PM says UK working with allies on plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK is working with allies on a "viable, collective plan" to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes after President Trump urged Britain and other countries to send warships to the Gulf to help protect the shipping channel, which is vital for global oil supplies.

Sir Keir told a news conference the UK already had minehunters in the region but there was no decision yet on what action would be taken.

The strait has been effectively closed to tankers since the conflict with Iran broke out, leading to surging oil prices.

Iran has threatened to attack any ships it considers linked to the US, while there is also a risk from sea mines.

The PM said: "Ultimately, we have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ensure stability on the market.

"That is not a simple task.

"So we're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable, collective plan that can restore the freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible and ease economic impact."

Sir Keir said he had also been discussing the issue with the US and Gulf countries, and that any action had to be agreed "by as many partners as possible".

Unlike consumers who use gas and electricity for heating and hot water, whose prices are capped until the end of June, those using oil are not regulated by Ofgem.

He also reiterated his calls for allies to help protect the Strait of Hormuz, saying: "It's only appropriate that people who are the beneficiaries of the strait will help to make sure that nothing bad happens there."

The president has previously urged the UK, China, France, Japan and South Korea to send ships to secure the route.

Sir Keir stressed that any action would not be a Nato mission but "an alliance of partners".

Pressed over whether he was refusing Trump's demand to commit the Royal Navy to protecting the strait, Sir Keir said the UK was "looking through the options" but highlighted there were already minehunting systems in the region.

Asked about the state of the UK's relationship with the US, Sir Keir insisted the two countries were "strong allies" but added: "It is for me to act in what I consider to be the best interests of Britain."

A German government spokesman said the war "has nothing to do with Nato", adding that it was an alliance to defend territory.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said there would be "no military participation" from Germany, although Berlin was prepared to support diplomatic efforts to protect the strait.

"What does Donald Trump expect from a handful of European frigates in the Strait of Hormuz that the mighty US navy cannot manage alone?" he added.

The prime minister angered Trump by refusing to allow the US to use UK bases for its initial offensive strikes against Iran.

However, he has since given permission for them to be used for defensive action against Iranian missile strikes.

Defending his decision, Sir Keir said he would not allow the UK to be drawn into "the wider war", while others would have "rushed the UK headlong into this war without the full picture of what they were sending our forces into and without a plan to get us out".

He added: "My leadership is about standing firm for the British interest. No matter the pressure."

At the start of the conflict, the Conservatives and Reform UK had criticised the PM for refusing to allow the US to use UK bases for offensive action.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said "there don't seem to have been plans in place" to protect the strait, pointing out that minesweepers in the region were moved from the Gulf shortly before the conflict broke out.

The Liberal Democrats have argued the UK should not send ships to help secure the strait and instead focus on de-escalating the war.