Fylde MP Mark Menzies has been placed on the list of nearly 300 MPs who have been sanctioned with a travel ban by the Russian Foreign Ministry.

As well as MP Menzies, (number 140 on the list of 287 individuals), the Kremlin has targeted current ministers including Cabinet Office minister Steve Barclay, minister for Brexit opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg, trade minister Penny Mordaunt, and solicitor general Alex Chalk, as well as senior MPs such as Jeremy Hunt, Steve Baker, David Davis and Julian Lewis.  However, Blackpool South MP Scott Benton has currently escaped the ban!

Russia has also gone after Rory Stewart, Dominic Grieve and Sarah Wollaston, who haven’t been MPs since the 2019 election, and Charlie Elphicke, who stepped down after being found guilty on three counts of sexual assault.

In another error, Tory MP Heather Wheeler’s name appears twice, as the 18th and 206th entries, meaning there are actually just 286 names on the list. Meanwhile Alun Cairns’ name has been misspelled.

A translation of a statement reported by state-owned Russian news agency RIA Novosti said the sanctions were being applied “on the basis of reciprocity,” following the decision to sanction 386 members of the Duma after they backed Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

‘These persons, who are now banned from entering the Russian Federation, took the most active part in the establishment of anti-Russian sanctions instruments in London (and) contribute to the groundless whipping up of Russophobic hysteria in the UK,’ it read.

‘The hostile rhetoric and far-fetched accusations coming from the lips of British parliamentarians not only condone the hostile course of London, aimed at demonizing our country and its international isolation, but are also used by opponents of a mutually respectful dialogue with Russia to undermine the foundation of bilateral co-operation.’