In showing the mirror to a hypocritical British society, Russia-born media tycoon Evgeny Lebedev, who owns both the Independent and Evening Standard newspapers, has only underlined what many have known for long. Writing in one of his papers, Lebedev, who was controversially given a life peerage by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020, said this week, Nowadays, being Russian ~ even with British citizenship ~ is enough. Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine Ive been turned down by all manner of businesses and institutions, who applaud their anti-Russian sentiment as a symbol of moral rectitude after spending decades prostrating for the attention of Russian money. Lebedev, the son of a former KGB officer and Russian oligarch, cited several instances of the hypocrisy he had faced.

These included a decision by the London Coliseum, which had previously hosted theatre awards hosted by his newspaper, choosing not to do so now; refusal by an insurer to renew coverage purchased by the Evening Standard, and even reluctance shown by a London law firm to draft his will. All of this was the consequence, Mr Lebedev claimed, of a campaign to taint him because of his origins, a tactic which according to him has seen pariahs made of all Russians, rich and poor, in Britain. In words that ought to serve as a slap but will likely be water off a ducks back, Mr Lebedev said: Its not enough that I called for the war to end in the first week of the invasion, on the front page of the free London paper I rescued from financial ruin. I need a new surname, a new passport, and a new speech therapist to train the Ruski accent out of me. Businesses that were once so far up my backside you couldnt see their legs are so deluded they feel they can now pass judgement on me based purely on hearsay.

Others with origins outside the United Kingdom who poured their money and industry into the United Kingdom, and contributed to keeping afloat the countrys institutions which had been ravaged by serial acts of profligacy, have faced similar snubs from Britains business and aristocratic elite. A case in point is that of Eygptian-born businessman Mohammed Al Fayed who faced a series of chastisements from the establishment until he chose to take it on.

While Mr Al Fayed is now largely reconciled to his position, having even sold his stake in that most British of institutions, Harrods, it is clear that the current generation of foreign-origin business-men who in a sense Mr Lebedev represents, will not take slights, real or imagined, lying down. While his salvo in the newspaper that he owns concludes by saying that Russophobia has become an easy way for companies to signal their virtue, the British will do well to remember that while wars end, businesses must go on. The City of London needs the money of oligarchs, sheikhs and even carpetbaggers to run.

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