Keir Starmer welcomes Iran war ceasefire as he heads to Gulf to meet regional leaders
Good morning. Keir Starmer has welcomed the ceasefire agreement between the US and Iran. Here is Andrew Roth’s report on the overnight developments.
This is what Starmer stated in a message issued by No 10 this morning.
I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world.
Together with our partners we must do all we can to support and sustain this ceasefire, turn it into a lasting agreement and re-open the Strait of Hormuz.
No 10 released this statement in a news release indicating that Starmer is travelling to the Gulf today “to meet with Gulf partners and discuss diplomatic efforts to support and uphold the ceasefire in order to bring about a lasting resolution to the conflict and protect the UK and global economy from further threats.”
Downing Street emphasized that this trip was arranged before the ceasefire announcement. Starmer did not decide to travel after reading Donald Trump’s statements.
Details of Starmer’s exact destinations or meetings have not been disclosed. However, Downing Street outlined the visit’s objectives:
On the visit, the prime minister will make clear his government’s commitment to de-escalation, and hold further talks on practical efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz following promising progress reported as a result of the ceasefire. As announced by the prime minister last week, the United Kingdom is continuing to lead the international effort, convening allies from across the world to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is reopened.
He will also see in person the defensive support the UK has provided in the collective self-defence of our allies in the region and thank UK personnel for their brave service.
The timing of any updates or appearances by Starmer remains unknown, but coverage will be provided as soon as information is available.
Other events scheduled for today
Morning: Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, will attend an event announcing funding for youth clubs.
Morning: Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, will campaign in Yorkshire.
Morning: Anas Sarwar, Scottish Labour leader, will campaign in Edinburgh focusing on culture policy. John Swinney, First Minister and SNP leader, will visit Na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Western Isles), and Russell Findlay, Scottish Tory leader, will campaign in Ayrshire.
12.30pm: Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, and Malcolm Offord, the party’s leader in Scotland, will hold a press conference in Aberdeen.
Afternoon: Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, will be visiting London.
At some point today, the Welsh Liberal Democrats will launch their Senedd election campaign.
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James Cleverly criticizes Starmer’s handling of Iran war
James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, claimed on GB News this morning that Starmer has lost credibility due to his response to the Iran war. Regarding Starmer’s Gulf visit, Cleverly said:
The prime minister is desperately trying to regain some credibility, having been slow and indecisive throughout this situation.
He’s changed positions. He was opposing the United States using their own aircraft from British bases. Then he was in favour of it.
He delayed the decision to deploy British naval assets. He left British military personnel and our allies in the region not properly defended. And now he’s finally engaging properly with this situation.
Unfortunately, he has cost this country credibility on the world stage. And I know a lot of our friends and allies in the region and beyond are very disappointed in Britain’s response, and that is entirely because of decisions that Keir Starmer failed to make.
This represents one perspective. A recent poll found the public split fairly evenly on Starmer’s handling of the Iran war – with 43% saying he was doing badly, and 38% saying he was doing well. While these figures may appear poor, compared with Starmer’s previous ratings, they represent a significant improvement. Kemi Badenoch has shifted from initially supporting the war without reservation to expressing reservations, and Starmer appears to believe his handling of Iran has benefited him politically because he frequently compares his stance to Badenoch’s and Nigel Farage’s.
Green leader Zack Polanski urges Starmer to suspend US military from UK soil
Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has renewed his call for the UK to ban the US military from using bases in Britain.
He posted on social media in response to Keir Starmer’s statement about the ceasefire.
The Prime Minister FINALLY speaks.
He says “we must do all we can to sustain the ceasefire.”
Surely that must means suspending US military from UK soil?
The President is not some abstract threat. We’ve seen repeatedly exactly who he is - and we should have no part in it.
The last 24 hours have shown what many have said for a long time.
Britain’s role as an accomplice to Trump’s America must end.
We must urgently decouple from a rogue US & seek security with allies closer to home. That starts with suspension of the US bombers on British soil.
Polanski also posted comments on a clip of an interview given this morning by Sarah Jones, the policing minister.
This Government both want us to believe they’ve played a leadership role here - and that they don’t know the terms of the agreement.
While European Allies banned US use of their airspace, we’ve let bombers launch from the UK.
Yesterday Polanski urged the government to stop allowing the US to use British bases for any operations against Iran. Today he appears to be calling for a more permanent ban on American warplanes being based in the UK.
Minister says ceasefire is 'emerging news' and 'we need to see how that develops'
Sarah Jones, the policing minister, has given interviews discussing Keir Starmer’s visit to the Gulf but has not provided additional details beyond those released by Downing Street.
[Starmer] is going to the Gulf for a number of reasons. Firstly you will have seen last week with the foreign secretary, and this week with our officials, where we have played a real leading role bringing together about 40 countries looking at the challenge that we have in the strait [of Hormuz] and how we can make sure that opens up as quickly as possible to bring some normality back to that system. so there will be that aspect.
He wants to see the work of our brave personnel who are there in the region, of course, with our three very key principles of protecting British interests and protecting British citizens and our allies. He will want to see the work of that.
And, of course, this ceasefire is very much emerging breaking news. We need to see how that develops.
FTSE 100 rises as stock market opens after Iran ceasefire announcement
The FTSE 100 index rose by 268.28 points, or 2.59%, reaching 10,617.07 points after the London markets opened this morning, according to the Press Association. Traders and investors welcomed the conditional two-week ceasefire between the US and Iran. Concurrently, the price of crude oil fell by approximately 14% in early trading.
