In a major test of UK diplomatic heft in a post-Brexit era, the UK has been putting out feelers to sense what countries would be prepared to do in a show of solidarity.

In a sign that some EU countries will put the emphasis on the UK to put its own house in order, rather than agree new collective steps, Norbert Röttgen, chairman of Germany’s parliamentary foreign affairs committee, said the case showed the need to target the fudged boundary between the Russian state security apparatus and organised crime. “The case should be a reason for Britain to examine its open stance towards Russian capital of dubious origin,” Röttgen said.

MEPs were questioning whether the UK would use new legislation – such as unexplained wealth orders that are included in the Criminal Finance Act 2017 – to challenge some Russian millionaires living in London. Ministers have insisted the orders will be used but say they cannot risk using them in a way that undermines the UK’s reputation for judicial independence.