Revolving door scandal: Oil execs profit from our misery—then take charge of national security

Fossil fuel polluters given job to protect us exactly when we need to reduce fossil fuels for energy security

While ordinary people struggle with spiking energy bills, the same oil executives profiteering from our misery are now running Britain’s defence policy. It’s a scandal that shows exactly how the system is rigged against us.

Two former BP bosses now sit at the top table of the Ministry of Defence, making decisions about Britain’s security while their old company rakes in billions from the energy crisis that’s hammering working families across the country.

The oil men inside government

As reported by Adam Ramsay, Brian Gilvary was BP’s Chief Financial Officer for eight years until 2020—the man counting the cash while BP’s profits soared and our bills went through the roof. Now he’s chairman of petrochemical giant Ineos and sits on the Ministry of Defence’s National Defence Board, supposedly protecting Britain’s interests.

But here’s the thing: Ineos was protested by Greenpeace just last month for lobbying against efforts to reduce plastic pollution. This is the company whose chairman is helping decide our risk and defence priorities.

Then there’s Charles Forte, the MoD's Chief Information Officer, who spent 35 years climbing the ranks at BP before a stint at the scandal-hit Thames Water—another company that’s been milking us dry while providing shoddy service.

The real security threat

While these oil executives play musical chairs between big corporations and government, the real security threats are piling up. Last autumn, respected think tanks Chatham House and IPPR warned that climate breakdown poses massive security risks that the government is ignoring.

We’ve seen record wildfires spreading across Britain. Flooding that destroys communities. Extreme weather that kills thousands across Europe every summer. The Pentagon recognised climate change as a national security threat over a decade ago. The UN has been warning about it for years.

But with oil bosses at the top of our defence ministry, why would anything change?

BP gives up pretending

Around the same time as those security warnings, BP finally dropped the mask. They abandoned their targets to cut oil and gas production, admitting they’re choosing profits over the planet.

Think about that for a moment. The Ministry of Defence is supposed to protect us from threats. BP—where both these officials made their fortunes—is creating one of the biggest threats we face. Yet somehow we're supposed to trust them to take climate security seriously?

The system is rigged

This isn't about individual corruption—though the revolving door between oil companies and government stinks. It’s about a system that puts corporate profits before ordinary people’s wellbeing and security.

While BP executives move seamlessly between boardrooms and government offices, millions of families can’t afford to heat their homes. While Ineos lobbies against pollution controls, our communities suffer from dirty air and contaminated water.

The MoD doesn’t give climate change much attention in their 140-page Strategic Defence Review—for a threat that could reshape global security, displace millions of people, and trigger conflicts over scarce resources.

Clean energy means real security

Here’s what they won’t tell you: the fastest way to boost Britain’s energy security is to get off expensive fossil fuels and onto cheap, clean, homegrown renewables.

When Putin weaponised gas supplies, countries with more renewable energy were less vulnerable. When oil prices spike because of Middle East tensions, households with solar panels and heat pumps don’t see their bills spike.

• Real energy security means:

• Massive investment in British wind, solar and wave power

• Properly insulated homes that don’t waste energy heating the sky

• Good jobs for ordinary people building the clean energy system we need

• Taking back control of our energy from global oil giants

Time to choose sides

The polluters and their cronies in government have had their way for too long. They’ve made billions while ordinary families choose between heating and eating. They’ve captured our institutions while our planet burns.

But we don’t have to accept this. Across the country, communities are fighting back—demanding clean, affordable energy that works for everyone, not just corporate shareholders.

It’s time our government chose whose side they’re on: the oil executives in their boardrooms, or the ordinary people struggling with the bills they’ve helped create.

The choice couldn’t be clearer. The question is: will they take it?