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Keir Starmer has drawn a controversial parallel between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, blaming global instability for pushing up energy costs faced by British households.
In an interview with ITV News during a visit to the Middle East, the Prime Minister said the impact of the Iran crisis on the UK economy was “evident”, as renewed volatility in oil markets feeds through into household and business bills.
“I’m fed up with families across the country seeing their energy bills go up and down, as well as companies’ bills, because of the actions of Putin or Trump in the world,” he said, in remarks widely interpreted as linking energy shocks to both Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and US-led geopolitical decisions.
The comments come as the conflict involving the US and Israel against Iran continues under a fragile two-week ceasefire, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed to most shipping and oil prices surging in response.
Britain has positioned itself at the centre of an international effort to reopen the vital waterway, coordinating with allies on options to restore safe passage for global energy shipments. However, the Government has distanced itself from Washington on aspects of the crisis, with reports suggesting UK bases have not been made available for offensive US operations.
Since the outbreak of hostilities, Mr Trump has repeatedly criticised European allies, including Mr Starmer, in public remarks and on social media.
During the ITV interview, the Prime Minister declined to directly engage with a pre-ceasefire comment by Mr Trump that failure to reopen the strait would mean “an entire civilisation will die”. Instead, he said: “It’s not language I would use,” adding that he would be “guided by British values in everything he does.”
Mr Starmer also intensified criticism of continued Israeli strikes in Lebanon, which have caused significant casualties and drawn concern from several European capitals.
When asked whether the attacks constituted a breach of the ceasefire, he said: “It’s hard to say there’s a breach when we don’t have access to all the details of the agreement. But I want to be very clear: it’s wrong. It shouldn’t happen. It must stop.”
He added that the issue was not “technical” but one of principle, underscoring growing tensions over how the ceasefire is being interpreted and enforced.
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