Lawmaker: London may unilaterally lift sanctions from Russia if UK quits EU

LONDON, February 2. /TASS/. London can cancel anti-Russian sanctions unilaterally if the United Kingdom quits the European Union (EU), as it meets the interests of the two countries, UK Conservative Party lawmaker Daniel Kawczynski told TASS on Tuesday.

"We are part of the EU and we having a debate here at the moment as to whether or not we are going to continue to be the member of the EU," Kawczynski said. "We could have a referendum as early as the 23th of June. This is one of the reasons why some people want to leave the EU because at the moment it is very difficult for us to make a unilateral decision."

"A country which is not in the EU, will have a right to make its own decisions," the lawmaker said. "I think some people will be voting to pull out of the EU because they are fed up with the straight jacket constrains."

"If we do pull out of the EU I will be pressing the government at every opportunity to resign sanctions against Russia because I do not see them working," Kawczynski said. "I think they are damaging to both countries."

According to the lawmaker, foreign politicians should give an unbiased assessment of Russia’s reunification with Crimea.

"I said to Federica Mogherini — High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy — the other week in Brussels that if you think for a moment that Russians are going to give up Crimea, you are not really in the real world," he said.

The lawmaker said he does not believe that Russia wants to expand its borders further, so western countries will understand it soon.

Commenting on the government’s estimation of the lost revenue to the UK from the sanctions imposed against Russia, Kawczynski said "the government is very reticent actually and I will as a result of this meeting with you pose that question again."

"The government doesn’t really want to explain how much the loss revenue is. But I will continue to probe them," he said.

"While stay we continue to have sanctions against them, our competitors are hoovering up all the business," Kawczynski said "The Russians are turning to other counties to trade with. But who is it who loose in the end? It is not politicians, it is the ordinary men and women who are working hard whether they farmers, whether they are people with light industry factories, whether it is in the field of energy."

"I know of companies in my own constituency that have obviously lost contract because of the sanctions," he said.