Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK “will not be drawn into the wider war” but said he is working with allies on a plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
The prime minister has resisted Donald Trump’s demands to send Royal Navy warships to help secure the vital shipping route for oil and gas which has been effectively closed to tankers by the Iran war.
At a Monday press conference, Starmer announced a £53 million support package to help households grappling with spiralling energy costs.
Sir Keir has set out targeted support for the most vulnerable of the 1.5m households reliant on heating oil, which – unlike gas and electricity – is not covered by the energy price cap.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to set out the full details of the package of support next week, which is expected to involve direct payments to vulnerable households. However, it is not known exactly how many homes will receive the support.
It comes after energy secretary Ed Miliband hinted that the government is open to halting its plans to raise fuel duty for the first time in more than a decade should the war in the Middle East continue into the latter half of the year.
