Sir Keir Starmer has appeared to play down the idea that he used a call with Donald Trump to complain directly about the US president’s impact on UK energy prices, saying the conversation on Thursday night focused instead on the need for a “practical plan” to open the Strait of Hormuz.
The remarks came as the government continued to face scrutiny on several fronts in the energy and technology policy debate, including pressure over North Sea oil and gas, the cost of electricity, and a package of measures aimed at cracking down on harmful pornography online.
Pressure over North Sea projects
In the energy debate, Tony Blair, the former Labour prime minister, has joined those urging the government to allow drilling for oil and gas in the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea.
Both projects were approved by the last Conservative government, but those decisions were later overturned by a court ruling. Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, must now decide on revised applications in a quasi-judicial role. That means he is required to follow due process and cannot make the decision simply on political grounds.
The wider argument over energy policy remains sharply divided. Supporters of the government’s approach say the answer is to speed up Clean Power 2030, with a focus on decarbonising the electricity system as quickly as possible. Critics argue that the country needs to expand domestic oil and gas production.
But the source material highlights a deeper structural problem: the UK economy outside the power sector still depends heavily on fossil fuels, while electricity remains too expensive to drive large-scale electrification.
That, in turn, feeds what has been described as a self-reinforcing “high-cost, low-electrification trap”. High electricity bills discourage demand, which slows the rollout of electric vehicles, heat pumps and industrial electrification. Weak demand then means the fixed costs of the system, including networks and long-term contracts, are shared across a smaller base, keeping prices elevated.
The result is a system that is too costly to electrify and therefore remains dependent on fossil fuels and vulnerable to global shocks.
Online safety measures
Alongside the energy debate, ministers are preparing new measures aimed at harmful pornography online. The first of those measures will ban anyone from possessing or publishing pornography depicting incest between family members, and sex between 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 said it is “uncompromising” in its mission to protect women and girls online and has already acted 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 changes welcomed the move. One statement said the government’s plans would fully address harmful pornographic content such as incest, step-incest and the mimicking of child sexual abuse. It added that such material, which is freely and widely available online, is deeply harmful and helps normalise child sexual abuse and abusive relationships within families.
Another response described the government’s action as a long-awaited answer to calls for change and said the UK was once again leading the way on regulating what it called a high-harm industry.
The debate now stretches across energy security, consumer bills, digital regulation and the government’s wider approach to net zero and public protection. As ministers weigh difficult decisions on North Sea production and electricity policy, they are also moving to tighten rules on online content considered abusive or exploitative.
For now, the political argument remains unresolved. The government is trying to accelerate clean power and reduce exposure to fossil fuel shocks, while critics insist that domestic drilling is still needed to ease pressure on energy costs. At the same time, the administration is pressing ahead with legislation designed to shut down some of the most harmful forms of pornography online.
