Saudi East-West Oil Pipeline
Thursday, 17 September 2026
Contributions
Commons Urgent Question
The following Answer to an Urgent Question was given in the House of Commons on Tuesday 15 September.
“First, the United Kingdom strongly condemns the Houthis’ decision to resume conflict in Yemen and their recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, including the targeting of civilian and energy infrastructure. We offer our condolences to those injured and affected and stand with Saudi Arabia, the internationally recognised Government of Yemen and our partners in the region.
My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary has spoken with his Saudi counterpart, as has the National Security Adviser. We are closely monitoring the situation as part of our overall response to the situation in the Middle East and disruption to the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi authorities confirmed over the weekend that the east-west oil pipeline is temporarily closed following an attack on 11 September. The Saudi Government have not yet provided further information on the duration of the closure.
The pipeline enables Saudi crude oil to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Since the start of the Middle East conflict, it has been used to reroute a significant share of exports. This temporary pause comes at a time of rising prices, and I know that many in this House and the public will be worried about the potential impacts. Fuel supplies to the UK have remained resilient since the start of the conflict. As people across the country would expect, the Government will mitigate where possible the potential impacts on our economy and our domestic security. We will continue to work closely with industry and the devolved Governments on detailed contingency planning for all events. We are working tirelessly with our international partners to find a permanent solution to the conflict and to minimise the knock-on impact on households. We will keep looking at what more we can do to insulate families from the effect of rising energy bills”.
Lord Moynihan (Con)
My Lords, I declare my interests as chairman of Buckthorn, Amey and Acteon. I will concentrate on fuel prices in the Question. Since UK imports of Saudi oil stand at 2.5% of our total oil imports and the UK’s share of overall Middle Eastern gas supply is well under 1%, why are our domestic electricity bills predicted to be £300 more per annum from January next year—a distant £600 more than the promised reduction in the Labour Party manifesto—when wholesale electricity prices, the only element which gas heavily influences, contribute just 38% of our domestic bills? Would the Minister not agree that one way to reduce bills is to remove the clean power 2030 policy costs, which are fleecing British consumers in the Government’s headlong rush to net zero and decarbonisation of Britain’s electricity generation by 2030, which everyone knows will not be achieved, and will continue massively to impede household and industrial affordability?
Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Antrobus) (Lab)
I thank the noble Lord for his points and his questions. He will recognise that in talking about percentages of oil and gas coming from certain regions—he mentioned Saudi, obviously—we understand that our energy security in the UK is reliant, in a positive way, on a diverse range of supplies from around the world, including the Netherlands and the US, as he will well know. On domestic bills, clearly, the Government review all the time the volatility that is happening as a result of not just those most recent attacks on the pipeline and facilities in Saudi Arabia but the wider issues across the Middle East and Iran, and in other areas of volatility. As a Government, we continue to review what we can do to help people but, as many will know, we are removing VAT on electricity bills from 1 October, which was recently announced. There are also other discounts to be made, with £150 off bills in the last Budget and, for those 6 million households most in need, the warm home discount, which I encourage noble Lords to ensure is widely communicated.
Lord Hain (Lab)
My Lords, this is my first opportunity to welcome my noble friend to the Benches. As a former wing commander, she adds real expertise and stature to the Labour Benches and indeed to the House. I welcome her response, but does this terrible attack on the pipeline not also indicate that the White House is responsible for terrible blunders of diplomacy in the Middle East? The Conservative leader asked us to back this; the consequences have been appalling, and the Government are now wrestling with that.
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for his kind words—and it is lovely to be able to call him my noble friend. He refers to the action against Iran by the US and Israel combined. As he will know, our former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer made an excellent judgment call in those early days, under a great deal of pressure from both outside groups and the Opposition. As a Member of this House and a former military officer, I commend the way he handled it.
Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that the damage done to the Saudi installations originated from a rogue general in the Iraqi republic? Are we satisfied that that will not be repeated? Can she also address whether it is all that helpful for the President of the United States to say that he does not expect anything much to happen to alleviate the supply problems in the Gulf until after the US mid-term elections?
