Starmer has spoken to pool reporters about fuel price rises:
“Well, look, I recognise the concern that this is causing people. Fuel duty is frozen until September and the advice from the various sectors is just normal use. No need to do anything other than what’s normal, but obviously we’re bearing down on energy costs. The single most important thing we can do is to de-escalate and to get the Strait of Hormuz open. And that’s why I’m putting so much effort into that aspect.”
Nothing…
There is a meeting and update with industry leaders in Downing Street in the late afternoon. Rachel Reeves is joining a G7 call on further steps. All when Starmer launches his local election campaign on the back of his promise to reduce the cost of living…
Frustrations are growing, and fast…
It looks like ‘plan’ was the wrong word…
The summary:
• Inflation could hit 3-3.5% over coming quarters due to the Iran war.
• Boasted about government investment in renewables for energy security, while claiming domestic oil and gas must “play a role for decades to come”. Still no drilling in the North Sea…
• Committed to speeding up nuclear energy expansion.
• Exploring government-backed indemnities for critical energy projects so construction continues even if legally challenged. Sure…
• Aims to reach a Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement with the EU this year, which she insists will lower shop prices.
• Meeting supermarket and bank bosses later this week to discuss supporting customers.
• CMA has “stepped up” monitoring of fuel prices and launched a market study into heating oil.
• CMA to be given new “time-limited, targeted powers” under an “anti-profiteering framework” to crack down on ‘price gouging’.
• Said the government is looking at means-tested support rather than universal. No specifics yet, because they haven’t actually worked it out.
New polling from More in Common shows Green voters are far more likely to back Iran over Israel and the US, with 38% taking the Iranian side compared to just 4% backing the Americans and the Israelis. 40% back neither side and 6% judge both equally. The Green support for the Iranian side is more than twice as high as any other voting group…
As the chart above shows, Reform voters are far more likely to back the American position. Overall, however, most Brits sympathise with neither side at all…
A further embarrassment was dealt to Starmer yesterday when the Mauritius government – currently near collapse – finally issued a statement about the attempted Iranian missile attack on Chagos. Guido has been monitoring the situation…
The Mauritius government repeated its previous call for “immediate cessation of the hostilities in the interests of the peoples of the region”. It went on to call for “peaceful engagement” with Iran. This is the anti-US, pro-Iran line being taken by a handful of states in the ‘Global south’…
The diplomatic move is a further humiliation for Starmer who has been caught up in the Iran fallout – it now is obvious the UK was attempting to do a deal to cede territory to Mauritius which is very much on the wrong side of Washington when it comes to Iran. The deal is going nowhere, whatever Labour ministers might say…
See the full statement below:
Continue reading “Mauritius Repeats Call for ‘Cessation of Hostilities’ With Iran Over Chagos”
Jonathan Powell must be a very familiar face in Beijing. He’s back there on another unannounced visit this week, not disclosed by the British Government…
Chinese media notes Powell met Wang Yi, China’s Minister of Foreign Affairs yesterday. Chagos on the agenda no doubt, as well as Ukraine and Iran…
Is the UK about to join the Iran-China axis? Staggering stuff…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
