Former Head of MI6 calls for 'immediate lifting of fracking moratorium'
London, 4 March -- The former Head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, has called on Boris Johnson to 'immediately lift the moratorium on fracking' and help Britain's European partners to divest from Russian gas dependency.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph's Planet Normal podcast Sir Richard also warns that Britain's rush to Net Zero was "admirable but its completely unrealistic, its totally unrealistic. We have to reassess the situation."
I don't know what's come into the government's heads on [Net Zero] because they've just adopted a set of crazy, unattainable objectives."
In face of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, Sir Richard argues that Britain should adopt a gas-to-nuclear policy:
I applaud the objective, as we all do, to move to Net Zero, but we need a policy that is practical and achievable. And of course gas in particular, the sort of quality gas the Americans produce through fracking, is going to be the transfer fuel of the future. And then in addition we must develop small nuclear reactors. The technology exists."
Sir Richard added that UK shale gas would be essential to help our European partners to divest from Russian gas imports:
We have to have sufficient gas storage and supplies. What the European powers that are dependent on Russian gas need is a sort of Berlin 'airlift' of gas supplies to Europe as quickly and as fast as possible so that we change the energy equation."
He added:
We now have to reorder our national security priorities and we have got to change our energy security policy which is a fundamental part of our national security policy."
Net Zero Watch director Dr Benny Peiser said:
Boris Johnson should listen to the warning by of one of Britain's most eminent national security experts and lift the fracking moratorium with immediate effect. Any further procrastination over developing alternative gas supplies would be deeply irresponsible and in the face of a worsening European war could only embolden Putin's aggression."