Morning Developments and Starmer’s Press Conference
Good morning. Keir Starmer is holding a press conference at Downing Street this morning. As Kiran Stacey reports, the Prime Minister’s primary objective is to announce support measures for those most affected by rising energy costs, particularly households dependent on heating oil. These measures are anticipated to be worth tens of millions of pounds.
However, much of the attention is expected to focus on Starmer’s response to recent provocations from former US President Donald Trump.
To recap: last weekend, Trump dismissed the UK’s position, stating that the US did not require Britain’s support in the Gulf. This weekend, he requested that the UK and other countries deploy warships to protect oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The UK government has indicated it will not deploy warships but may send minesweeping drones. Below are some of today’s headlines.
After initially adopting a solicitous tone, Trump has reverted to a more threatening stance. In a brief statement, he implied that if countries such as the UK do not deploy warships to safeguard oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, he might reconsider the US commitment to NATO. He stated:
"It’s only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the Strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there …
If there’s no response or if it’s a negative response I think it will be very bad for the future of Nato."
Starmer’s remarks on this matter are awaited later today, but Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, has already responded during morning interviews. Speaking on , McFadden downplayed the threat, asserting that the US-UK alliance is robust enough to “outlast” any difficulties arising from Trump’s rhetoric. When asked to comment on Trump’s quote, McFadden said:
"That’s the president right there. The quote that you’ve just given has summed him up.
It’s a very transactional presidency and our job is to navigate this, to always remember that the friendship between the United States and the United Kingdom runs very deep.
It’s a good relationship. It’s enduring and I think it will outlast all the personalities involved."
Today’s Political Agenda
We will cover Starmer’s press conference in detail, but the day includes other political events as well. Here is the schedule for today:
- Morning: Keir Starmer meets Mark Carney, the Canadian Prime Minister, at Downing Street.
- 10:30am: Starmer holds his press conference.
- 11:00am: Richard Tice, Reform UK’s deputy leader, holds a press conference to provide what the party describes as "a significant update on Doge and Reform in local government."
- 11:30am: Pat McFadden, Work and Pensions Secretary, delivers a speech with announcements.
- Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a visit in London.
- 12:30pm: Malcolm Offord, Reform UK’s leader in Scotland, participates in a Q&A session at the Institute for Government.
- 1:30pm: Jeremy Corbyn, Your Party’s parliamentary leader, presents a report. As Patrick Wintour reports, it will address key issues.
- 2:30pm: John Healey, Defence Secretary, answers questions in the House of Commons.
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