Keir Starmer to give update on Iran war and cost of living after latest Trump attack – UK politics live | Politics
Rachel Reeves signals support package for household energy bills won’t come into effect until autumn
Good morning. Keir Starmer will hold a press conference this morning, according to No 10, where he will discuss the Iran war and how the government is supporting people inside the country. It’s now April, the new financial year is starting and the government is highlighting measures to help people with living costs. The Conservatives have an alternative list and this morning they claim: “Keir Starmer and his chancellor have piled on extra costs, leaving families almost £1,000 worse off this year.”
Chancellor, Rachel ReevesIt also produces its own media. He’ll be on the Jeremy Vine show later but he’s already given it up Interview on BBC Breakfast He gave a much clearer idea of what he plans to do to help people hit with energy bills than he did in his statement to lawmakers last week.
We already knew that he had rejected a universal support package and wanted to direct aid to poorer families. Now he has signaled that he will not intervene until the autumn, when central heating will be activated again.
He told the BBC:
From July to September, gas usage, especially by families and retirees, is at its lowest among all months of the year, as it is the summer months…
People’s gas use will really start to increase starting in the fall. So we are currently working on a number of contingencies. And we’re looking at more targeted measures. We’re looking at ways we can support people based on their household income.
Referring to the universal support package introduced by the last Conservative government after the invasion of Ukraine, she said:
I want to learn from the past because when Russia invaded Ukraine, the richest and best-off third of households received more than a third of the support. This doesn’t make any sense.
Here is the agenda of the day.
10am: Keir Starmer holds a press conference in Downing Street.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is in Solihull to announce the Conservatives’ “national pothole patrol” plan.
10am: Reform UK is holding a press conference in Glasgow.
Lunch time: Chancellor Rachel Reeves is interviewed by Jeremy Vine on Radio 2.
Afternoon: Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is visiting south-west Hertfordshire.
Afternoon: Reeves chairs a roundtable with supermarket bosses.
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important events
Food and Drink Federation warns Iran war could push UK food inflation to 9 per cent this year
A trade body has predicted food inflation could rise above 9% by the end of 2026 as war in the Middle East risks increasing the cost of living for British households. The Press Association reports:
Food and Beverage Federation (FDF), which represents 12,000 food and drink producers, raised its inflation forecast for the year in light of the conflict.
Trade body economists predict food inflation will reach at least 9% by the end of the year; this figure was higher than the 3.2% forecast in September last year.
This change was caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption and damage to energy infrastructure in the Middle East.
FDF said the situation was changing rapidly, but its revision to its inflation forecast was based on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz would be opened to cargo traffic within the next two to three weeks and the majority of important facilities such as oil, gas and fertilizer fields would return to normal within a year.
Oil prices fell, stock market rose Donald Trump Signed that Iran war will end in two to three weeks Graeme Wearden reports. There’s more on the business live blog.
Kyle defends government’s decision to go ahead with king’s US visit
In his interview Peter Kyle he also defended the government’s decision to proceed with an official visit to the United States in April. (Although conceptually the king accepted the president’s invitation, the king acts on the government’s advice, and it was Keir Starmer who ultimately made the final decision on whether the visit should go ahead.)
Asked if he was concerned about Trump insulting the Prime Minister in the presence of the king, Kyle told Sky News:
At a time when the issue is so rhetorically challenging, I think it’s really important for the King to show that despite all the difficulties in the relationship, our two peoples have so much love for each other.
A relationship in which the agreements we signed are still valid.
Kyle also suggested that Trump’s insults shouldn’t always be taken at face value. Addressing the president’s increasingly aggressive comments about Britain and other NATO allies who do not fully support his war in Iran, Kyle said:
We have a very unusual president who uses the bully pulpit very effectively on social media. It dominates many discussions. Let’s see what will actually happen…
He uses rhetoric to destabilize; He uses rhetoric to keep people on their toes. We are in great contact with the American administration.
Trade minister downplays oil shortage concerns and says people should ‘get on with life as normal for now’
Peter Kyle, The Minister of Commerce is doing an interview this morning. He suggested that people no longer need to worry about fuel shortages related to the Iran war.
Speaking of oil, he told Sky News:
The AA and RAC have said there are no difficulties with supply at the moment so they are encouraging people to continue as normal and we as a government support what they say and reassure people at this time that: [they should] continue as normal.
If this changes, we will be open and honest with the public.
When asked about jet fuel, he said, “There are no restrictions at the moment.”
He continued:
Of course the Strait of Hormuz [is] It is closed in the long term, so there may be supply constraints.
We’re already looking at those scenarios, a number of different scenarios, and acting to make sure that we can have resilience over the long term under different circumstances.
But it’s really important to reassure people that there are no restrictions at the moment.
Kyle was also asked about the warning from the chief executive of NHS England Sir Jim Mackey The health service may run out of some medical supplies, he said. Jamie Grierson And Denis Campbell This story is here.
Kyle He said Mackey was concerned about “live drugs, which are a very specific type of medicine on the NHS”.
[Mackey] has raised this concern and we will address that concern. But it doesn’t mention all medicines and all parts of the NHS.
Rachel Reeves signals support package for household energy bills won’t come into effect until autumn
Good morning. Keir Starmer will hold a press conference this morning, according to No 10, where he will discuss the Iran war and how the government is supporting people inside the country. It’s now April, the new financial year is starting and the government is highlighting measures to help people with living costs. The Conservatives have an alternative list and this morning they claim: “Keir Starmer and his chancellor have piled on extra costs, leaving families almost £1,000 worse off this year.”
Chancellor, Rachel ReevesIt also produces its own media. He’ll be on the Jeremy Vine show later but he’s already given it up Interview on BBC Breakfast He gave a much clearer idea of what he plans to do to help people hit with energy bills than he did in his statement to lawmakers last week.
We already knew that he had rejected a universal support package and wanted to direct aid to poorer families. Now he has signaled that he will not intervene until the autumn, when central heating will be activated again.
He told the BBC:
From July to September, gas usage, especially by families and retirees, is at its lowest among all months of the year, as it is the summer months…
People’s gas use will really start to increase starting in the fall. So we are currently working on a number of contingencies. And we’re looking at more targeted measures. We’re looking at ways we can support people based on their household income.
Referring to the universal support package introduced by the last Conservative government after the invasion of Ukraine, she said:
I want to learn from the past because when Russia invaded Ukraine, the richest and best-off third of households received more than a third of the support. This doesn’t make any sense.
Here is the agenda of the day.
10am: Keir Starmer holds a press conference in Downing Street.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is in Solihull to announce the Conservatives’ “national pothole patrol” plan.
10am: Reform UK is holding a press conference in Glasgow.
Lunch time: Chancellor Rachel Reeves is interviewed by Jeremy Vine on Radio 2.
Afternoon: Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is visiting south-west Hertfordshire.
Afternoon: Reeves chairs a roundtable with supermarket bosses.
If you would like to contact me, please send a message below the line or send a message on social media during comments open hours (between 10:00 – 15:00). I can’t read all messages BTL, but if you type “Andrew” in a message addressed to me, I’m more likely to see it because I’m looking for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something urgently, it’s best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has stopped posting from their official account on
I find it very helpful when readers point out errors, even minor typos. No mistake is too small to be corrected. I also find your questions very interesting. I can’t promise to respond to them all, but I will try to respond as much as I can, either on BTL or sometimes on the blog.
