Key events
Starmer discusses need for ‘practical plan’ to reopen strait of Hormuz in call with Trump
Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump about the need for a “practical plan” to get shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the Middle East ceasefire, the Press Association reports.
Starmer spoke to Trump from Qatar, where he arrived last night ahead of talks this morning. In a readout of the call, a No 10 spokesperson said:
The prime minister spoke to President Trump from Qatar this evening.
The prime minister set out his discussions with Gulf leaders and military planners in the region on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the UK’s efforts to convene partners to agree a viable plan.
They agreed that now there is a ceasefire in place and agreement to open the strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution.
The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible.
Yesterday Keir Starmer met with the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the crown prince and prime minister, Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. This is what No 10 said in the readout from their talks.
The prime minister strongly condemned the Iranian attacks on Bahrain and reflected on his conversations so far with other leaders in the region.
He reiterated the importance of ensuring the ceasefire is upheld in order to pave the way for lasting peace. He said that the UK would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Bahrain and other allies in the region.
They underlined their commitment to restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the need to consider and pursue viable plans to deliver this.
The prime minister and crown prince also reflected on the long held strong links between their countries and the depth of the relationship, including the strong defence collaboration between the UK and Bahrain and their desire to work on this further.
Starmer says he’s ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s actions pushing up energy bills for Britons
Good morning. Keir Starmer is wrapping up his three-day tour of Gulf states today, and we are starting some conclusions. What we have not got is any sort of plan for a resolution of the Iran war; Starmer is not one of the main protagonists in this conflict, what he has said publicly about his talks with Gulf leaders has consisted largely of platitudes, we still have no idea about when, if or how the strait of Hormuz will fully open, and the outcome will be determined by Iran and a rash and unpredictable US president.
But Starmer has been giving some thought to how the UK should respond to the era of global uncertainty we now find ourselves in and he has set out some of his thinking in an article for the Guardian. The full piece is here.
And here is our story about it, by Peter Walker and Jamie Grierson.
Starmer’s argument is that this crisis shows why the UK needs to be more resilient, in terms of having a robust economy, energy security, a closer economic relationship with Europe and more European defence cooperation. Of course, these were all Labour priorities anyway, but Starmer says the Iran war has highlighted why they are so important. He says this crisis must be a defining moment that results in Britain deciding to “forge a new path”. (But he did, though, say exactly the same thing about the Covid pandemic when he was in opposition.)
Starmer has also talked about these ideas at length in an interview with Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor, for his Talking Politics podcast. In the interview, contrary to what some headlines are saying, Starmer did not say he was fed up with Trump (even though he almost certainly is – and “fed up” would be an understatement). But he did say that he was fed up with energy bills going up in the UK because of the president’s decision to go to war.
I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world, and saying to families across the country, saying to businesses across the country, ‘we’ve just got to … put up with being on the international market”.
Starmer is always diplomatic when talking about Trump; even in the face of extreme provocation, he is never overtly critical and he never says what (presumably) he really thinks. But he will signal disagreement, and by the standards of Starmer remarks about Trump, this is quite strong. He is explicitly blaming him for British consumers having to pay higher bills. And, in this context, he is linking him to Vladimir Putin.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9am: John Healey, the defence secretary, speaks at the London Defence Conference.
Morning: Keir Starmer is in Qatar where he has meetings before he concludes his Gulf tour and returns to the UK.
10am: Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, unveils his party’s campaign battlebus at an event in Glasgow.
11am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is unveiling his party’s election slogan at a campaign event.
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