‘Why Putin sanctioned me’ by Harrogate MP Andrew Jones and why I was proud

Most MPs worth their salt grow accustomed to grappling with heavy-duty figures in their government or party. The big beasts of the political world.

But earlier this year Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones found himself battling on two fronts – how far to go in the simmering rebellion against Boris Johnson and how far to go in causing offence to Russian president Vladimir Putin.

While his decision to oppose his own Prime Minister may not have won him friends in Downing Street at least he didn’t end up sanctioned over his firm line on the Partygate scandal.

"I was sanctioned by Putin but I was happy to speak out against him and his war in the House of Commons after his illegal invasion,” said Mr Jones.

"This is like the 1930s again. The western countries cannot back down in Ukraine otherwise Putin will get away with it with more consequences to follow.

"I didn’t expect to get sanctioned but I take it as a badge of honour in this situation.”

When it comes to Russia’s revenge, Mr Jones was in good company.

In all 287 MPs from UK's Parliament were sanctioned by the Russian regime after its invasion of Ukraine.

The long-standing Harrogate MP has occasionally been lambasted by political opponents locally for being too ‘middle of the road’ and ‘not strong enough’.

But in March of this year, weeks after Putin launched his brutal assault on his democratic neighbours, Mr Jones stood up to contribute to the debate on the issue three times.

Primarily, he said, this was to show his support for Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression, the delivery of UK military aid and countering Russian disinformation.

But the questions he raised in a series of debates fell on the softer side of the fence – humanitarian assistance to Ukraine; welcoming refugees here, ensuring the visa system and Homes for Ukraine were working.

Perhaps it wasn’t such a shock afterall when Mr Jones’s name was put on the Russian list.

He did find himself in good company, however.

In its long list of MPs it said were now banned from entering Russia, the Kremlin also included Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Steve Baker, David Davis and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Still, the Harrogate MP must have been surprised by some of the language used by Moscow when it was explaining the reasons for taking the position it did.

"The hostile rhetoric and far-fetched accusations coming from the lips of British parliamentarians not only condone the hostile course of London,” read part of Russia’s rationale for banning the likes of Mr Jones, “but are also being used by opponents of a mutually respectful dialogue with Russia to undermine the foundation of bilateral co-operation."

But, in an early sign, perhaps, of how the Russians were going to fare in the war in Ukraine, Russia's foreign ministry also sanctioned Rory Stewart and Dominic Grieve, both of whom were no longer MPs, didn’t sit in the House of Commons and had no input into Britain’s response to Putin’s aggression.

The war shows no signs of ending and Harrogate’s MP believes Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, combined with the lingering impact of the world-wide pandemic, have left Britain in an entirely different place where its future is still to be decided.

"The British people are full of common sense. They know the war in Ukraine after two years of Covid has changed everything.

"It’s not business as usual and it would be wrong to act like it was.

"All the work done by previous Conservative governments on the public finances was undone.

"We had got the country back in a good place to do business again.

"The pandemic created a dreadful health situation but we are not just trying to recover from Covid, we need to recover economic growth.”

Measured in his comments, the character of Harrogate and Knaresborough’s MP is reflected in his biggest wish for Britain, something that lies close to his heart but doesn’t put bums on seats in the world of politics, nor, usually, with the public – long-term infrastructure.

Although he has never sat in Cabinet proper, Andrew Jones has held several junior ministerial posts during his time as an MP, most notably:

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Department for Transport from May 2015 to June 2017.Exchequer Secretary to HM Treasury from June 2017 to January 2018.Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport from November 2018 to July 2019.

It’s significant that all of his postings have been in departments fighting against the tide of government, trying to plan ahead for more than the current parliamentary term.

"2010, when I entered Parliament, feels like a long time ago but it’s only 12 years,” said Mr Jones.

"I’d like to think I’ve been a voice for infrastructure in Parliament to encourage long term investment, especially in transport.

"I battled to get the rolling stock review on trains on the Northern line.

"HS2 to Manchester will be the first substantial new rail line in the north since Queen Victoria.

"My biggest wish would be to create political space for ministers to make long-term decisions.”