London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Aug 22, 2026

Invaded people (in Ukraine, not in Iraq and Afghanistan of course) will be our judge (The British people will forget about the Partygate scandals), says Boris Johnson

Joke of the Century: Britain condemns invading of a sovereign country and the killing innocent civilians…
Boris Johnson held talks with Ukrainian Ambassador Vadym Prystaiko at Downing Street last week. The PM calls for a renewed effort from world leaders to tackle Vladimir Putin's "barbarous assault".

World leaders must mount a renewed effort to ensure Russia's "horrific" invasion of Ukraine fails, Boris Johnson has said.

Writing in the New York Times, the prime minister said "it is not future historians but the people of Ukraine who will be our judge".

Mr Johnson set out a six-point plan, including rapidly strengthening defences in Nato countries.

But Labour criticised the PM for not acting more quickly over sanctions.

Ahead of a series of meetings with international leaders, the prime minister said: "Putin must fail and must be seen to fail in this act of aggression.

"It is not enough to express our support for the rules-based international order - we must defend it against a sustained attempt to rewrite the rules by military force."

The invasion was condemned by 141 nations at the UN General Assembly this week while 39 countries, co-ordinated by the UK, made the largest-ever referral for war crimes to the International Criminal Court.

But Mr Johnson is set to call on world leaders to make a "renewed and concerted effort" to stop Russian President Vladimir Putin, Downing Street said.

In his six-point plan to maintain pressure on Mr Putin, the prime minister said:

World leaders should mobilise an "international humanitarian coalition" for Ukraine
They should also support Ukraine "in its efforts to provide for its own self-defence"
Economic pressure on Russia should be ratcheted up
The international community must resist Russia's "creeping normalisation" of its actions in Ukraine
Diplomatic resolutions to the war must be pursued, but only with the full participation of Ukraine's legitimate government
There should be a "rapid campaign to strengthen security and resilience" among Nato countries

The prime minister is also expected to deliver his message at meetings with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at Downing Street on Monday.

On Tuesday, he will host leaders of the V4 group of central European nations: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Downing Street says these countries are already experiencing a humanitarian crisis, with 1.4 million people fleeing Ukraine to neighbouring nations in just 10 days. Mr Johnson said: "The world is watching."

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has warned Mr Putin not to "test" the UK.

In an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Wallace said: ""History is littered with authoritarian leaders underestimating the wider West and the United Kingdom. He clearly underestimated the international community."

He added: "If we stick together and refuse to be intimidated then I believe he will fail."

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said Labour fully supported the UK joining international efforts to help Ukraine, but he called on the government to move faster on sanctioning oligarchs and politicians linked to the Kremlin.

He said: "It is inexcusable that we have fallen behind the EU and the US on the number of individuals and entities sanctioned. Ministers must move faster, acting against Putin's cronies in days not months."

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is calling on the government to work with him on new laws to prevent Russian oligarchs and other very wealthy people misusing the courts to avoid criticism or sanctions.

He wants legislation to prevent so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation (Slapp) - legal challenges which aim to drain the resources of opponents or intimidate them using the courts - which Sir Keir said he fears could be used to buy time to move oligarchs' money out of reach and avoid sanctions.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she has received letters from lawyers representing people sanctioned by Britain threatening legal challenges, while Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has called such cases an "abuse of our system" and promised to address them.

It comes as the government says it is to change the law to make it easier to introduce sanctions against Russian oligarchs, after criticism the UK is acting too slowly.

Look who is talking :-)
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Petrol Bombs Set Luxury Cars Alight Outside Birmingham Wedding as Police Hunt Three Men
Bitcoin Surges Toward $80,000 as Short Squeeze and ETF Inflows Ignite Crypto Rally
Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million Toward Daily Mail Publisher’s Legal Costs
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Plan Return to Britain With Their Children
UK Court Ruling Threatens Deportation Plans for Potential Trafficking Victims to Albania
Kemi Badenoch Presses UK Government for Decisions on Rosebank and Jackdaw Oil Fields
UK Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Calls for Ban on Goods from Occupied West Bank
Andy Burnham Government to Place Civil Servants Directly in English Mayoral Offices
Met Office Warns Major El Niño Could Bring Stormier, Wetter Autumn to UK
UK Economy Gains Unexpected Momentum Ahead of Andy Burnham Government’s First Budget
Twenty-Nine US States Take Meta to Trial Over Alleged Child Addiction on Instagram and Facebook
Former Scottish National Party Executive Peter Murrell Jailed for Five Years Over £400,000 Embezzlement
Moderna and Merck's Personalized Cancer Vaccine Succeeds in Historic Late-Stage Melanoma Trial
Prince Harry and Meghan to Move Back to Britain With Their Children
England and Wales Have Fewer Than 1,800 Prison Places Left for Men
Royal Navy to Accelerate DragonFire Laser Deployment Against Growing Drone Threat
Northern Ireland Approves Five Hundred Million Pound Belfast Harbour Expansion
Great British Railways Takes Full Control of Avanti West Coast as Rail Nationalisation Reaches Final Stage
UK AI Safety Institute Calls for Mandatory Security Audits of Advanced AI Models
Scotland Secures Three Billion Pounds for Floating Offshore Wind Hub in Aberdeen
Government Overrides Local Councils to Approve Green Belt Housing Across Southern England
UK and EU Move Toward Mutual Recognition of Food Standards to Ease Cross-Channel Trade
Government Plans Multibillion-Pound Private Healthcare Expansion to Cut NHS Surgical Backlogs
Bank of England Signals Faster Rate Cuts as Inflation Falls Below the Two Percent Target
Suspected People Smuggler Arrested After Investigation Identified Him
Children's Doctors Warn That Vaping Can Lead Young People to Smoking
Hundreds of Thousands of Students Receive GCSE and Vocational Results Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Here Is What Can Never Happen in Your Country: Taiwan Is Giving Money to All Its People Because It Collected Too Much Tax
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Energy Bills Jump
UK Issues New Conduct Guide for Asylum Seekers on Consent and Respect
Moderna Shares Surge After Positive Personalized Skin Cancer Trial Results
UK Markets Watch US National Debt Surpass Forty Trillion Dollars
UK Broadcasters Urge Government to Invest in Digital Participation and Broadband
CVC Capital Partners and Standard Life Launch Two Billion Pound Pension Risk Transfer Venture
UK Private Sector Productivity Growth Accelerates in Second Quarter
UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband Condemns Israeli E1 Settlement Tender
UK Watchdog Investigates Trainline, Virgin Atlantic and RED Driving School Over Hidden Fees
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan Move to Private Home Outside London
UK Retail Sentiment Improves as Summer Spending Boosts Consumer Confidence
UK Aid Cuts Draw Warnings From Charities Over Humanitarian Consequences
UK Financial Conduct Authority Issues Guidance for Motor Finance Redress Scheme
UK Met Office Launches Aviation Programme to Reduce Climate Impact of Persistent Contrails
Former UK Civil Service Chief Received Record 500,000 Pound Severance Payment
West Midlands to Bring Bus Network Under Public Franchising Model
UK Government Drops Plan to Relax Affordable Housing Requirements After Backlash
UK Reaffirms Military Support for Ukraine Despite Russian Hybrid Warfare Threats
UK Technology Sector Expands Nearly 8 Percent as Digital Industry Outpaces Wider Economy
UK Drought Threatens Harvests Across England and Wales as Food Inflation Risks Persist
UK Government Pledges 442 Million Pounds to End Rough Sleeping by Christmas
UK Government Signals Willingness to Reconsider Digital Services Tax Amid US Tariff Threats
×