Keir Starmer has suggested that he did not use a call with Donald Trump on Thursday night to tell the US president he was “fed up” with the impact of wars on UK energy bills.
Instead, the prime minister said the discussion focused on the need for a “practical plan” to open the Strait of Hormuz. He also said he had told Trump that leaders in Gulf states had stressed the importance of being involved in any plan for the region’s future if the ceasefire is to hold.
Starmer was speaking in an interview with Robert Peston, who had previously asked him about rising energy prices and the effect of wars started by Trump and Vladimir Putin. Asked whether he had raised that point directly with the president during their call, Starmer did not answer the question and said they spent “most of the time on the call talking about the practical plan”. He did not spell out what that plan involved.
Focus on the Gulf and regional security
The prime minister said there was “a very strong sense” among Gulf states that there could not be “tolling or restrictions” on the Strait of Hormuz as part of any final settlement. He said his recent tour of the region had left him with a clear impression of how much value Gulf countries placed on the UK as an ally.
“The overarching impression here is the importance, as they see it, of us standing with them as an ally, as a friend of theirs at a point of need,” he said.
He added that there had been reflection on work done with those countries over the previous six to seven weeks, particularly on collective self-defence.
Starmer also repeated his view that European members of Nato need to spend more on defence. He made the point again when asked about Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from the alliance. When pressed on whether those threats came up in the call, Starmer again did not give a direct answer, but said he was continually making the case that Europe needed to do more for Nato.
New powers over harmful online pornographic content
Separately, ministers are to bring forward legislation that would make technology bosses personally liable if they fail to remove non-consensual intimate images posted online. Under the plan, those who do not take action could face fines or even jail.
The Ministry of Justice said the sanctions will be added through an amendment to the crime and policing bill, which is now close to completing its passage through parliament.
The first of the proposed measures will ban possession or publication of harmful pornography showing 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 the move was part of its effort to protect women and girls online and to stop tech firms from hosting abusive content. It also pointed to guidance issued in February telling platforms they must remove reported non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours.
Supporters of the change said the measures would help address content they described as deeply harmful. One response welcomed the plans to tackle material such as incest, step-incest and the mimicking of child sexual abuse, saying it is widely available online and normalises abuse within families and child sexual exploitation.
The same response described the government’s action as a welcome move and said the UK was once again leading the way in regulating a high-harm industry.
The developments came amid a wider day of political debate over foreign policy, defence and the handling of harmful online material, with Starmer under pressure both on the international stage and at home over the cost of living.
