Housing minister said the government “will not accept profiteering” from energy companies
In his LBC interview this morning Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, said the government “will not accept profiteering” from energy companies in the light of prices rising globally. (See 11.36am.) This is a line that all ministers have been using for some time now since the war started.
In his Inside Politics newsletter for the Financial Times, Stephen Bush says rhetoric like this is unfair on the oil companies. He explains:
When ministers talk about “profiteering”, do they understand that in part, what they are seeing as “increased profits” are the result of Europe bidding up the price of oil and gas that would previously have been sold in the Indian subcontinent?
Now, you can make an absolutely watertight case, morally, that it is a bad thing that in an energy market with reduced supply, the rich world is going to outbid the poor world. I just don’t think that politicians in any rich world democracy – which the UK still is, for now – can make this argument successfully …
I can’t work out which I think is worse: that the government genuinely believes some of the things it has said about profiteering and energy costs over the past few weeks, or if the government is simply being cynical, feels it can’t openly blame Donald Trump for increased costs but thinks it can get away with blaming the energy companies and petrol stations for them.
Key events
No 10 says ‘productive talks’ between US and Iran welcome in response to Trump suspending threat to bomb power plants
Downing Street has given a qualified welcome to the announcement from Donald Trump this morning that he has suspended plans to bomb Iranian power plants to allow negotiationn to continue. (See 11.24am.) At the No 10 lobby briefing, asked about the president’s statement this morning, the PM’s spokesperson said:
Any reports of productive talks are welcome. We’ve always said that swift resolution to the war is in global interests and that the strait of Hormuz specifically needs to be reopened. You will have seen, with the joint statement that we released with partners last week, that’s a priority for us.
Asked if the UK was aware of what Trump described as the “very good and productive conversations” the US has had with Iran over the past two days, or involved with them, the spokesperson said he had nothing to add to the readout issued last night about Keir Starmer’s call with Trump.
No 10 won’t comment on Trump posting sketch mocking Starmer on social media, saying PM ‘entirely focused on job’
Downing Street has chosen to ignore Donald Trump posting a TV sketch on social media mocking Keir Starmer. At the lobby briefing, asked how Starmer reacted to Trump posted the sketch on his Social Media platform yesterday, before he and Starmer spoke by phone (see 9.31am), the PM’s spokesperson said:
The prime minister is entirely focused on the job in hand. He obviously had a good conversation with the president. They discussed the conflict and the strait or Hormuz.
The prime minister has repeatedly been clear that we’re not going to be drawn into this wider war. We’re taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, but we are not going to be dragged into this wider war.
Asked if Starmer found the sketch funny, the spokesperson said he was not aware if Starmer had seen the clip. The PM was “entirely focused” on responding in the British national interest.
The spokesperson sidestepped a question about whether Trump’s decision to post the clip on social media meant he wasn’t entirely focused on the job in hand.
Housing minister said the government “will not accept profiteering” from energy companies
In his LBC interview this morning Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, said the government “will not accept profiteering” from energy companies in the light of prices rising globally. (See 11.36am.) This is a line that all ministers have been using for some time now since the war started.
In his Inside Politics newsletter for the Financial Times, Stephen Bush says rhetoric like this is unfair on the oil companies. He explains:
When ministers talk about “profiteering”, do they understand that in part, what they are seeing as “increased profits” are the result of Europe bidding up the price of oil and gas that would previously have been sold in the Indian subcontinent?
Now, you can make an absolutely watertight case, morally, that it is a bad thing that in an energy market with reduced supply, the rich world is going to outbid the poor world. I just don’t think that politicians in any rich world democracy – which the UK still is, for now – can make this argument successfully …
I can’t work out which I think is worse: that the government genuinely believes some of the things it has said about profiteering and energy costs over the past few weeks, or if the government is simply being cynical, feels it can’t openly blame Donald Trump for increased costs but thinks it can get away with blaming the energy companies and petrol stations for them.
Graeme Wearden on his business blog says the FTSE 100 share index is up, and oil prices down, following Donald Trump’s latest Taco (“Trump always chickens out”) this morning. (See 11.24am.)
We will hear the Downing Street view soon. The lobby briefing is just getting under way.
Minister says there’s ‘huge differentiation’ in petrol prices around country, implying some firms are profiteering
Matthew Pennycook, the housing minister, was speaking for the government on the morning news programmes earlier. Speaking to LBC, he confirmed that the government wanted the Competition and Markets Authority to deal with any potention profiteering by oil companies. Pennycook said prices were “prices are soaring in places” and “we’re seeing a huge differentiation in prices across the country, which is why the CMA have put fuel retailers on notice”.
