigation was under way by the Independent Complaints and Grievance System into the harassment complaints.

Scotland Yard did not say if it was examining the evidence of Warburton being pictured with lines of what appeared to be white powder.

And the parliamentary commissioner for standards, who looks into un-declared declarations, could start her own investigation if concerned the loan was not properly registered.

Diane Abbott, the Labour MP and former shadow home secretary, highlighted Warburton’s previous comments in the House of Commons concerning the “appalling exploitation” of young people by drug gangs. She said his comments had been a “gross hypocrisy”.

The Guardian has learned that a year after the loan was provided to him, Warburton introduced Baker-Bates to Joukovski.

Baker-Bates, uncle to Warburton’s wife, Amanda Baker-Bates, has held numerous high-profile chairmanships and commercial appointments for a variety of organisations, including Stobart Group, Chase Manhattan Bank, the BBC, Prudential, Coral and Britannia Building Society.

His brother, Amanda’s father, is the diplomat Merrick Baker-Bates CMG, former deputy high commissioner to Malaysia and British consul general in Los Angeles.

The source confirmed reports in the Sunday Times that Warburton invited Joukovski, a Russian-born British citizen, to the Houses of Parliament and used his parliamentary email address to organise meetings for Joukovski, including one with Jacob Rees-Mogg, the now Brexit Opportunities secretary, who was a backbencher at the time in 2017.

Joukovski’s Dolfin effectively collapsed in July 2021, entering special administration, after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) placed restrictions on its activities.

Smith & Williamson was appointed as special administrator for Dolfin Financial, following previous FCA restrictions imposed on the firm.

An investigation by the Telegraph, SourceMaterial and OpenDemocracy revealed the firm was accused of “dishonestly or recklessly” misleading officials about its work for Nurali Aliyev, grandson of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said the relevant processes should be gone through to look at Warburton’s conduct.

“Obviously, any allegations like this need to be taken extremely carefully, but all the facts will need to be brought out as well,” he told Sky News. “So until we get there I don’t think there’s much more I can helpfully add to it.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
Pig Heads Left Outside Multiple Paris Mosques in Outrage-Inducing Acts
Nvidia’s ‘Wow’ Factor Is Fading. The AI chip giant used to beat Wall Street expectations for earnings by a substantial margin. That trajectory is coming down to earth.
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
On the Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s Death: Prince Harry Returns to Britain
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Murdoch Family Finalises $3.3 Billion Succession Pact, Ensuring Eldest Son’s Leadership
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
×