Monday 20th September 2021

(3 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Bob Seely Portrait Bob Seely (Isle of Wight) (Con)
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To what extent is the UK collateral damage in a European-wide crisis caused by the Kremlin’s weaponising of gas supply and its attempts to intimidate the EU into accepting Nord Stream 2, potentially as a precursor to more violence in Ukraine? Should we not see this hybrid war for what it is and plan long term accordingly?

Kwasi Kwarteng Portrait Kwasi Kwarteng
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As my hon. Friend knows and has expressed, there are geopolitical elements to this in terms of the reliance of a large part of Europe on Russian gas. I am here to reassure people about a common misconception. We are not dependent at all on Russian gas. The gas sources are as I have described—50% are local, 30% are from Norway and about 18% are from LNG, which comes from all around the world—so I want to minimise the notion that we are somehow at the mercy of Russian gas policy.