Trump says he’s postponing strikes on Iranian power plants for a five day period
Donald Trump has said he has instructed the defence department to postpone all airstrikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, Yohannes Lowe reports. This is subject to the “success” of ongoing “meetings and discussions”, Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Yohannes has more on our Middle East crisis live blog.
Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, is due to make a written ministerial statement today about HS2. According to a report by Jim Pickard and Gill Plimmer in the Financial Times, she will tell HS2 management to explore how they could save costs by cutting the maximum speed at which HS2 trains would be able to run. Pickard and Plimmer explain:
Key to Alexander’s thinking is that HS2 trains are being built with a specification to run at up to 360km per hour, which would make it one of the fastest lines in the world – although they were not expected to run faster than 330km per hour most of the time.
Ministers believe that HS2 would have to either send the new trains as far as China to test them on an existing high-speed track, or wait until a bespoke test track is built in the UK. That would not be the case if the trains were to run at a slower speed, the government believes.
“If you look at potentially reducing it down to about 320kph across the piece, then you save potentially billions of pounds in construction costs as well as some years off the timeframe for delivery,” the official said.
Streeting says government will fund replacement ambulances for those destroyed in antisemitic arson attack
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said the government will provide help for the Jewish community ambulance service, Hatzola Northwest, which had four vehicles damaged or destroyed in an arson attack.
Speaking to the media on a visit to the site of the attack in Golders Green, north London, Streeting said:
The Jewish community should not be left footing the bill for this despicable attack, which is why tomorrow morning, at the latest, we will have four ambulances in place to replace those that have been destroyed, and we’ll be working to replace those ambulances on a permanent basis, and we will fund the replacement of those ambulances.
Those responsible for this attack must know that the Jewish community will not face up to this hatred alone. The whole country will stand with them.
According to Richard Spencer and Matt Dathan in the Times, at the Cobra meeting this afternoon ministers will discuss giving the Competition and Markets Authorities new powers to stop energy companies profiteering from the global oil and gas shortage. They say:
A government source said: “We’re looking at strengthening the Competition and Markets Authority so it can go after more firms ripping people off. We want to check that it has the necessary powers to ensure families struggling with the cost of living are properly protected.”
And in the Daily Telegraph, Christopher Jasper and Genevieve Holl-Allen say ministers will discuss how to avoid triggering panic buying at petrol stations. They report:
One source said the government was grappling with “behavioural science’’ and studying the 2021 fuel-supply crisis – the first for two decades – which saw pumps run dry across the country after reports of a shortage of tanker drivers.
While Britain produces more than enough petrol to cover demand, the bulk of diesel volumes come from imports, which could be disrupted as Iran continues to prevent shipping leaving the Persian Gulf.
Ministers are said to be nervous about communicating any concerns about fuel supplies for fear of sparking a rush to the pumps.
DfE says new school nurseries will cut childcare costs in poorest areas
Keir Starmer was visiting a school in south-east London this morning to publicise a government announcement about another 331 schools in England getting funding to build or expand nurseries.
In its news release, the Department for Education says:
A further 331 schools across the country have been successful in applying for a share of £45 million funding to build or expand nurseries on their site. The new nurseries will add to the vibrant childcare market and create over 6,000 more childcare places for children from St Ives to Gateshead, on top of the up to 6,000 already being delivered from the first phase of the programme.
New figures published today show over a million parents now use the government’s funded childcare offer. But the data also reveals lower take-up in poorer communities, highlighting the need to target new places where families face the biggest barriers to accessing childcare.
School-based nurseries already play a major role in filling those gaps, making up around 35% of childcare provision in the most deprived areas, compared with 16% in the least deprived.
Starmer condemns ‘horrific antisemitic attack’ on Jewish community ambulance service in London
Keir Starmer has described the arson attack on a Jewish community ambulance service in Golders Green, north London, as “horrific” antisemitism.
Asked about the attack, he told broadcasters:
This is a horrific antisemitic attack. And of course my thoughts, I think all of our thoughts, will be with those in the vicinity, the residents who are understandably very concerned, the Jewish community across the country deeply concerned.
I’ve already been in touch with community leaders this morning and will continue to do so during the day.
But antisemitism has no place in our society and it’s really important that we all stand together at a moment like this.
Here is Kevin Rawlinson’s story about the incident, which is being treated by the police as an antisemitic hate crime.
Starmer says there’s ‘no assesssment’ saying Iran targeting Britain with long-range missiles
Keir Starmer has also dismissed suggestions that people in Britain at risk from missiles fired from Iran.
