Sir Keir Starmer has suggested he did not raise frustration with Donald Trump over the US president’s impact on rising UK energy bills during their latest conversation, saying instead that the discussion on Thursday night focused on the need for a “practical plan” to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The prime minister’s comments come amid intense political debate over how Britain should respond to higher energy costs and long-term dependence on fossil fuels. At the same time, the government is being pressed on several fronts, including whether to approve revised applications for drilling in the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea, and on new laws aimed at tackling harmful pornography online.
Pressure grows over North Sea decisions
Tony Blair, the former Labour prime minister, has joined those arguing that the government should allow drilling in the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields. Both projects were approved by the previous Conservative government before being 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. That means he must follow due process and cannot make the decision simply on political grounds.
The issue highlights a broader split in energy policy. One side of the debate says the answer is to speed up Clean Power 2030 and decarbonise the electricity system as quickly as possible. The other argues for expanding domestic oil and gas production. According to the source material, both positions contain elements of truth, but neither fully addresses the central problem: outside the power sector, the UK economy remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, while electricity is still too expensive to make mass electrification viable.
The result, as described in the discussion, is a self-reinforcing cycle. High electricity prices weaken demand and slow the adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial electrification. Because demand remains weak, fixed costs in the system — including networks and long-term contracts — are spread over a smaller base, which keeps prices elevated. That leaves the UK in a high-cost, low-electrification trap that continues to expose it to global energy shocks.
New online pornography restrictions
Alongside the energy debate, ministers are preparing further action on harmful pornography. The first of the planned measures will ban anyone from possessing or publishing material showing incest between family members, as well as sexual content involving step or foster relations where one person is pretending to be under 18.
A further amendment will criminalise the publication and possession of pornography in which an adult is roleplaying as a child.
The government has said it is “uncompromising” in its mission to protect women and girls online and says it has already taken steps to stop technology companies from publishing abusive content.
In February, platforms were told they must remove reported non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours.
Supporters of the new measures say they will help address harmful pornographic content that is widely available online and normalises child sexual abuse and abusive relationships within families. One comment in the source welcomed the plans as a step toward fully tackling incest, step-incest and the mimicking of child sexual abuse, while also praising the UK for leading the way in regulating what was described as a high-harm industry.
The measures add another layer to an already crowded political agenda for the government, with ministers trying to show progress on energy security, online safety and wider public protection at the same time.
