Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

I won't play tennis match if 'geezer' is Putin ally, says Boris Johnson – but Cameron insists auctioned game will go ahead

 

Oliver Wright
Thursday 24 July 2014 08:35 BST
Comments
Lubov Chernukhin, a banker and the wife of a former finance minister in Putin’s Russia paid £160,000 for a tennis match with Boris Johnson and David Cameron
Lubov Chernukhin, a banker and the wife of a former finance minister in Putin’s Russia paid £160,000 for a tennis match with Boris Johnson and David Cameron

Boris Johnson and David Cameron last night insisted they would go ahead with a £160,000 Tory fundraising tennis match – even though the husband of the auction winner had close links to the Kremlin.

Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of Russia’s former deputy finance minister Vladimir Chernukhin, won a match with David Cameron and Mr Johnson at the Tories’ controversial summer ball last month.

Today the London Mayor suggested the match might now have to be called off, saying he was not going to play with “some geezer” who might be an “intimate of Putin or a crony”. But Mr Cameron insisted later that the match would go ahead.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in