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
The noble Lord makes an excellent point about the fact that the drone attacks that hit the Saudi pipeline and installations generally came from Iraq—from IRGC-supported militia. I cannot give a guarantee that this will not happen again. The IRGC is clearly active in various parts of the Middle East, and that remains of significant concern to our Government and to our allies in the region. Can the noble Lord repeat the second part of his question?
Lord Hannay of Chiswick (CB)
I asked the Minister whether she thought it helpful that the President of the United States said that he did not expect anything very useful to happen to improve the supply of oil and gas from the Gulf before the US mid-term elections.
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
We do not know how long it will take for Saudi Arabia to repair the pipeline. Reports are varied, but some are optimistic that it will be sooner than that. I will, respectfully, take advice from our Saudi Arabian allies first and foremost. As the noble Lord would expect, there are conversations going on between our allies, particularly Saudi Arabia, and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Earl Russell (LD)
My Lords, I too welcome the Minister. Again, it is fossil fuels that prove insecure in supply and volatile in price. The attack on this pipeline, carrying 4% of global oil, will pile further pressure on prices already inflated as we head into winter. We can ill afford another fossil fuel crisis. How robust, therefore, are our energy supplies? As the Prime Minister has promised to take the difficult decisions, will a social tariff be introduced this winter so that families can afford to heat their homes?
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
I thank the noble Earl for a very important question. The UK clearly continues to have a robust and secure supply of gas, oil and other fuel products to meet demand, through a mixture of domestic production and imports from a diverse range of countries, some of which I have mentioned. We know that worry about energy prices is at the forefront of people’s minds, and I understand that. We will keep looking at what we can do to protect families from unaffordable bills. I have already mentioned some of the areas in which we have been trying to make their lives better. We are also helping the homes most in need, such as those in rural communities that need heating oil. This is the top of the agenda, and we will continue to review it.
Lord Redwood (Con)
My Lords, does the disruption in the Middle East not prove that we need to get the Jackdaw gas out as quickly as possible for domestic use? Does that not bring a tax bonanza, which surely the Government need?
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
The noble Lord raised this very question with my noble friend Lady Curran, my colleague in the ministry. He will have heard the answer last week. I cannot comment on that project at the moment, given that it is currently subject to a live regulatory process.
Lord John of Southwark (Lab)
My Lords, I welcome and congratulate my noble friend on her appearance at the Dispatch Box. This issue underlines the importance of Britain achieving fuel self-sufficiency going forward. Can she tell us more about how the Government’s work is going in that regard, in particular, giving communities power over energy self-sufficiency?
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for his question. We know that people are worried about the cost of bills, as I said to noble Earl, Lord Russell. The Government are transitioning to clean energy to get off the fossil fuels rollercoaster and take back control of our energy bills. Today, a new grant package of £30 million was announced to support community energy projects. It is backed by Great British Energy, and will roll out a wave of local projects, allowing communities in every postcode to decide what they would like to invest in, be it solar panels on their local library or a community wind farm. I commend this project to the House.
Lord Grayling (Con)
My Lords, I refer Members to my entry in the register. This attack is simply part of a mounting threat to the Red Sea, which is far more than an energy route: it is one of the world’s most important trade routes. As part of the international community, the United Kingdom has previously played an active role in helping to keep that route open. Are we planning to do the same thing now?
Baroness Antrobus (Lab)
The noble Lord, Lord Grayling, makes an excellent point about the importance of that region. I speak as someone who, on an exchange tour with the Royal Navy, served in and sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and into the Gulf, so I know the region well. The noble Lord is absolutely right about its importance to this country. But it is almost more important to other parts of the world, not least Asia, given the current crisis and the difficulties in getting through the strait to the south of where the incident took place. We must think of our allies around the world, some of whom will be more affected than we are. The best way to resolve such threats and activities is through diplomacy and working alongside our allies. I assure the noble Lord that we will continue that work.
Source: UK Parliament Hansard API. Debate ID: 5409262.