Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Lord Ashcroft wrote a promotional biography of Rishi Sunak in 2020. Rishi is currently a British PM wannabe, after apparently orchestrating a cabinet coup against British PM Boris Johnson. In an interview, Ashcroft denied that it was a hagiography, but it clearly is: “Going For Broke: The Rise Of Rishi Sunak”, November 2020. Hagiography: “The writing of an admiring or idealized biography.” https://www.thefreedictionary.com/hagiography

Ashcroft went to Russia and met with “very high level” Russian sources for his book on David Cameron: “After reporting the critical views of anonymous Russian security sources on Cameron, Oakeshott and Ashcroft suggest it was possible that Cameron should have adopted a “more sophisticated and pragmatic stance” towards Russia and it could have had extra long-term benefits.” https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/11/profile-isabel-oakeshott-and-the-bad-boys-of-brexit

“Crimea crisis: David Cameron dares to poke the Russian bear: Backbench pressure, a desire to act with the US and commercial assurances see emboldened British stance over annexation” By Patrick Wintour, political editor Fri 21 Mar 2014 19.33 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/21/david-cameron-dares-poke-russian-bear-ukraine-crimea

“Isabel Oakeshott‪ @IsabelOakeshott‬: Final meetings at the Duma with @LordAshcroft” 15 May 2015: https://web.archive.org/web/20180610125320/https://twitter.com/IsabelOakeshott/status/599111131194466304

More recently, Ashcroft wrote a book criticizing Boris Johnson’s wife, which has been characterized as a “hit-piece”: “First Lady – Intrigue at the Court of Carrie and Boris Johnson”. Russia has gleefully covered this in Sputnik, as they wanted Boris out, and with the help of Lord Ashcroft and Rishi Sunak, Russia’s gotten what they want. Coincidence? Russia made threats against Boris Johnson, when he served as Foreign Minister, as well as having genocided Boris’ Circassian ancestors and sold his ancestress into slavery: https://miningawareness.wordpress.com/2019/07/24/russia-committed-genocide-against-boris-johnsons-circassian-ancestors-sold-his-ancestress-into-slavery-then-threatens-johnson-and-others-for-comparing-them-to-nazis-2/ Russia hates Boris so much, they’ve given him a disrespectful nick-name: “BoJo’s Wife Says She Was Targeted by PM’s ‘Enemies’ Amid Ashcroft Book Claims”, Sputnik News: https://web.archive.org/web/20220207062643/https://sputniknews.com/20220207/bojos-wife-says-she-was-targeted-by-pms-enemies-amid-ashcroft-book-claims-1092811381.html

Like Rishi Sunak’s ultra-rich heiress wife, Lord Ashcroft is notorious for claiming non-domicile status to avoid UK taxes. Lord Ashcroft claims Belize residency and Rishi Sunak’s wife has claimed India residency. Meanwhile, Rishi hid his US permanent residency (green) card, until at least last year, after he was caught.

Anti-British/pro-Russian conspiracy theorist, Gennady Sokolov, is quoted in, and was apparently interviewed for, Ashcroft’s book on former British PM Cameron, “Call Me Dave” (Ashcroft & Oakeshott, 2015). Sokolov appears to specialize in conspiracy theory articles about MI6 and/or the Royal Family.

Ashcroft also appears to have interviewed KGB colonel Igor Prelin who, according to Ashcroft, “coached a young spy named Vladimir Putin in the dark arts of espionage”. In the Acknowledgments, Ashcroft states that it was “journalist Will Stewart and his excellent team in Moscow connected us with current Kremlin and former KGB sources”. (Ashcroft & Oakeshott, 2015)

“Russian spies pictured at secret Moscow dinner where plot to install Vladimir Putin first emerged” It was an odd collection of spooks who gathered round a candlelit table of Moscow’s Fairy Tale restaurant – which had been emptied of other diners just for them L to R: CIA defector Edward Lee Howard had fled US in 1985; FBI agent Robert Eringer was sent to Moscow on secret mission; KGB Colonel Igor Prelin boasted of new Soviet era; and KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov was honoured by leader Putin” By Nigel Nelson Political Editor, 18 Mar 2018 “Prelin mused: “What will Washington think when the Soviet Union re-emerges?” https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/russia-spy-dinner-vladimir-putin-12207016

“Oakeshott herself has been willing to make links with the Russian security services in the past. Her last major book was a biography of David Cameron entitled Call Me Dave, which was co-written with Ashcroft and serialised over several days in the Daily Mail.

