Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions

Lord Purvis of Tweed Excerpts

Thursday 21st May 2026 Lords Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business and Trade and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (Baroness Lloyd of Effra) (Lab)]

My Lords, I want to make it clear that our sanctions regime against Russia is tougher today than it was last week. It is categorically not the case that we are waiving or easing sanctions. On 19 May the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office laid the Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations to legislate for several key measures to continue to tighten our pressure on Putin’s regime. These regulations include a new maritime services ban on Russian liquefied natural gas, which will restrict Russia’s access to the UK’s world-leading shipping and insurance services, disrupting its ability to transport Russian LNG. It further includes export prohibitions against Russia, as well as new import prohibitions to restrict the transfer of any refined oil products derived from Russian crude oil and of the import of Russian uranium. As has regularly been the case for sanctions on Russia for several years, targeted short-term licences have been introduced for our LNG maritime services ban and the refined oil import ban in order to support flexibility in UK supply in global markets.

We have made it clear here, and the Minister for Trade made it clear in the House yesterday, that these licences are temporary, will be reviewed regularly and are not intended to protect Russian interests. The sanctions regime today is tougher than it was last week. In respect of the lessons of this crisis for energy security and for the UK’s reliance on foreign fossil fuels, the lesson that we are taking is that we need more homegrown renewable and nuclear energy. We need to continue the decarbonisation so that, for example, with the transition to electric vehicles, we are less reliant on overseas imports of energy.

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

My Lords, there is no plan because it is not in force as a result of the extremely broad and open-ended exemption that has been announced. I have debated, and this House has scrutinised, every single Russian sanction since the start of this war. I have called repeatedly for stronger efforts to prevent circumvention and loopholes, but there is now no point in calling for those if the Government put in such an exemption as they have this week. Will the Minister now bring forward urgent legislation to ensure that we scrutinise what the Government’s intent is, rather than a behind-the-scenes and sleekit licence that is open ended, avoids any parliamentary scrutiny and is up to an official rather than Parliament to decide?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

The Minister for Trade and the department are responsible for these licences. The Russian sanctions came into force yesterday. We have made it clear that these licences are temporary and time limited.

[Lord Purvis of Tweed (LD)]

They are not.

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

Sorry, the noble Lord is absolutely right, the licences are not time limited, but they are temporary and they will be reviewed regularly. It is our intention that these are temporary licences. This phased implementation of sanctions is common and standard practice. It is the approach that other allies—for example, Canada and Australia—have taken. The SI will go through the usual parliamentary process as it is implemented.