UPDATE: Starmer says the UK “will not be drawn into the wider war” in the Middle East, and the government is ‘working on a viable plan’ to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. No commitment on warships to do that.
He confirms a £53 million support package for “those households that are most exposed” to rising heating oil prices.
In Henry Mance’s piece today for the FT, lunching with Nigel Farage:
“Splendido!” Farage says, when the drinks arrive; I suppose it’s a step to European reconciliation. We clink glasses, and he lights the first of two back-to-back Benson & Hedges. A few minutes later, we’re back downstairs. “Are you drinking? Good.” He orders a glass of Sauvignon blanc for each of us — not a bottle, “because it’s Lent” — followed by a bottle of claret, to have with our meal. They say Farage drinks less than he used to. They say a lot of things.”