The forum originally launched as Conservative Friends of Russia in 2012.
Richard Royal was Chair of the group that described itself as "an organisation created for those with an interest in Russian politics, business, history and culture, with the aim of strengthening relations between the British and Russian communities and informing political decision making within both countries." The group was launched in August 2012 at the
Russian Embassy in London.
Matthew Elliott was a founding member. The group's launch gained mixed reviews in the media from proponents and opponents of the conservatives, with some journalists questioning its neutrality. The group had several notable Parliamentarians on its board, including former Defence and Foreign Secretary Sir
Malcolm Rifkind as its Honorary President, and
John Whittingdale MP,
Andrew Rosindell MP,
Nigel Evans MP, and
Robert Buckland MP among its Honorary Vice Presidents.
Activities of the Conservative Friends of Russia The group hosted events in London and at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham in 2012. It also subsidised its members to attend an event featuring international lawyers discussing the
Pussy Riot incident, and hosted a debate on the
US Presidential Election and its impact upon the relationship between the two countries. It was active in the campaign calling on the UK Foreign Office to allow British Arctic Veterans of World War Two to receive the Russian
Ushakov Medal. On Remembrance Day 2012 it organised a letter signed by thirty two Members of Parliament demanding the veterans be allowed the medal. In December 2012 it claimed victory in its campaign (as the newly formed Westminster Russia Forum as the Prime Minister
David Cameron announced that a new medal would be created.
Controversy On 23 November 2012, the group publicly attacked the then chairman of the
All-party parliamentary group (APPG) on Russia,
Labour MP
Chris Bryant, through the publication of a press release featuring a 10-year old picture, extracted from a dating website, depicting the MP in underwear. The press release was coincidental with the chair of the All-party parliamentary group on Russia being due for renewal. Shortly afterwards,
Sir Malcolm Rifkind, who had served as a minister under
Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and
John Major, and was then chairman of the
Intelligence and Security Committee, resigned from the group, saying he had been unhappy for some time about the group's behaviour and "political direction". At the end of November 2012 it emerged that the group's key contact at the Russian Embassy in London was First Secretary
Sergey Nalobin, the son of a
KGB/
FSB general, whose brother also served in the FSB.
Renaming The group's Board lost all of its Conservative MPs amid allegations of being too close to the Russian authorities and it was rebranded as the Westminster Russia Forum, a
non-partisan group, which claims to promote an open platform to debate various issues such as international diplomacy, energy security and internal political systems. The group was officially launched in late 2012 and has since gone on to host numerous events throughout the UK, covering a variety of topics such as
LGBT rights in Russia, with guest speakers
Peter Tatchell and Claire Harvey. ==Activities==