In the book Oakeshott and Ashcroft describe attempting to contact “current Kremlin and KGB” individuals for information on the then prime minister, before being summoned to a five-star hotel in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi to meet a “very high-level source” and going on to meet figures at the Russian parliament.

After reporting the critical views of anonymous Russian security sources on Cameron, Oakeshott and Ashcroft suggest it was possible that Cameron should have adopted a “more sophisticated and pragmatic stance” towards Russia and it could have had extra long-term benefits.

Call Me Dave prompted a week’s worth of headlines over” lurid claims about Cameron and “a dead pig at a University of Oxford party, eventually forcing Cameron into a public denial.[1]

The story garnered global attention, with pigs becoming a regular symbol at anti-Tory protests. However, Oakeshott later told a book festival that the source for her story “could have been slightly deranged” and admitted she would have struggled to get the story into the Sunday Times. [2]

She added that there is “no need for burden of proof on a colourful anecdote where we’re quite upfront about our own reservations about whether to take it seriously”.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/27/david-cameron-denies-lord-ashcroft-allegations-call-me-dave-dead-pig [2] https://www.theguardian.com/media/mediamonkeyblog/2015/oct/09/isabel-oakeshott-david-cameron-piggatecall-me-dave Excerpts Courtesy of Guardian News & Media Ltd. The Guardian allows excerpts of up to 500 words from an article for personal blogs. See the article in its entirety here: “Profile: Isabel Oakeshott and The Bad Boys of Brexit: Journalist at centre of storm over leaked emails linking Brexit campaign donor with Russian officials” 11 June 2018: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/11/profile-isabel-oakeshott-and-the-bad-boys-of-brexit

“Squealer Ashcroft wanted to become Defence Secretary: Why billionaire donor took such vicious revenge on PM in hatchet biography”  By Simon Walters for The Mail on Sunday 26 Sep 2015: “A well-placed source said: ‘It was totally unrealistic for Michael to think he could be given such a senior role when he wasn’t even an elected MP, let alone with all the other controversy that swirls around him.’.. ‘Ashcroft is wrong to claim he gave the Tories £8 million,’ said the insider. ‘Much of it was in the form of loans and Feldman made sure it was paid back as soon as possible so Ashcroft had no leverage over us.’…” https://web.archive.org/web/20220710052713/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3250441/amp/Squealer-Ashcroft-wanted-Defence-Minister-billionaire-donor-took-vicious-revenge-PM-hatchet-biography.html

“Lord Ashcroft ‘not settling scores’ with David Cameron book” Published 21 September 2015 “The former Tory donor admitted to having personal “beef” with the prime minister after not being offered a major job in the coalition government. The prime minister’s spokeswoman said she did “not see the need to dignify the book by offering any comment”. “The author has set out his reasons for writing it,” she added.” https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-34312744

“Russian journalist Gennady Sokolov, thought to have close ties with the Kremlin, said in a 2014 interview shown in the programme: “If the letters discovered by Blunt were published in due time, it would lead to a huge scandal, the result of which could be the fall of the dynasty”. See: “Is Putin poised to unleash secret files on wartime Windsors to ‘bring down Royal Family’? VLADIMIR Putin may hold secret files on the wartime generation of the Windsors which could be used to blackmail the Royal Family and “bring down the dynasty”, a documentary will claim.” By David Stephenson, Sun, Apr 4, 2021 https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1418805/Royal-family-secret-files-vladimir-putin-queen-Elizabeth-and-the-spy-in-the-palace
Gennady Sokolov called a “pro-Putin” author: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/1740227/boris-berezovsky-was-assassinated-by-british-secret-services-because-he-had-highly-embarrassing-photos-of-prince-philip-author-sensationally-claims/ More Sokolov, who was quoted in Ashcroft book on Cameron: https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/367713/What-was-MI6-team-doing-in-Paris-the-night-Princess-Diana-died

