UK won’t be drawn into ‘wider war’ and will work with allies on Strait of Hormuz plan, Starmer says
The domestic and international considerations Starmer is makingpublished at 12:06 GMT
Chris Mason
Political editor
Image source, Reuters
There were two key strands from the prime minister’s news conference.
Firstly, domestic — helping what the government describes as “vulnerable” households with the cost of heating oil, which has spiked in price in the last few weeks.
Around £50m has been set aside for it. People in England can apply for help via their local authority. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland the devolved governments will be involved.
Then there is the international picture and in particular the Strait of Hormuz, that pinch point for the delivery of energy supplies in the Middle East.
The prime minister said both that the UK would not be drawn into the wider conflict but it did recognise the importance of keeping the Strait open and was working with allies to work out what to do. So what might that amount to?
We don’t know yet. We know Donald Trump wants significant support, including military support. But the logic of the PM’s position suggests this is unlikely.
But, as the PM told me, the domestic and international elements of all this are connected. What happens if the Straits remain blocked? What help might the government feel able to offer if the impacts of the war persist for months and months?
In recent years we have seen colossal government interventions following the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.
They had colossal impacts on the public finances. What might be affordable this time?
Starmer acknowledged a central truth in all this — he doesn’t know, we don’t know, how long this is going to go on, and with what consequence. They are responding day to day and week to week, just like the rest of us.
