Starmer confirms UK will not support US blockade of strait of Hormuz
Good morning. The parliamentary recess is over, the Iran war disaster isn’t, campaigning is ramping up because the May elections are less than four weeks to go, and there will be plenty for MPs to discuss as they meet in the Commons this afternoon. The full timetable, as usual, is down below.
Keir Starmer is in Greater Manchester this morning, on a visit linked to the English local elections. But he is expected to be in the Commons later giving an update on the UK response to the Iran war, and in an interview on Radio 5 Live a few minutes ago he confirmed that Britain will not join the US in enforcing the new blockade of the stait of Hormuz proposed by Donald Trump.
Asked if the UK would support the US with its blockade, Starmer replied:
We’re not supporting blockade.
Starmer confirmed that the UK does have “minesweeping capability”. He said he would not go into “operational matters”, but he confirmed that Britain has been talking with allies, in a reference to discussions on what could be done to keep the strait open after the conflict between Iran and the US is over.
Having the strait open was a priority, he said.
The strait is shut or not free for navigation in the way it should be. That means that oil and gas is not getting to market. That means the price is going up. That means everybody listening to this is facing higher energy bills. And I don’t want that to happen.
I want their energy bills to be stabilised and lower. And so it is, in my view, vital that we get the strait open and fully open.
I will post more from the interview shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit in Greater Manchester, and is doing an interview with Radio 5 Live.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a campaign visit in Clapham, south London.
10.30am: Anas Sarwar launches Scottish Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election.
10.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives a speech on NHS funding to the IPPR thinktank.
11am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and Zia Yusuf, the Reform chair, hold a press conference.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Noon: The Southport inquiry publishes its phase one report.
2.30pm: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: Starmer is expected to make a statement to MPs about the Iran war and his tour of the Gulf last week.
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If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
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Key events
Badenoch says aligning with single market rules, but staying out of EU, ‘worst of both worlds’
Given how unpopular Brexit has turned out to be, you might think there would be limited appeal for the ‘Brexit betrayal’ counterattack as a response to the story about the government’s plans to align much more with single market rules. (See 9.39am.)
But Reform UK are happy with their old war cry. This is how Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, responded to the Guardian’s story.
Outrageous
Labour plots to deny MPs vote on new EU sell-out
Reform will reverse such a betrayal
Kemi Badenoch has been giving interviews this morning. Asked about the story on Sky News, she said aligning with the EU’s single market rules, while not being a member, would be “the worst of both worlds”. She went on:
It won’t help growth. Why should we be out of the EU, able to make our own choices and not take those decisions?
Remember we are a competitive, competing economy. Taking EU rules without having a vote on them is completely wrong.
If you want to be in the EU, come out and say ‘We want to go back into the EU’. That’s what they’re not brave enough to do.
So they’re picking this weird hybrid, which is the worst of both worlds. It’s not in the EU, it’s not out. It’s just doing whatever the EU is doing.
Government shift on intelligence evidence could revive delayed Hillsborough law
The delayed Hillsborough law could come into force after a shift by the government on forcing intelligence services to give evidence to public inquiries, Peter Walker reports.
Fried nuggets and steamed sponges off menu in school food overhaul in England
Keir Starmer is at a school in Angela Rayner’s constituency this morning (see 9.45am) to promote this government announcement about school food. Raphael Boyd has the story here.
Keir Starmer has joined his former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham on a school visit, the Press Assocation reports. PA says:
The trio joined up on Monday in the Greater Manchester area and put on a united front, despite Rayner previously appearing to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership and Burnham being blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection.
They all shared a joke as they sat amongst schoolchildren, asking the youngsters about their favourite breakfast foods and favourite sports.
The visit comes after the government announced deep-fried food will be banned from school menus, with sugary treats limited.
Starmer defends proposed law letting Britain align with EU regulations easily, saying ‘closer relationship with Europe’ vital
In his Radio 5 Live interview, Keir Starmer was also asked about this Guardian story by Alexandra Topping and Peter Walker saying “ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote”.
Starmer defended the proposed legislation, saying a closer relationship with the EU was in the national interest. He said:
We’re in a world where there’s massive conflict, great uncertainty, and I strongly believe the UK’s best interests are in a stronger, closer relationship with Europe, whether that’s defence and security, of course, energy … and also our economy …
I think there’s also a sense, 10 years on from the Brexit referendum, that we’ve got to look forward now, not backwards.
Let’s not just have all the old arguments over the last decade. Let’s go forward and recognise that a stronger, closer relationship with Europe is in the UK’s best interest, particularly in a world that is as volatile as it is at the moment and I know that worries a lot of people.
In response to the suggestion that allowing the UK to align with EU regulation using secondary legislation amounted to integration by stealth, Starmer said this would only happen under a bill “voted on in parliament”.
Starmer confirms UK will not support US blockade of strait of Hormuz
Good morning. The parliamentary recess is over, the Iran war disaster isn’t, campaigning is ramping up because the May elections are less than four weeks to go, and there will be plenty for MPs to discuss as they meet in the Commons this afternoon. The full timetable, as usual, is down below.
Keir Starmer is in Greater Manchester this morning, on a visit linked to the English local elections. But he is expected to be in the Commons later giving an update on the UK response to the Iran war, and in an interview on Radio 5 Live a few minutes ago he confirmed that Britain will not join the US in enforcing the new blockade of the stait of Hormuz proposed by Donald Trump.
Asked if the UK would support the US with its blockade, Starmer replied:
We’re not supporting blockade.
Starmer confirmed that the UK does have “minesweeping capability”. He said he would not go into “operational matters”, but he confirmed that Britain has been talking with allies, in a reference to discussions on what could be done to keep the strait open after the conflict between Iran and the US is over.
Having the strait open was a priority, he said.
The strait is shut or not free for navigation in the way it should be. That means that oil and gas is not getting to market. That means the price is going up. That means everybody listening to this is facing higher energy bills. And I don’t want that to happen.
I want their energy bills to be stabilised and lower. And so it is, in my view, vital that we get the strait open and fully open.
I will post more from the interview shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit in Greater Manchester, and is doing an interview with Radio 5 Live.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a campaign visit in Clapham, south London.
10.30am: Anas Sarwar launches Scottish Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election.
10.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives a speech on NHS funding to the IPPR thinktank.
11am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and Zia Yusuf, the Reform chair, hold a press conference.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Noon: The Southport inquiry publishes its phase one report.
2.30pm: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: Starmer is expected to make a statement to MPs about the Iran war and his tour of the Gulf last week.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (between 10am and 3pm), or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary.
I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
