Prime Minister Keir Starmer drew a parallel between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, lamenting the rising energy costs for the British as a result of the conflict with Iran.
In an interview with ITV News during a visit to the Middle East, the British Prime Minister said that the impact of the crisis on the UK economy is „evident.”
"I'm fed up with families across the country seeing their energy bills go up and down, and companies' bills as well, because of the actions of Putin or Trump in the world," he said, apparently referring to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which led to an explosion in energy prices, as reported by Politico.
The US-Israel war with Iran - now in a two-week ceasefire - has led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, causing a sudden increase in oil prices.
Starmer has sought to position the UK at the center of a coalition of states trying to reopen the strait, but has distanced himself from Trump since the early days of the conflict, refusing to allow the US to use British bases for offensive strikes. Since then, Trump has launched several verbal attacks against him.
In the same interview, Starmer avoided directly commenting on Trump's pre-ceasefire threat that if Iran does not reopen the strait, "an entire civilization will die." The British Prime Minister only said that "it's not language I would use" and that he will be "guided by British values in everything he does."
Starmer has also intensified his criticism of Israel, which continued deadly strikes in Lebanon, sparking dissatisfaction from Iran and some European states for continuing actions beyond the ceasefire.
Asked if these attacks constitute a breach of the ceasefire, the Prime Minister responded: "It's hard to say there's a breach when we don't have access to all the details of the agreement.
But I want to be very clear: it's wrong. It shouldn't happen. It must stop."
Starmer added: "The question is not a technical one, whether it's a breach of the agreement or not. The question is, in fact, a matter of principles."
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