London bans Russian ambassador from attending British Parliament

Russia’s ambassador to the UK, Andrey Kelin, is to be banned from Parliament’s estate in Westminster “until further notice” according to a message sent out by the Commons Speaker and the Lord Speaker on June 20.

The ban, which also applies to all other accredited Russian diplomats and officials in the UK, has been operating informally since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, but has now been confirmed in writing for the first time, The Guardian reports.

The note to parliamentarians from Sir Lindsay Hoyle and Lord McFall reads: "As the formally accredited representative of the Russian government, the ambassador will not be welcomed onto the parliamentary estate until further notice.

The email was accompanied by a Foreign Office guidance note for the 265 MPs and 154 peers recently banned by Moscow from entering Russia.

It said: "We anticipate that if a sanctioned individual applied for a Russian visa it would be refused, and if they arrived at the border they would be prevented from entering Russia and deported at the earliest opportunity".

Travel is also not advised to areas under Russian “control or influence” including Belarus, Transnistria in Moldova, Crimea, along the Armenia/Azerbaijan border and the occupied Donbas region of Ukraine, the note added.