Minister defends relaxing some Russian oil sanctions with Starmer set to face PMQs grilling – UK politics live

Minister defends relaxing some Russian oil sanctions with Starmer set to face PMQs grilling – UK politics live

On the Today programme, asked why the government was putting keeping down the cost of flights abroad above the need to support Ukraine, he replied:

double quotation markI reject the binary that you’ve offered me, there.

I think it is entirely possible, and plausible, and as in fact what the government is doing, to have one of the strongest sanction regimes in the world, to be leading the international effort to support Ukraine, and to make sure that Vladimir Putin doesn’t get what he wants from his things.

And at the same time, to take responsible choices that prioritise, rightly as we should, the domestic security, the family finances here in the UK, and the ability for important products to be available not just for holidays but for international movement of freight and goods and business activity as well.

And that’s why this time-limited change has been announced by the government.

Rachel Reeves is ​preparing to announce a planning shake-up ‌that would fast-track clean energy ​and infrastructure projects by curbing judicial reviews, the ​Treasury has said. Lauren Almeida has the story.

Dan Tomlinson, a Treasury minister, defended the government’s decision to relax some sanctions on Russian oil in interviews this morning. He also insisted the move would be time-limited.

On the Today programme, asked why the government was putting keeping down the cost of flights abroad above the need to support Ukraine, he replied:

double quotation markI reject the binary that you’ve offered me, there.

I think it is entirely possible, and plausible, and as in fact what the government is doing, to have one of the strongest sanction regimes in the world, to be leading the international effort to support Ukraine, and to make sure that Vladimir Putin doesn’t get what he wants from his things.

And at the same time, to take responsible choices that prioritise, rightly as we should, the domestic security, the family finances here in the UK, and the ability for important products to be available not just for holidays but for international movement of freight and goods and business activity as well.

And that’s why this time-limited change has been announced by the government.

Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, has also been posting on social media about the government’s decision to relax some sanctions on Russian oil. She says:

double quotation markLabour’s ridiculous energy policies have weakened Britain and must be reversed.

The British Government should not be in a position where it relaxes sanctions on Russian energy or helps to strengthen Putin’s energy revenues.

Yesterday Labour voted against our domestic oil and gas industry in Parliament. They must immediately change course and stop trying to shut down the North Sea.

double quotation markLabour’s energy policies and their ideological approach has weakened our country’s energy security.

Russian oil is not the solution to cost of living pressures or the headwinds facing businesses.

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has said his party will look in detail at the plans to relax sanctions on some Russian oil products and has concerns about support for Ukraine being undermined.

But he has not condemned the announcement outright – unlike Kemi Badenoch, who argues it shows the government’s refusal to allow new drilling for oil in the North Sea is “insane”. (See 8.55am.)

Here is Caroline Davies’s story about the government’s announcement last night.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Davey said:

double quotation markThe 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, they are fighting and paying a heavy, heavy price to beat that appalling Russian invasion, they’re on the front line of our defence and security, and the question is, has the government got that trade off right?

Davey said the Lib Dems wanted to consider the proposal in detail.

double quotation markThis proposal is complicated … because they’ve got some proposals where they’re tightening the sanctions at the same time, so it’s a package, and it only came up late last night. We will look at it. We’re really, really worried if there’s any undermining of our support for Ukraine.

Britain’s second most senior diplomat in Washington, who stood in as interim ambassador after the sacking of Peter Mandelson, has abruptly left his post, Ben Quinn reports.

Good morning. PMQs is back, and there are at least two obvious issues for Kemi Badenoch to raise when she faces Keir Starmer.

What Tories calls Starmer’s “Soviet-style” plan to curb supermarket prices

As Sarah Butler, Mark Sweney and Heather Stewart report, UK supermarkets have been asked by the government to consider freezing the prices of some essential foodstuffs to protect the public from inflation fuelled by the Middle East conflict.

This is not the same as the SNP’s proposal for mandatory price caps on essential food items in supermarkets. The UK government is looking at some sort of voluntary scheme.

On the Today programme, Dan Tomlinson, a Treasury minister, did not deny the story, but he stressed that this was “not a government announcement”, just a story about what ministers might be looking at. He said it was right for ministers to consider ideas that could help people with the cost of living.

This is unlikely to impress Badenoch. This is what her shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith, said about the story last night.

double quotation markThis is more nuts than a squirrel convention!

I warned Rachel Reeves prices would go up if she raised taxes and drowned employers in red tape. She didn’t listen and now she’s proposing Soviet style measures!

What Tories call Starmer’s “insane” energy policy

Last night the government announced that it is relaxing sanctions on Russian oil that has been refined into diesel and jet fuel in third countries. The technical details of the announcement are here.

This morning Badenoch claimed this showed that the government’s refusal to allow new drilling in the North Sea was “insane”.

double quotation markAfter 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.

Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.

We are now importing from Russia instead of drilling in the North Sea.