Johnson: West must end addiction to Russian energy and starve Putin of war funds

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the West to end its ‘dependence’ on Russian oil and gas in reaction to the invasion of Ukraine (Yui Mok/PA)

Boris Johnson has urged the West to end its “addiction” to Russian energy as he prepares to head to Saudi Arabia to push for increased oil and gas production.

It came as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) confirmed that, as of 9.30pm on Monday, more than 43,000 households had offered to put up those fleeing the conflict as part of the UK Government’s sponsorship scheme.