Extracts from Parliamentary proceedings: Nord Stream 2 - Feb 22
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Extract from Lordds debate on Revised Energy National Policy
Statements Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP):...Greens are often
accused of wishful thinking, but in my view, and in that of an
increasing number of people, we are the realists. The reality is
that we have the technology to reach net-zero carbon emissions in
the next few years; what we do not have is the political will. The
Government’s wishful thinking is that they can keep using oil and
gas, even beyond 2050....Request free
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Extract from Lordds debate on Revised Energy National Policy Statements Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP):...Greens are often accused of wishful thinking, but in my view, and in that of an increasing number of people, we are the realists. The reality is that we have the technology to reach net-zero carbon emissions in the next few years; what we do not have is the political will. The Government’s wishful thinking is that they can keep using oil and gas, even beyond 2050. Instead of using all the potential sources of renewables, they rely on non-existent “greenhouse gas removal technologies” —more wishful thinking—to square this circle in reaching net zero. This is the wishful thinking of politicians who have taken dirty money from the dirty-fuel industries. I am sure the Minister knows that Germany has just cancelled the Nord Stream 2 undersea natural gas pipeline and is saying that it will overhaul its energy supply strategy. I would so love the Government to do this, and I would give them full credit for it... Extracts from Lords repeat of Commons statement on Ukraine The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con):...The noble Lord rightly mentioned today’s announcement by Chancellor Scholz of Germany, which we very much welcome, that he has instructed his economic ministry to withdraw its earlier security of supply report on Nord Stream 2 with the consequence that it will not be certified for operation. Again, that is something that we have been talking to the German Government about, and we are grateful for and pleased by this morning’s news... Lord McDonald of Salford (CB): My Lords, the Leader has made clear that sanctions will be the cornerstone of the UK’s response. To be effective, sanctions have to be international and co-ordinated. The country that is sanctioning suffers along with the country that is sanctioned. So if Germany is to do everything we need on energy—not just Nord Stream 2 but Nord Stream 1, which provides 55 billion cubic metres of gas per year for Germany—and all of that has to be in place, so must everything that the UK can contribute via the City of London. This needs to be an international effort. It would usually be co-ordinated through the United Nations, but the Security Council is clearly not available as the Russians have a veto, so in what international forum will HMG co-ordinate the necessary sanctions effort? For context, CLICK HERE Extracts from Commons statement on Ukraine Keir Starmer (Holborn and St Pancras) (Lab):...Russia should be excluded from financial mechanisms, such as SWIFT, and we should ban trading in Russian sovereign debt. Putin’s campaign of misinformation should be tackled. Russia Today should be prevented from broadcasting its propaganda around the world. We should work with our European allies to ensure that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline is cancelled. Whatever the sequencing of these sanctions, this will not be easy. Britain must work with our European allies to handle the disruption to the supply of energy and raw materials. We must defend ourselves and our allies against cyber-attacks. We must bring together the widest possible coalition of nations to condemn this action against a sovereign UN member state...
Dr Julian Lewis (New Forest East)
(Con): Does my right hon. Friend accept that too many NATO
Governments and political parties have accepted energy dependence
on Putin and financial dependence on dodgy donations from Russian
oligarchs? Given that we spent between 4.5% and 5% of GDP on
defence throughout the 1980s until the end of the cold war, will
he now accept 3% of GDP on defence as a suitable future
benchmark? Dr Liam Fox (North Somerset) (Con): I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. The UK Government have behaved with integrity and honour throughout the crisis. I echo his welcoming of Chancellor Scholz’s brave decision today to freeze Nord Stream 2 However, sanctions can only achieve so much when dealing with an undemocratic state and someone like Putin. What we are witnessing is the real-time cannibalisation of a European democratic state bite by bite. Ultimately, we will have either to ensure that Ukraine is given the means to defend itself from future aggression, or give some sort of security guarantee. Otherwise, we will find Russian troops on the borders of Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, which would be an absolute failure of western policy.
Dame Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire)
(Con): I really welcome the Prime Minister’s statement today
and in particular the level of cross-House agreement that we must
stand up to Russian aggression. I also welcome the decision by
Chancellor Scholz to suspend Nord Stream
2 It always was an incredibly risky project,
allowing great exposure to Russian gas. Will my right hon. Friend
assure the House that he is already considering what more can be
done to protect our allies and friends in eastern Europe from the
inevitable consequences of the risky position in which we find
ourselves, in the dead of winter, with so much dependence on
Russian gas? For context, CLICK HERE Extracts from Commons debate on Russian Sanctions Mr David Lammy (Tottenham) (Lab):...We should be introducing the full set of sanctions that is available to us now. Russia should be excluded from financial mechanisms such as SWIFT—the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications. We should ban trading in Russian sovereign debt. Donetsk and Luhansk should be subject to comprehensive trade embargoes. Putin’s campaign of misinformation must be tackled by preventing Russia Today from broadcasting its propaganda around the world. We should be working to support our allies in the EU to cancel Nord Stream 2 The Foreign Secretary says that we are in lockstep with our allies, but the reality is that our allies have gone further in sanctioning individuals in Putin’s regime. Why have we not done the same? Alyn Smith (Stirling) (SNP):...We support this enabling legislation. If anything, I suspect that it needs to go further and will need to be brought back in the fullness of time. I hope that the Minister is taking good notes—I am sure he is—of the genuine concern around the House, from all points of the compass. I have previously criticised the UK Government’s policy on Chinese malfeasance and illegality as being homeopathic. I struggle to find a word for this one other than it is weak tea. It is not nothing, but it is not much, particularly when set against the actions of the German Government in announcing the icing—the cancellation perhaps, but the icing certainly—of the Nord Stream 2 project, a $10 billion project, which has huge implications for their energy security, and indeed ours, given the interconnectedness of the EU and the European energy markets. Set against that, this is really small beer, and I cannot understand it... Sir Iain Duncan Smith (Chingford and Woodford Green) (Con):...I do not understand—but perhaps my right hon. Friend can explain to me—why we have not driven forward on the SWIFT banking system or the trading of sovereign debt, which would affect the Russians very much. I agree that the Germans have moved swiftly, as we know, to suspend Nord Stream 2—I would like to see them end the whole idea of it—but if they are going to do more, we should be co-operating with them and going in hard ourselves this one time... Layla Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon) (LD):...Late is better than never, so of course I am glad that the Government are now deciding to do more, but there is so much more still to do. Some £1.5 billion of UK property has been bought with suspicious Russian wealth, according to Transparency International, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. I do of course welcome the sanctions announced today, but Germany’s first tranche of sanctions was Nord Stream 2 Up to this point, for the last two weeks, the narrative was about how we had done more than Germany, but this is round one in the boxing match: Germany has brought Nord Stream 2 and we have brought five banks that do not really matter and three people whom the United States had already sanctioned... Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con):...Lots of people have talked today about Nord Stream 2 Obviously, I welcome the fact that there will be a sanction on that, in terms of preventing it from ever—at this point in time—pumping gas. However, we should not forget that no gas is travelling down Nord Stream 2 now and that all the gas comes into Germany on Nord Stream 1. Again, those oil and gas exports will continue into Germany and other nations. Clearly, there is a huge economic need for that gas going into Germany, but it is incumbent on us and on every nation across Europe—every peace-loving nation—to reduce our dependency on Russia in every economic area... For context, CLICK HERE |