Boris Johnson hints North Sea oil production could be ramped up to cut off Russia

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch premier Mark Rutte that Britain could look at “intensifying” the UK’s own domestic production of oil. It comes as western leaders look to reduce dependency on Russia’s oil and gas in response the Vladimir Putin’s assault on Ukraine. 

Mr Johnson told the press conference: “We will do everything that we can to ensure that we have substitutes and substitute supply.

“So one of the things that we’re looking at is the possibility of using more of our own hydrocarbons.”

He added: “That doesn’t mean that we are in any way abandoning our commitment to reducing co2.

“You can do that but we’ve got to reflect the reality that there is a crunch on at the moment, we need to intensify our self-reliance as a transition with more hydrocarbons.”

 

“But what we also need to do is go for more nuclear and much more use of renewable energy and I’m going to be setting out an energy strategy and energy supply strategy for the country that in the days ahead, so that people have a sense of how we’re going to meet people’s needs over the short, medium, and long term.”

Mr Johnson also branded Putin’s tactics in Ukraine “repugnant” and said additional sanctions would follow.

He told a Downing Street press conference: “The president of Russia is plainly doubling down. He has decided that he is going to continue with an all-out onslaught on centres of habitation in a way that we think is utterly repugnant.

“It’s clear that we’re going to have to do more.”

 

The Prime Minister also said on Monday Europe could not simply shut down the use of oil and gas overnight but that countries should move together quickly to look beyond Russia for its oil and gas supplies.

Asked whether there would be a European ban on oil imports from Russia, he told a news conference: “There are different dependencies in different countries, and we have to mindful of that, and you can’t simply close down the use of oil and gas overnight even from Russia.”

“We can go fast in the UK … what we need to do is to make sure we are all moving the same direction … and that we accelerate that move and I think that’s what you are going to see.”

Mr Johnson also defended the UK’s sanctions regime against claims that London-based oligarchs were not being targeted.

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He told a Downing Street press conference the Economic Crime Bill going through the Commons on Monday would add to the powers already available.

The legislation will “whip aside the veil of anonymity” used to obscure ownership of mansions and other properties.

“You can no longer use a bogus company to conceal your ownership of a property,” he said.

There would be new powers “to take people’s assets”, he added.

source: express.co.uk