Keir Starmer hit out at Donald Trump‘s threats to ‘end’ Iranian civilisation and condemned his plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
In a statement to MPs, the PM said he would ‘never’ use the kind of words the US President did about destroying civilian power and water infrastructure because they were ‘wrong’.
He also confirmed that the UK will not be playing any part in Mr Trump’s latest move to stop ‘any and all ships’ going through the vital Strait – which carries around a fifth of the world’s oil and gas.
Sir Keir insisted Britain is ready to help restore freedom of navigation, but made clear that will ‘take time’ and can only happen ‘once the conflict ends’. He also demanded that Lebanon is included in any ceasefire, saying Israel must stop attacks.
With Brent Crude trading above $100 a barrel again after negotiations with Iran collapsed, Sir Keir braced families for a rough ride, saying the standoff was causing ‘untold damage’ to economies.
However, he stopped short of announcing any new support.
It is unclear what Mr Trump’s blockade, which took effect at 3pm, will mean in practice.
The consequences of the Middle East turmoil are already being felt, with pump prices rocketing, energy bills set to follow, and hopes of interest rate cuts on hold.
The Resolution Foundation think-tank has warned that typical middle-earner households will be £480 worse off this year than they would have been without the economic shockwave.
As the world held its breath again today:
- Sir Keir suggested the King’s state visit to the US is about historic Transatlantic ties and not Mr Trump;
- The PM again argued that the chaos was evidence that he should unwind Brexit to get closer to the EU;
- The RAC said petrol and diesel rises had been slowing before the latest spike in oil prices;
- The president lambasted Nato – a defensive alliance – for refusing to get involved in the US-Israeli war against Iran;
- He insisted Iran will come back to the negotiating table because otherwise he would send the country ‘back to the Stone Ages’.
- Mr Trump renewed his war of words with Pope Leo XIV, who previously criticised the president’s rhetoric regarding the conflict;
- Rachel Reeves is due to travel to Washington for talks with IMF counterparts as the economic consequences start to be felt.
In a statement to MPs, Keir Starmer said he would ‘never’ use the kind of words Donald Trump did about destroying civilian power and water infrastructure because they were ‘wrong’
Donald Trump (pictured) threw the world into chaos yesterday by announcing that America would blockade ‘any and all ships’ attempting to use the Strait of Hormuz
The US President said he was going to ‘clean out’ the Strait of Hormuz (pictured), through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas passes
Asked by Lib Dem leader Ed Davey about Mr Trump’s sabre-rattling about sending Iran back to the Stone Age, Sir Keir said: ‘A threat to Iranian civilians in that way is wrong.
‘These are civilians, let’s remember, who suffered immeasurable harm by the regime in Iran for many, many long years.
‘And that’s why they’re words and phrases that I would never use on behalf of this government, which is guided by our principles and our values throughout all of this.’
Appearing on BBC Radio 5 Live this morning, Sir Keir said the UK was ‘not supporting the blockade’ – with a joint UK-French summit on a peacekeeping mission due to take place this week.
‘What we’ve been doing is bringing countries together to keep the Straits open and not shut,’ the premier said.
‘All the time the Strait is shut or not that means oil and gas is not getting to market, the price is going up.
‘It is vital that we get the strait open and fully open.’
Sir Keir stressed ‘the need to work with a wide coalition of partners to protect freedom of navigation’ in the Strait as he spoke to French president Emmanuel Macron last night.
Mr Trump wrote on social media: ‘Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!’ He said the US would ‘finish up the little that is left of Iran’, adding: ‘THIS IS WORLD EXTORTION.’
‘We’re putting on a complete blockade,’ he told Fox News. ‘We’re not going to let Iran make money by selling oil to people that they like, and not people that they don’t like. It’s going to be all or none, and that’s the way it is.
‘We’re going to clean out the Strait and [ships] will be able to use it in not too long a distance.’
Mr Trump said that ‘the UK and a couple of other countries are sending mine sweepers’ to the strait, and ‘it won’t take long to clean it out’.
However, although Britain does have mine hunting systems in the region, they are thought to be drones and would only be deployed once the situation stabilises.
Sir Keir said: ‘The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost of living pressures.
‘The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation.
‘This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard shipping when the conflict ends.’
Emmanuel Macron said: ‘This strictly defensive mission, separate from the warring parties to the conflict, is intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit.’
There are reports that Mr Trump is weighing up resuming limited military strikes in Iran in addition to the blockade in order to find a breakthrough on the peace talks.
It came as Tehran’s foreign minister claimed it was ‘inches away’ from agreeing a deal with the US.
Oil and gas prices have soared and stock markets have fallen since the Strait was closed by Iran at the start of its conflict with the US in February.
Airlines have warned of higher ticket prices as jet fuel costs have doubled, and supermarkets are likely to introduce price hikes due to higher importing and packaging costs.
Yesterday, Mr Trump said Iranian explosives would be cleared from the Strait by minesweepers, including some from the UK.
Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026
‘We have highly sophisticated underwater minesweepers, which are the latest and the greatest, but we’re also bringing in more traditional minesweepers,’ he said.
‘I understand the UK and a couple of other countries are sending minesweepers.’
The blockade plan comes after peace talks with Iran, led by US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad, Pakistan, broke down on Saturday.
While the discussions took place, Mr Trump attended an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) match in Miami.
A UK Government spokesman said: ‘We continue to support freedom of navigation and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, which is urgently needed to support the global economy and the cost of living back home.
‘As an international shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz must not be subject to tolling.
‘We are urgently working with France and other partners to put together a wide coalition to protect freedom of navigation.’
The Resolution Foundation study found typical working-age households were previously on course for a 0.9 per cent, or £300 boost, to their incomes this year.
But they will now instead find themselves 0.6 per cent, or £180, worse off.
It means overall they are losing out to the tune of £480 from the inflation shock.
The analysis shows that the removal of the two-child limit on benefits will deliver a major boost to those with three or more children who are in the bottom half of UK earners.
They will see their living standards rise by an average 7.7 per cent, even after the shock of rising prices caused by the conflict.
This compares with 0 per cent for poorer families with fewer than three children.