Processed Russian Oil Products: Sanctions

Lord Stirrup Excerpts

Thursday 21st May 2026 Lords Chamber

[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.

[Lord Stirrup (CB)]

My Lords, signals matter, to friends as well as to enemies. No matter how the Government now seek to parse this decision, they have created the perception that their appetite for sanctions will be limited by the degree of pain the measures cause us. Does the Minister think that sending such a very bad signal is worth the strictly limited benefits that will accrue from it?

[Baroness Lloyd of Effra (Lab)]

This is a package of strengthened sanctions. The Minister for Trade has acknowledged, as I do today, that the communication of this could absolutely have been better, because these are strengthening sanctions. That is the message that we are very keen to communicate today to this House, to the other place and to the public. The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelensky last night. The President confirmed that he appreciates the support that the UK provides to Ukraine. We are very clear that we stand with Ukraine. We are supporting it with finance, military support and training for military personnel. We are clear that we will continue to put pressure on Russia.

In respect of the licences specifically and the considerations that we are taking into account, including market instability, the beneficiaries of such instability and potential price hikes could include Russia. That is one of our considerations with regard to these temporary licences.