Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Boris Johnson going ‘from dictator to dictator’ for oil, says Starmer

Boris Johnson going ‘from dictator to dictator’ for oil, says Starmer

Labour leader warns about replacing dependence on Russia with reliance on Saudis, as PM prepares for Gulf visit
Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator,” as the prime minister prepares to fly to Saudi Arabia to seek alternatives to Russian oil supplies.

Johnson has a personal relationship with the Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, and government sources suggest he could help persuade the Saudis to increase oil production. The prime minister defended the trip on Tuesday, saying he had to build a coalition of countries to help the west reduce its dependence on Vladimir Putin, likening the Russian leader to a drug dealer who had got the west hooked on his hydrocarbons.

Johnson said: “It’s vital, if we are going to stand up to Putin’s bullying, if we are going to avoid being blackmailed by Putin in the way that so many western countries sadly have been, we have got to get ourselves off Russian hydrocarbons.”

The investment minister, Gerald Grimstone, will join the trip in an attempt to secure more investment in green technology in the UK.

But concern in Britain and elsewhere about the Saudis’ record on human rights has intensified after Riyadh executed 81 men last weekend. Prince Mohammed is believed by US intelligence to have ordered the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

Starmer stopped short of calling for Johnson to cancel his trip, which will also take in the UAE, but warned against replacing a long-term dependence on Russian oil, with a reliance on the Saudis.

“Obviously there’s a real energy crisis in terms of the cost at the moment, so anything that brings the cost down now is a step in the right direction, whatever it is,” the Labour leader said. “But going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy”.

He accused the government of a short term, “slapdash” approach to tackling the energy crisis. “There’s a pattern here which is short term, in the heat of the moment, slapdash. And that’s what happened in Afghanistan in August. The government was too slow to act; it was only in the heat of the moment it started acting, and then we all saw the consequences in August.

“It’s the same with refugees here, in terms of slow, behind the curve, in the heat of the moment – and in terms of energy, which is a shot term, slapdash approach instead of a long-term strategy.”

Starmer said instead of pursuing more supplies from Saudi Arabia, Johnson could bring down energy prices by implementing Labour’s plan to levy a windfall tax on oil producers.

“Oil and gas companies in the North Sea have made more profit than they expected because of the global price. In their own words, they say we’ve got more money than we know what to do with: so tax that, use that to reduce your energy bills,” he said.

Saudi Arabia is part of the Opec+ oil producers’ deal, of which Russia is also a member. It has so far been reluctant to increase production since the invasion of Ukraine led to rocketing prices.

Johnson announced last week that the UK would end the import of Russian oil by the end of this year, and was examining the case for ending gas imports.

The government is expected to publish a new energy independence plan later this month, including accelerated targets for boosting production of renewables, and a renewed focus on North Sea oil and gas.

In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Johnson admitted western countries had made a “terrible mistake” by letting Putin “get away” with annexing Crimea in 2014 and allowing themselves to become more dependent on Russian energy.

However, he told Britons that divesting from Russian power would be “painful” and that the financial help offered by the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to help with rising bills this year could not be afforded for long.

Sunak is expected to take limited measures to tackle the cost of living crisis in his spring statement next week, potentially including a cut to fuel duty.

Last month the chancellor announced measures to limit the impact of energy price rises, including a £150 council tax rebate for properties in band A to D and a £200 reduction in household bills, to be clawed back over five years.

But energy prices have surged higher since Russia invaded Ukraine, exacerbating the impact of price rises in other areas, and raising the spectre of inflation remaining high for much of the year.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×