We cannot now, or in future, be reliant on Russia to heat our homes and keep the economy ticking
GMB, the energy union, says the spy poisoning scandal shows the utter folly of relying on Russia to keep Britain’s lights on.
Prime Minster Theresa May today announced a series of measures against Russia after it failed to meet her midnight deadline to explain how a nerve agent was used to poison a former double agent in the UK.
Russia has denied involvement in the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.
But GMB questions how effective the sanctions will be when half of our liquid gas imports this year have come from Russia and Russian companies provided six per cent of our gas consumption in 2017.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary, said: “The headlines this last week show how uncertain the world is.
“You’d be forgiven for thinking you’re watching an episode of Spooks. There is a real danger here for the Government, and one that is avoidable, in terms of energy independence.
“We need a serious strategy and investment in UK energy to make sure we can stand on our own two feet.
“We cannot and should not be beholden to foreign powers who could turn the tap off, having a huge impact on people, communities, businesses and the whole economy.
A proper energy policy would have the benefit of creating and securing thousands of skilled and high premium jobs – it’s common sense on every level.”
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