Ethics are main casualty in Johnson's pursuit of oil

As Ed Davey never tires of pointing out, if the Conservative government had not abandoned his programme of building up alternative energy sources in 2015, then the energy crisis we are experiencing at the moment would not be so intense. The problem is that successive governments have pursued the quick and easy wins over long term strategy, and all of us are now paying the price.

The other disturbing trend in economic and energy policy is the way governments have cosied up to dubious individuals to achieve their goals, thus, the sudden rush to replace Russian and Ukrainian gas, oil and minerals that for decades have helped to shore up our economy. 

Associated with this of course, is the uncomfortable and morally indefensible relationships between those in power and the very Russian oligarchs we are now trying to sanction for their association with Putin, Johnson's pal, Lebedev, excluded, of course.

This breaking of ties has left Ministers seeking other sources of raw materials, hence the Prime Minister's rush to the Middle East this week, and the ratcheting up of relations with a Saudi Arabian ally whose adherence to basic human rights is virtually non-existent. Have we really learnt nothing from the events of the last few years?

The Guardian reports that Johnson has hinted Saudi Arabia could speed up oil production to help calm spiralling energy prices for Britons, at the same time praising the country for improving its human rights record despite three more people being executed during his visit:

Johnson said there was “a lot of agreement” in his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, adding that efforts should be made to ensure “the global economy is not damaged by the current spikes”.

On the same day, the Saudi government executed three more citizens.

It came days after the largest state killing in the kingdom’s history of 81 men. The UN said half were Muslims from the Shia minority and had taken part in protests calling for greater political participation a decade ago.

Johnson’s visit was heavily restricted for media, with government sources claiming No 10 wanted to draw relatively little attention to it.

The human rights charity group Reprieve are particularly scathing:

“By travelling to meet Mohammed bin Salman so soon after a mass execution, Boris Johnson clearly signalled that in return for oil, the UK will tolerate even the gravest human rights abuses,” Reprieve’s director Maya Foa said.

“Today’s executions are the immediate result. The prime minister has blood on his hands.

“Carrying out these executions while the leader of a western power is on Saudi soil was provocative act, designed to flaunt the crown prince’s power and impunity to the world.

“It is not acceptable to cite Russia’s war crimes to try to justify trading blood for oil elsewhere. It shows the world we will apply double standards for our convenience, and embolden countries like Saudi Arabia into further atrocities, just as Putin was emboldened by our willingness to take his cronies’ cash for decades.”

Saudi Arabia is one of 38 countries still to use the death penalty and Salman is believed by US intelligence to have ordered the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

As Keir Starmer says, “going cap in hand from dictator to dictator is not an energy strategy”, while abandoning basic ethics to achieve your goals, is not leadership, certainly not in a democracy, anyway.