Starmer's desperate attempt to keep his job is selling out Ukraine so Brits can go on holiday

This time, with serious national security implications.

The issue at hand is a decision to water down a ban on UK imports of diesel and jet fuel made from Russian crude oil in third countries, which was announced last October as a response to the discovery that a loophole in sanctions meant that Russian oil exports could still arrive in the UK through refining and adaptation in countries like India and Turkey. Not only was this undermining the premise of sanctions altogether, but it also contributed to the ability of the Russian economy to sustain its war of aggression in Ukraine.

Now, in response to fears about jet fuel supply and cost as a result of the Strait of Hormuz closure, Sir Keir Starmer’s administration has announced that the ban will be phased in.

Despite aviation industry experts like Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary saying that the risk of a fuel shortage was "almost zero", a Prime Minister in the midst of record unpopularity and a slow-moving coup against him evidently felt that any risk to summer holiday plans was a gamble too far.

Starmer has denied that this is a sanctions waiver, but it obviously is. The immediate victims of the policy will be those Ukrainians who stand in the way of the Russian war machine. Funding Russia ultimately means that more of them will die.

But what many will have missed is that UK energy security is once again being compromised by the short-termist approach of a Prime Minister determined to sacrifice any principle on the altar of his staying in office.

For years, successive governments have spoken about the need to reduce strategic dependence on hostile or unstable regions, yet Britain remains dangerously exposed to geopolitical shocks abroad. The outbreak of the Ukraine war had a disastrous effect on energy prices as well as on supply chains. We are still feeling those consequences today. And when conflict in the Middle East can push up living costs, it is clear that weaknesses in our energy strategy continue to have domestic economic consequences.

Britain’s moves to sanction Russia have not only been a punishment to Putin for his errant actions, but also a necessary reminder of the dangers of succumbing to energy supply from unwelcome partners. But rather than turning to the obvious solution for our energy security problems – our own North Sea oil and gas reserves – this Government has failed to exploit any new fields and is still living in a Net Zero fantasy land where expensive and unreliable renewable energy is seen as the preferred answer to easily accessible fossil fuels.

The end result is unfortunate. Windmills cannot generate jet fuel. So we will end up paying Putin, hurting Ukraine and cheating the British people of the security we deserve. All because of our Government’s inability to U-turn where it matters. And one man’s desperation to preserve his position at any cost.

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Dr Alan Mendoza is Executive Director at the Henry Jackson Society.

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