Sir Keir Starmer has suggested he did not tell Donald Trump that he was “fed up” about the US president’s impact on rising UK energy bills, saying instead that their call on Thursday night was focused on the need for a “practical plan” to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The prime minister’s comments came as debate over energy policy intensified in Westminster, with Tony Blair joining calls for the government to allow drilling for oil and gas in the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea.
Both fields were approved by the last Conservative government, but the decisions were later overturned by a court ruling. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, now has to decide on the revised applications while acting in a quasi-judicial capacity, meaning he must follow due process and cannot make the decision purely on political grounds.
The discussion comes against the backdrop of a wider argument over how the UK should respond to high energy costs and long-term dependence on fossil fuels. One view, backed by the government, is that the answer lies in speeding up Clean Power 2030 and decarbonising the electricity system as quickly as possible. Another, pushed by the opposition, is that the country should expand domestic oil and gas production.
A commentary included in the debate argued that both approaches contain some truth, but neither fully addresses the strategic problem facing the UK. It said the economy remains heavily dependent on fossil fuels outside the power sector and that electricity is still too expensive to drive large-scale electrification.
The same analysis described the UK as being trapped in a “high-cost, low-electrification” cycle. According to this view, expensive electricity reduces demand for electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial electrification. That weak demand then leaves fixed system costs, including networks and long-term contracts, spread across a smaller base, which keeps prices high. The result, it said, is an energy system too costly to electrify and still exposed to global shocks.
Online safety measures
Separately, the government said it would introduce new measures aimed at harmful pornography online. One planned ban would make it an offence to possess or publish pornography showing incest between family members, as well as sex between step or foster relations where one person is pretending to be under 18.
A further amendment would criminalise the publication and possession of pornography in which an adult is roleplaying as a child.
The government said it was “uncompromising” in its mission to protect women and girls online and said action had already been taken to stop tech firms publishing abusive content.
In February, platforms were told they must remove reported non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours.
Campaigners welcomed the government’s plans, saying the changes would help address harmful pornographic material that is widely available online. They said such content can normalise child sexual abuse and abusive relationships within families.
One supporter of the measures said the government had answered calls for change and added that the UK was once again leading the way on regulating what was described as a high-harm industry.
The debate over energy policy, offshore drilling and online safety unfolded as ministers faced pressure on several fronts, with the prime minister’s conversation with Trump and the future of North Sea fields both drawing close attention.
