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David Cameron, the Prime Minister, said Russia was to blame for ‘violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another country’ by invading Ukraine, so ‘we shall have to bring to bear diplomatic, political, economic and other pressures’. Britain, with Russia and the United States, is a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum of 1994, guaranteeing the ‘independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine’. Before flying to Kiev, William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, said: ‘The United Kingdom will join other G8 countries this week in suspending our co-operation under the G8, which Russia chairs this year.’ Later, an official was photographed holding a document that said that ‘the UK should not support for now trade sanctions or close London’s financial centre to Russians’, but mentioned possible travel bans on particular Russian figures.
Peter Robinson, the First Minister of Northern Ireland, offered to resign unless there was a judicial inquiry into secret letters sent by the British government to 187 Irish republicans ‘on the run’ telling them they were no longer wanted. David Cameron agreed to a judge-led inquiry. Ofcom ruled that broadcasters must give Ukip the same status as the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats in coverage of the European elections. Mr Cameron said in a speech that further public spending savings could be used to fund tax cuts. Councils in England were planning an average council tax increase of 0.6 per cent, a survey found. In the year ending last April, Liverpool Football Club lost £49.8 million.
Abroad
Thousands of Russian troops took control of the Crimean peninsula, an autonomous republic in Ukraine, surrounding Ukrainian military bases. The operation was carried out without fighting. A Russian ship blocked the entrance of the harbour at Sebastopol. Russia’s ambassador to the UN told the Security Council that Viktor Yanukovych (the ousted president of Ukraine) had written to President Vladimir Putin of Russia on 1 March to send troops to protect civilians.
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