At the weekend there was suggestion that the UK might be vulnerable after it emerged that Iran had fired two ballistic missiles at the UK/US military base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands.
Even though one missile was intercepted, and another fell short and did not reach its target, the attack generated concern because it had been assumed that Iran did not have long-range missiles with the capacity to reach London (2,700 miles from Tehran), let alone Diego Garcia (3,300 miles from Tehran).
Asked if Britain was within range of Iranian missiles, Starmer replied:
We carry out assessments all the time in order to keep us safe, and there’s no assessment that we’re being targeted in that way at all.
But of course, it’s my job to ensure that British interests, British lives are always uppermost in my mind.
What we need here is de-escalation, and that’s why we had a statement from a number of countries last week about what we need to do about the strait of Hormuz, which obviously needs careful coordination and a viable plan.
Asked specifically about the missiles aimed at the Chagos Islands, Starmer said these were “reckless acts by Iran against British interests” but that neither of them reached the target.
Starmer says ministers will look at ‘every lever’ available to help people with cost of living at Cobra meeting on Iran war
Keir Starmer has said ministers will consider “every lever” available to them to help people with the cost of living when the Cobra emergency committee meets to discuss the war in Iran this afternoon.
Speaking to in a pooled TV interview while on a visit this morning, he said:
Cobra is the opportunity at the highest level to bring people together on matters of real, significant national importance.
Obviously Cobras are usually used for military considerations, consular considerations, but I think with the Iran war, most people are very concerned now, not only what they’re seeing on their screens in relation to the conflict itself, but also that question of: ‘How is it going to affect me and my family?’
And so today we’re looking at the economic impact, and I am asking for every lever that’s available to the government to deal with the cost of living to be discussed at Cobra.
Hence we’ve got the Bank of England and others there.
But I want to make sure that when it comes to the cost of living, we’re doing everything we possibly can at a very difficult period like this.
He also said he knew the cost of living was “the number one issue in the minds of people across the country”. He went on:
It’s really important for me to emphasise that this government always has the cost of living, centre of our mind when we’re making decisions,
Graeme Wearden has a good summary of this morning’s economic news on his business live blog.
No 10 says Starmer had ‘constructive’ call with Trump after he shares TV sketch mocking PM as scared of him
Good morning. It is the last week the Commons is sitting before the Easter recess and, in normal circumstances, we would be focusing on domestic policy, and announcements coming out before the holiday period. But today, with the world focused on what will happen if Iran does not comply with the “deadline” set by Donald Trump for the opening of the strait of Hormuz tonight (he says he will “obliterate” Iran’s power plants if he does not get his way), foreign policy will dominate.
Starmer has two important meetings on the topic this afternoon. One of them will be live on TV, but unfortunately it will be the duller and less consequential one – his meetinng with the Commons liaison committee. After that he will chair a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, where the government will be taking decisions about how it will respond to the possibility that the energy price crisis could get significantly worse. In a sign of how serious the economic consequences could get, Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, is attending.
Ultimately, what happens in the UK will largely be determined by what happens in Washington, and whether Trump decides to escalate or de-escalate, and, frankly, that is anyone’s guess. He implies one thing at one moment, and something completely different at another point. His defenders say he’s a brilliant exponent of the madman theory of diplomacy; the alternative view is that he is just mad.
Starmer actually spoke to him last night, and this is what a No 10 spokesperson said about the call after it was over.
The prime minister spoke to the president of the United States, Donald Trump, this evening.
The leaders discussed the current situation in the Middle East, and in particular, the need to reopen the strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping.
They agreed that reopening the strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market.
They agreed to speak again soon.
Starmer has worked had to establish a cordial relationship with Trump. In line with almost every PM since the second world war, he has worked on the basis that being polite in public allows the UK to exercise influence on the administration in private. But Starmer spoke to Trump last night only hours after the president posted a clip on his Truth Social account of a sketch from Saturday Night Live UK brutally mocking the prime minister as someone scared of him. (You can watch it here, although I wouldn’t bother because, as comedy, it’s abysmal.)
And Starmer does not seem to be exerting much influence. The No 10 readout suggests that Starmer and Trump did not decide anything substantive; saying they agreeed that “reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market” is a bit like saying they agreed that night followed day.
But No 10 says the call was “constructive”. They say it lasted about 20 minutes.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit in London where he will speak to broadcasters.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.30pm: Starmer gives evidence to the Commons liaision committee.
2.30pm: Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: John Healey, the defence secretary, is expected to give a Commons statement on the war in Iran.
Afternoon: Kemi Badenoch is on a visit in the east of England.
Afternoon: Starmer chairs a Cobra meeting
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