Last week as the General Election unfolded, the Sussex Bylines editorial team each selected a key issue that they asked the new Prime Minister to address as a matter of urgency. The team consists of writers and editors from a range of left and progressive parties and their letters expressed their individual views.
Dear Sir Keir
British companies supporting Russian trade in liquified natural gas
I want to bring to your attention and that of the newly elected members of Parliament an important anomaly concerning Russian gas exports, as revealed by Sky News. This is a growing trade in liquified natural gas (LNG) being sold by Russia to countries in Europe with the aid of British companies. Now that you are in power, I would ask you to take urgent action on this matter.
Whilst the UK and EU countries have imposed wide-ranging sanctions and price caps on shipments of Russian oil, no such controls exist for LNG. There was a 40% increase in Russian LNG imports in 2023 and half of all Russia’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports last year went to the EU. UK firms are enabling Putin’s regime to export to the EU. This has involved shipping ownership and insurance. Transportation is provided by LNG tankers like the Yakov Gakkel shuttling between Siberia and various ports in Europe – Zeebrugge, Dunkirk, Montoir and Bilbao – whilst Russia prosecutes its invasion of Ukraine.
The money Russia makes from gas sales helps Putin pay for his war machine. As you will know, Ukraine has been under attack again by missiles fired by Putin’s forces. In despicably cruel acts we have witnessed missiles targeting civilians, including a children’s hospital. All the more reason for your government to act.
After the Nord Stream pipeline, the single biggest source of European gas imports, was sabotaged in late 2022, Russia’s pipeline gas into Europe dropped dramatically, but the amount of Russian LNG coming into Europe has risen to record levels. Today, as Sky News reports, Europe still depends on Russia for around 15% of its gas, an ever-growing proportion of which now comes in via the sea lanes, on tankers like the Yakov Gakkel.
The Sky News report adds: “Before the election was called, the UK Parliamentary Treasury Select Committee was in the middle of collecting evidence for its own inquiry into this situation, which was expected to focus on insurers of vessels transporting Russian goods. However, the inquiry was wound up prematurely when the election was called in May.”
I ask your government to re-establish the committee as a matter of some urgency and I hope that by ending the possibility of British insurers supporting Russian goods on the high seas, it will make it even more difficult for Putin to fund his war in Ukraine.
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