Trump’s war blows up in his face – Keir Starmer is rubbing his hands | Personal Finance | Finance
The White House insists the United States can get the job done in weeks without putting its boots on the ground. Trump claims the Mullahs are desperate for a deal. There’s just one problem. Nobody takes him seriously anymore. Tehran says there are no negotiations. And incredibly, people now trust the evil theocratic regime rather than Washington. The US and Israel continue to strike Iran, but reports indicate the Americans are running low on key Tomahawk missiles. Time is ticking and Trump’s next move is anyone’s guess.
The Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, squeezing the world’s most vital oil seam. As reserves decrease, oil prices increase. Parts of South Asia are facing food shortages and even starvation as fertilizer shipments are disrupted ahead of the planting season. We won’t starve here, but it will still hurt.
Oil prices are rising. Food is getting more expensive. Shoppers are cutting back to prepare for what comes next. But in the midst of all this, one man thinks everything is going pretty well for him. Our Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer thinks he is having a good war by staying out of the fray. And he may be right. The public has little appetite for new foreign turmoil. They know that we are no longer a serious military force. The Royal Navy once ruled the waves. Today we are trying to send a single obsolete frigate to protect the bases in Cyprus. The French, Spanish and Greek navies had to hold the castle. This is a national humiliation.
If I were an Argentinian general, I’d be eager to give the Falklands a chance. Starmer would meekly hand over the letter while muttering something about international law. The British public knows this. So we’re happy to keep our heads down. And frankly, we owe Trump nothing after his repeated jibes about our armed forces and aircraft carriers.
Even if this doesn’t end in World War III, it will still end badly for us. Chancellor Rachel Reeves knows this. Tens of billions of dollars are in demand for defense and tens of billions more to protect households from rising energy costs. He doesn’t get a penny after destroying the public finances.
But Starmer thinks things are still going well for him. And as we see, that’s all he really cares about.
Labor still faces defeat in the May election. A heavy defeat was expected to trigger a leadership race, with Wes Streeting and Angela Rayner already in maneuvers. But neither of them wants to take the first shot and face accusations of infidelity. Especially now.
Starmer made a big decision, albeit partly by accident. And the worse this war gets, the better his decision to flee will look. He will use this to the fullest. No doubt at the expense of indulging in a quiet point of schadenfreude Donald Trump.
When the economic shock hits, the Prime Minister has an excuse ready. He will blame the Middle East. Then he will say that this is not the time for intra-party fights. Not while there is war.
The Iran conflict could put an end to Donald Trump because he controls the facts ruthlessly and even Republicans oppose him. But it could save Keir Starmer. I’m not sure voters will see this as a victory, but he will.
