Business tycoon behind scrapped £1.2bn Aquind scheme set to take legal action against MP Penny Mordaunt

Alexander Temerko said he would bring unspecified legal action against Ms Mordaunt personally, describing her as the ‘biggest threat to security’ after she successfully campaigned against the project that would have seen electrical cables from France installed through the city.

As reported, Portsmouth North MP, a former defence secretary, had warned the Aquind link was a threat to Britain’s ‘energy security’ as she urged ministers to prevent the plans going ahead.

Aquind Limited, part-owned by Russian-born former oil tycoon Victor Fedotov, has donated at least £430,000 to the Tory Party and MPs.

Mr Temerko, a British citizen who was born in the former Soviet Union and is a director of the company, has given more than £730,000.

In an interview with the PA news agency, Mr Temerko expressed anger at the Conservative MP’s intervention as he struck out at Mr Kwarteng’s ‘unusual decision’ last week.

‘We are preparing a judicial review and we are considering action against Penny Mordaunt because there’s something in her statement that was absolutely wrong,’ the donor said.

Mr Temerko also said he was considering writing a ‘letter to the Prime Minister,’ with whom he describes being ‘political friends for many years,’ over Ms Mordaunt’s role in government.

‘She must be silent if she is a minister, if she wants to be an active politician she should resign,’ Mr Temerko said.

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On Thursday Mr Kwarteng decided to ‘refuse development consent’ having considered his obligations under the energy national policy statement.

Ahead of his decision, Ms Mordaunt said that Aquind’s plans would make Britain more reliant on France, allowing Paris to ‘use future energy supply as a bargaining chip.’

Mr Temerko claimed her comments made her a ‘warmonger,’ adding: ‘It’s absolutely dreadful if you want to just punish my business, and at the same time she tried to punish all business of interconnectors with France and Europe.

‘It’s very unprofessional, she is a threat to security. Penny Mordaunt is the biggest threat to security for our country.’

Mr Temerko said he has six weeks to bring the judicial review against the government, and would not state what kind of action he would bring against Ms Mordaunt.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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