Sir Keir Starmer has faced accusations of buying “dirty Russian oil” after the UK quietly relaxed sanctions on Moscow, a move critics claim will boost Vladimir Putin. The decision has been condemned by senior Labour figures and branded “insane” by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch, who told the prime minister he should be “ashamed” that British money “will be used to fund the killing of Ukrainian soldiers”.
The government previously stated it would block Russian oil refined in third countries to “further restrict the flow of funds to the Kremlin”. However, with prices surging due to the Iran war, Sir Keir has shifted his stance and will now allow imports of jet fuel and diesel made from Russian oil and refined elsewhere. The prime minister insisted during Prime Minister’s Questions that he is not lifting sanctions on Russian oil “in any way whatsoever”.
Senior Labour MP Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said the people of Ukraine have been “very let down” by the move. Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko described the decision as putting a “question mark” over the UK’s friendship with Ukraine, warning it shows Russia that “everything can be bought and everything is at sale”.
Former defence secretary Grant Shapps told The Independent that the “embarrassing carve-out” was a “direct consequence” of the government’s energy policies. Lord Walney, former Labour MP and independent adviser on political violence, said the move “sends the opposite signal” and compromises national security. John Foreman of Chatham House called the decision “appalling”, warning it will “do little for UK consumers” while letting down Ukraine.