More about Sokolov: “the latest laughable version to be published in a Russian newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda… In a lengthy two-part article, journalist Yevgeny Chernykh interviews writer and “special services historian”, Gennady Sokolov. Sokolov has apparently carried out a great deal of research in England, which leads him to the conclusion that, “for more than four centuries, perfidious Albion has been conducting an undeclared war on Moscow”. See: “Britain’s been attacking Russia for 400 years!”: Russian disinformation plumbs new depths in the Skripal case” https://www.stopfake.org/en/britain-s-been-attacking-russia-for-400-years-russian-disinformation-plumbs-new-depths-in-the-skripal-case/

Another intel services Sokolov: “Russian FSB Major General Sergei Sokolov, 59, has been found dead in Moscow.” https://www.unian.info/world/10492824-russian-fsb-major-general-found-dead-in-moscow.html

News Release on Lord Ashcroft’s hagiography of Rishi Sunak. In an interview Ashcroft denied that it was a hagiography, but it clearly is. “Going For Broke: The Rise Of Rishi Sunak – New Publication By Lord Ashcroft“
NEWS PROVIDED BY Lord Ashcroft 29 Oct, 2020, 08:00 GMT https://web.archive.org/web/20210303055348/https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/going-for-broke-the-rise-of-rishi-sunak-new-publication-by-lord-ashcroft-872383147.html
The reader may recall that Ghislaine’s father, Robert Maxwell, published hagiographies about eastern European dictators.

“Who on earth is Lord Ashcroft? Meet the man who’s made a pig of the prime minister.” BY ROBERT COLVILE September 21, 2015 Excerpt: “He has a large following on Twitter, where he often issues cutting commentaries on Tory policy. He has his companies, his charity interests, his yachts — and, having resigned from the Lords, he is able to keep his title while basing himself firmly and profitably in Belize. Now, with his book having set the entire nation gossiping about David Cameron’s purported porcine proclivities, he has had his revenge, too.” https://www.politico.eu/article/who-on-earth-is-lord-ashcroft/

“LORD ASHCROFT: Spy who said Dave asked KGB to get him drugs after peculiar meeting with two men on beach in Crimea
* Two Russian men came up to Cameron and friend while they sunbathed
* Chatted and asked them out to dinner – but questioned them about UK
* Cameron speculated 21 years later that both were probably KGB agents 
* Kremlin dismissed this, claiming the men were notorious homosexuals”
By MICHAEL ASHCROFT and ISABEL OAKESHOTT FOR THE DAILY MAIL, PUBLISHED: 19:47 EDT, 22 September 2015 | UPDATED: 05:13 EDT, 23 September 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20210523185213/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3245547/LORD-ASHCROFT-Spy-said-Dave-asked-KGB-drugs-peculiar-meeting-two-men-beach-Crimea.html

Shortly before Lord Ashcroft would have started his book in 2014: “Russian ‘invasion’ of Crimea fuels fear of Ukraine conflict: White House issues warning to Kremlin, as Ukrainian official claims 2,000 Russian troops have arrived in peninsula” By Shaun Walker in Kiev, Harriet Salem in Sevastopol and Ewen MacAskill Sat 1 Mar 2014 00.27 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/28/russia-crimea-white-house
We’ve read that Ashcroft and co-author spend around 10 months on each of their books.

“PM statement on President Putin’s actions on Crimea
David Cameron has made a statement about President Putin’s actions to attempt to annex Crimea.
From: Prime Minister’s Office, 10 Downing Street and The Rt Hon David Cameron
Published
18 March 2014 The Prime Minister said:
The steps taken by President Putin today to attempt to annex Crimea to Russia are in flagrant breach of international law and send a chilling message across the continent of Europe.

