The father of UK peer and media tycoon Evgeny Lebedev has been sanctioned by the Canadian authorities.

Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB operative who gained money in post-Soviet Russia, has been added to Canada’s current list of Russian government supporters.

“Russian billionaires, their family members, and close allies who were sanctioned for directly enabling Vladimir Putin’s misguided war in Ukraine and bear responsibility for the anguish and suffering of the Ukrainian people,” according to the list.

Lord Lebedev, the owner of the Independent and London Evening Standard newspapers, was knighted in 2020 after being controversially nominated by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

However, doubts have been raised concerning security concerns voiced about him at the time.

Lord Lebedev has previously stated that he is a proud British citizen and does not pose a security danger.

Angela Rayner, Labor’s deputy leader, said her party was clear that anyone with ties to the KGB should be sanctioned.

Conservatives had also been “too slow and too mild” in imposing sanctions on anyone with ties to Putin.

She claimed Johnson was breaking the rules to protect his pals, and that despite security concerns, he had failed to divulge vital evidence connected to the appointment of the younger Lebedev to the House of Lords.