FORMER Keighley and Ilkley MP John Grogan has been sanctioned by President Putin along with 286 other British politicians, the vast majority of whom are current Members of Parliament.

He is now banned from entering Russia.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said that the penalty should be regarded as 'a badge of honour' by all those affected.

Mr Grogan said: "I was proud to chair the All Party Parliamentary Group on Ukraine from 2005-2010 and strongly supported the Orange Revolution of 2005 in Ukraine which successfully forced a fresh Presidential election after a Kremlin backed candidate had rigged the first ballot. In 2008 I represented the British Government in Kyiv at a ceremony when a monument was unveiled commemorating the Holodomor which was a man made famine of the Ukrainian peasantry in the 1930’s deliberately caused by Stalin. Then as now a Russian leader was threatening the very existence of the Ukrainian people and nation."

In recent years John has worked closely with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain and visited Ukraine in late January 2022 just three weeks before the Russian invasion.

He added: "Nobody I had discussions with predicted that President Putin would launch a full scale assault on their neighbour but it was evident that if he did so there would be massive resistance. One person I met is from the Russian speaking city of Kharkiv and his grandfather was a Hero of the Soviet Union fighting Hitler in the second world war. The family are now enthusiastic supporters of Ukraine and like most of their fellow citizens in that city do not want to lose their freedom. I am pleased that in the United Kingdom there is widespread cross party backing for Ukraine and we must be prepared for a long haul."