Use oligarchs’ homes to house refugees, Gove insists

Michael Gove has repeated plans to use the homes of sanctioned Russian oligarchs to house Ukrainian refugees. The housing secretary said the properties could be adopted for “humanitarian” purposes. Gove told the BBC: “I want to explore an option which would allow us to use the homes and properties of sanctioned individuals for humanitarian and other purposes.” He conceded that there was “quite a high legal bar to cross and we are not talking about permanent confiscation”. He added: “But we are saying, ‘You’re sanctioned, you’re supporting Putin, this home is here, you have no right to use or profit from it – and more than that, while you are not using or profiting from it, if we can use it in order to help others, let’s do that.’” In the case of Roman Abramovich, the owner of Chelsea FC, whom the government sanctioned last week, Gove’s idea would release at least 70 properties worth an estimated £500m. These include a 15-bedroom mansion, valued at £150m, and a three-storey, £30m penthouse in Chelsea. The Times (£)