Starmer insults Trump again by refusing to help our closest ally | UK | News
Starmer remains intransigent over Donald Trump’s demand for naval reinforcements to the Strait of Hormuz, despite oil rising to $106 a barrel overnight and Starmer preparing to offer £50 million in emergency aid to households hardest hit by rising energy costs.
The US president had called for a “team effort” to break Iran’s blockade of the world’s most critical oil chokepoint, but Britain, France, Germany and South Korea backtracked on Sunday, reflecting growing international unease that the conflict is drifting towards an open-ended war with no exit strategy in sight.
Tehran has made brutally clear the risks of any intervention. Iran’s deputy foreign minister told Starmer directly: “We are not at war with Britain… but any participation in that war would be considered participation in the US-Israeli war of aggression against Iran.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband did not close the door completely and said “all options” were being examined with allies, including mine-hunting drones developed jointly with France that can operate ten times faster than a conventional minesweeper. But warships are not on the table. HMS Dragon, the only ship currently deployed, is heading to the Eastern Mediterranean to strengthen air defenses around Cyprus, not the Gulf.
£50 million but not for most
In his Downing Street speech on Monday, Starmer will frame the crisis in the language of workers, according to the Telegraph. He is expected to say, “Moments like this will tell you what a government means.”
“My answer is clear. No matter what challenges lie ahead, this Government will always support working people. That’s my first instinct, my first priority, is to help you with the cost of living through this crisis.”
The small print reportedly tells a different story. The £50m package reaches just one million households dependent on heating oil, concentrated in rural Northern Ireland, with large parts of the country having to cover rising costs without additional government support.
Trump relationship is getting more frayed
Britain’s stay away from the Bosphorus widens the gap between it and Washington day by day. Trump branded Starmer “no Churchill” when Britain refused to support initial US strikes on Iran and rejecting the warship would do nothing to repair the relationship. The two leaders, who spoke on the phone on Sunday evening, agreed on “the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz”; But agreeing on importance is a far cry from agreeing on action.
Trump made his position on the ceasefire clear in an interview Saturday night. “Iran wants to make a deal, but I don’t want to do it because the conditions are not good enough yet,” he said. Iran has rejected the framework entirely, saying it has not requested a ceasefire and does not see any basis for negotiations.
Trump is expected to announce a coalition of countries willing to escort ships across the strait later this week, but some potential partners are reportedly holding off on commitments until the attacks stop; This dynamic increases pressure on Washington to seek terms.
Markets are bracing for worse
The weekend air strikes on Kharg Island, which carries out a large portion of Iran’s crude oil exports, shook the markets before they even opened. The Express reported on Friday that Trump said the US might strike Kharg Island again “just for fun”, but the comment did little to calm investors.
JP Morgan described the strikes as an “escalation of the conflict” and warned that “serious product shortages” would begin to appear towards the end of the week. Analysts at Panmure Liberum predict that Brent Crude oil could rise as high as $110 per barrel at Monday’s open. U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters on Sunday that there was “no guarantee” that prices would fall in the coming weeks.
Israeli military officials poured cold water on hopes for a quick conclusion by suggesting the campaign could last another six weeks; It’s a timeline that will dwarf initial predictions and change the economic calculus for every country watching from the sidelines.
