Starmer says Iran war could impact shopping habits and holiday plans – but tells Brits ‘Don’t panic’
Sir Keir Starmer has advised Britons not to panic over the economic impact of the Iran conflict, but their usual shopping habits and holiday plans may need to change.
The Prime Minister, who will chair the ministerial Iran crisis committee on Tuesday, expressed confidence “at the moment” regarding supply chains.
He stressed that Britain was doing “everything in our power” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas shipping route that has been closed by Iran since the start of US-Israeli bombardment.
Sir Keir also announced that France and the UK, at the initiative of the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron, would lead a “military mission” to reassure ships in the strait and that it would not wait until the hostilities ended.
Sir Keir said: The Cathy Newman Show On Sky News: “It will have an impact on the UK, it already has.
“I think it’s really important for me to inform the public that we’re doing everything we can to open the Strait of Hormuz, because obviously that’s vital to minimizing the impact.
“But I don’t want anyone to think that once the Strait is opened, the damage will stop. It will take longer than that.”
He said there were “almost daily meetings” between ministers and officials examining how to manage the impact of the crisis.
“We are now confident in our supply, we have reopened a CO2 plant in the North East.
“Airlines tell us there is enough jet fuel available right now.”
But “we’ll see how long the conflict lasts,” he added.
He said: “I see that if there is more impact, people may change their habits… things like where they will go on holiday this year, what they will buy in the supermarket.”
Asked about his message to the public, Sir Keir said: “Don’t panic.
“But we chose not to get involved in this war. It was the right thing to do, but we must protect the British people from its impact.”
Senior ministers and representatives from the Bank of England will attend Tuesday’s meeting of the Middle East Response Committee (Merc), which was established to address the effects of the crisis.
Earlier, in a speech in Lancashire, the Prime Minister said the response to the economic and political shock from the war, which has strained transatlantic relations with President Donald Trump’s US, “will define not just this government but arguably this generation”.
Sir Keir said: “The world has changed. It is more volatile and dangerous now than at any point in my life.”
Oil prices rose to their highest level in almost three weeks on Monday, as hopes for progress in peace talks between the United States and Iran were dashed once again.
The talks were expected to be held in Pakistan before US President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that envoys from Washington would no longer travel to Islamabad due to the lack of progress with Iran.
Mr Trump told Fox News on Sunday: “We can talk if they want, but we’re not sending people.”
Last week, it indefinitely extended the ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran on April 7, which largely stopped the conflict that began with joint attacks by the United States and Israel on February 28.
But a permanent solution has not yet been reached, and the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil shipments pass, remains effectively blocked.
Oil prices fell in mid-April as it emerged that progress was being made towards reopening the strait, but Mr Trump’s announcement over the weekend caused prices to rise again.
The cost of benchmark Brent crude oil continued its rise, rising 2% to around $108 per barrel on Monday, returning to levels seen before the first round of peace talks that began in early April.
Sir Keir reiterated that whatever happens in Iran, the Government has capped household energy costs until July, while fuel duty is planned to be frozen until September.
