Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is not lifting sanctions on Russian oil “in any way whatsoever,” following criticism over a new trade licence permitting imports of jet fuel and diesel refined in third countries.
The licence, which came into effect on Wednesday, allows the import of refined oil products amid surging costs linked to the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It has drawn sharp condemnation from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Labour’s Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Starmer’s Defence at PMQs
At Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch accused the government of having “snuck out an announcement that it was removing sanctions on Russian oil,” adding that Sir Keir “is now choosing to buy dirty Russian oil, that money will be used to fund the killing of Ukrainian soldiers.”
Sir Keir countered that Badenoch “hadn’t done her homework,” stating: “What we announced yesterday was a strong new package of new sanctions going well beyond existing sanctions. This includes new bans on maritime services on LNG and new bans on refined oil products from Russia. We also issued two targeted short-term licences to phase the new sanctions in and to protect UK consumers. That is standard practice.”
He emphasised that the licences are temporary and designed to phase in tougher measures, not lift existing ones. “This Government has phased in sanctions in this way before and the last government used exactly the same technique,” he said.
Cross-Party Criticism
Dame Emily Thornberry told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the move leaves allies feeling “very let down.” She said: “We are talking about our allies in Ukraine who have been fighting a war bravely against Russia for years and years with our support. They have looked to Britain as one of their most important allies, and they don’t understand, given that we promised that we would stop this loophole in October, and we still haven’t done it. In fact, it seems to have got worse.”
Badenoch also criticised the government’s energy policy, stating: “The fact is more people are buying Russian oil because British oil isn’t being drilled. He’s sanctioning British oil but not Russian oil, and he should be ashamed.” She accused the Prime Minister of “doing everything to save his job and doing nothing to save other people’s jobs.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey acknowledged a “trade-off” between cost-of-living pressures and support for Ukraine, noting that his party would review the changes. “The Government has a real challenge here, because this appalling war in Iran is pushing up the cost of living, is pushing up diesel and petrol prices. But we’ve also got to remember that we need to support our Ukrainian allies,” he told Sky News.
Sanctions Context
The sanctions were originally imposed as part of measures targeting Vladimir Putin’s economy after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The trade licence permits imports “indefinitely” but will be periodically reviewed as fuel prices rise due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing Middle East crisis. Sir Keir stressed that other countries, including EU members, Australia, and Canada, use similar mechanisms.
