Politics latest: Starmer delivers cost of living update after latest Trump tirade over Iran war

Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the impact of the Iran war will “affect the future of our country”.

In his update today, the Prime Minister said: “It is now clear that the impact of this war will affect the future of our country.

“So today I want to reassure the British people that no matter how severe this storm is, we are well placed to weather it and have a long-term plan to emerge from this a stronger, safer nation.”

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Britons “it won’t be easy” as he spoke about the impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the UK.

The Prime Minister told reporters today: “I need to get on the same level as the people. It’s not going to be easy.”

Sir Keir Starmer opened the press conference with reassuring words to the British public, saying “no matter how severe this storm gets, we are in a position to weather it”.

He said he wanted to reassure voters that the government had a “long-term plan” to emerge from the conflict “a stronger, safer nation”.

He added: “Let me say once again, this is not our war. We will not be drawn into conflict that is against our national interests.”

Sir Keir Starmer begins speaking at the Downing Street press conference.

Members of the media gathered in Downing Street for a press conference to be delivered shortly by Sir Keir Starmer.

The trade minister said there were “currently” no supply chain issues for jet fuel.

Speaking on Times Radio, Peter Kyle said: “Immediately after the conflict started, I was looking at where we were engaging to build resilience into our society and our economy, we were working with all these key sectors, identifying sectors where challenges might arise going forward.

“We have no (fuel) supply chain issues right now.

“So people need to understand that our country is well supplied when it comes to critical infrastructure and fuel.”

Asked about drug supply after Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said on Tuesday he was “genuinely concerned” about the issue, Mr Kyle added: “What the NHS boss said this week was that he was worried about live medicines, which are a very specific type of medicine in the NHS.

“He has raised that concern and we will take that concern into account. But he is not talking about all medicines and all parts of the NHS.”

Food bills will rise by up to 10 per cent this year as a direct result of the Iran war, a leading industry body has warned.

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF), which represents 12,000 food and drink manufacturers, increased its inflation forecast for the year from 3.2 percent to 10 percent.

Figures from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) show food inflation rose by 10.9 per cent during the 2022 cost of living crisis, before being even worse the following year at 14.6 per cent.

Business and money editor Karl Matchett reports:

Britain’s manufacturing sector has seen the biggest monthly rise in input prices in more than 30 years as the Iran war damaged supply chains, the survey found.

The S&P Global UK manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) survey, closely watched by economists, showed the input price inflation index rose 15 points between February and March; This is the biggest increase since the UK withdrew from the European Exchange Mechanism (ERM) in 1992, dubbed Black Wednesday.

The report also showed delivery delays were worsened by conflicts in the Middle East as ships were forced to reroute around the blocked Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route.

According to the survey, manufacturing production also contracted in March for the first time in six months.

General activity declined; PMI fell from 51.7 in February to 51 in March, remaining below the flash forecast of 51.4 at the beginning of this month.

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese asked those who have the means to switch to public transportation in the coming months.

However, Keir Starmer is not expected to make important new statements at the press conference he will hold after 10 am.

Instead, the Prime Minister will talk about a series of measures to increase the cost of living, including increasing the minimum wage, which were announced before the start of the Iran war.