‘IT IS now clear that the impact of this war will affect the future of our country… I do have to level with people. This will not be easy, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned yesterday.’
Speaking at a Downing Street press conference, he added: ‘The most effective way we can support the cost of living in Britain is to push for de-escalation in the Middle East and a re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz which is such a vital route for energy.’
The prime minister stressed: ‘Whatever the pressure on me and others, whatever the noise, I’m going to act in the British national interest in all the decisions that I make. And that’s why I’ve been absolutely clear that this is not our war.’
He said: ‘The Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor have met their counterparts in the G7. The Defence Secretary has been in the Middle East speaking to our partners. And the UK has now brought together 35 nations around our statement of intent to push, as one, for maritime security across the Gulf.
‘And today I can announce that later this week the Foreign Secretary will host a meeting that brings those nations together for the first time where we will assess all viable diplomatic and political measures we can take to restore freedom of navigation, guarantee the safety of trapped ships and seafarers and to resume the movement of vital commodities.
‘Following this meeting, we will also convene our military planners, to look at how we can marshal our capabilities.
‘Let me turn now to the impact at home, because I know that this is causing huge concern.’
He said: ‘We have a five-point plan for the immediate crisis. We’re cutting energy bills by over £100 per household today.
‘We’ve extended the cut in fuel duty until September, and we are monitoring that situation daily. We’re supporting people exposed to heating oil rises, setting aside £53 million for that. We’re taking back control of our energy security, by investing in clean British energy.
‘Because that is the only way we get your bills off the rollercoaster that is controlled by Putin and the Iranian regime.’
He went on to declare: ‘It is increasingly clear that as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the European Union.
‘So, in the coming weeks we will announce a new summit with our EU partners. And I can tell you, at that summit, the UK will not just ratify existing commitments made at last year’s summit. We want to be more ambitious. Closer economic cooperation. Closer security cooperation.’
Asked by reporters if Labour’s commitments at the general election to not seek a customs union, re-join the single market, or establish freedom of movement are still in place, the Prime Minister said: ‘The manifesto commitments remain, but we made it clear in the manifesto that we wanted a closer relationship with Europe, so that is perfectly consistent with our manifesto.’