(Lab): On
energy, the UK and Europe must also consider our overreliance on
Russian energy supplies, including the proposals for
the Nord Stream
2 pipeline which could fuel—bit of a pun there—even
further dependency. On that point, can the noble Baroness the
Leader confirm what recent steps the Government have taken to
press for the cancellation of Nord Stream
2 Given recent reports that the United States is
in talks with gas-producing Gulf states to increase supplies in
the event of Russian invasion—however viable that may be or
otherwise—can the noble Baroness confirm whether Ministers are
currently engaging with European allies which are particularly
reliant on Russian gas? While the impact on our supply may be
less, it could well put further upward pressure on prices...
The Lord Privy Seal () (Con):...The
noble Baroness asked about energy. As she knows and said, we are
not dependent on Russian gas supply; in fact, less than 3% of our
gas was sourced from Russia in 2020. We meet around half of our
supply from within British territorial waters and the vast
majority of imports comes from reliable suppliers such as Norway.
She is absolutely right: in our view, Nord
Stream 2 is not compatible with Russia’s aggressive
actions and we remain opposed to it. We regularly raise our
concerns about Nord Stream
2 with our European colleagues and will continue to
do so...
(Con): My
Lords, my noble friend mentioned the number of Russians who died
in the war, but one must not forget the number of Poles killed
and murdered when, together with Germany, the Soviet Union
attacked Poland. To what extent do the Government really feel
that, in the end, the only thing that is really important to
Putin is the pipeline, and whether Germany, in due course, will
give way to allowing it, because it needs that gas?
(Con): As I said in response to the noble Baroness’s
question about Nord Stream
2 we do not believe that it is compatible with
Russia’s aggressive actions. We remain opposed to it and we
continue to raise our concerns with our allies and partners to
highlight the strategic risks of this project.
To read all the exchanges, CLICK HERE