Britain depends on the stability and security of the international order. That relies on a rules based system where those who ignore it face consequences. And that’s why the EU and the United States have already imposed sanctions.

It is completely unacceptable for Russia to use force to change borders, on the basis of a sham referendum held at the barrel of a Russian gun. President Putin should be in no doubt that Russia will face more serious consequences and I will push European leaders to agree further EU measures when we meet on Thursday.

The choice remains for President Putin: take the path of de-escalation or face increasing isolation and tighter sanctions.” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-statement-on-president-putins-actions-on-crimea

Lord Ashcroft is a strange and (apparently) contradictory case. He claims to want the British military beefed up, but doesn’t want to pay British taxes on non-British earnings. He’s a patron of the Imperial War Museum, but that’s presumably tax deductible and doesn’t help build the current military. Although in the opening (sample) pages to the book “White Flag”, he raises concerns about the dangers of Russia, this could also have been a cover to interview British military and give the information to Russia. To completely evaluate the book, it would be necessary to read the entire book, which would require buying it, which we refuse to do.

Author of the Intro of Ashcroft’s book on the British military “White Flag”, 2018, is a reportedly hard-drinking General, who was a student of the Russian language, and who allowed Russia to orchestrate their sneak take-over of the Pristina airport, by disobeying General Wesley Clark’s orders. The situation has been widely misreported/misrepresented in English media, largely because Jackson gave the media a glib sound-bite of a style to make Kremlin propagandists proud: “General Sir Mike Jackson: He has a degree in Russian and a legendary capacity for drink. And when his American counterpart asked him to take on the Russians, he told him where to go. A brief illustrated guide to Britain’s chief peacekeeper” “According to Newsweek, Gen Wesley Clark, the American commander of the Nato action, wanted Gen Mike to send an assault squad of paratroopers to Pristina airport to stop the Russians getting there first… ‘I’m not going to start the Third World War for you,’ he is quoted as saying…”https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/1999/aug/04/features11.g24
Notice that Clark wanted to “stop the Russians getting there”. The Russians traveled 600 km and so the NATO peacekeepers could have gotten there first. Thus, there would be no conflict. Russia brags about this, and Putin has even tried to take credit. Russia has always supported Serbia and they even brag that they “blindsided NATO”: “Pristina stand-off: How Moscow blindsided NATO with secret Kosovo airport raid 20 years ago” 11 Jun, 2019 14:45 HomeWorld News https://web.archive.org/web/20220305221448/https://www.rt.com/news/461603-russian-raid-pristina-airport/ And, so, General Mike Jackson, who was first trained as a UK military intelligence officer, and speaks Russian, allowed Russia to take the Pristina airport. Jackson was also involved in the Bloody Sunday killing of civilians in Ireland, which worsened the conflict there.

– https://theglobalherald.com/news/general-mike-jackson-tells-gb-news-what-advice-he-would-give-boris-johnson-over-ukraine/

“Paradise Papers: Lord Ashcroft stayed non-dom despite pledges“
By Paradise Papers reporting team , BBC Panorama, Published, 5 November 2017 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-41879422

Interesting that Rishi Sunak used the term “fairy tale” against opponents.
“Russian spies pictured at secret Moscow dinner where plot to install Vladimir Putin first emerged: It was an odd collection of spooks who gathered round a candlelit table of Moscow’s Fairy Tale restaurant – which had been emptied of other diners just for them L to R: CIA defector Edward Lee Howard had fled US in 1985; FBI agent Robert Eringer was sent to Moscow on secret mission; KGB Colonel Igor Prelin boasted of new Soviet era; and KGB chief Vladimir Kryuchkov was honoured by leader Putin By Nigel Nelson, Political Editor, 18 Mar 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20211223012112/https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/russia-spy-dinner-vladimir-putin-12207016