‘Fed up’ Starmer says Trump and Putin’s actions pushing up energy bills for Britons

In a rare display of frustration, the United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who seldom calls out Donald Trump directly in public, has linked the US president with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and said that the actions of the two leaders are pushing up energy bills for Britons. Starmer said he is “fed up” seeing energy bills in the UK swing up and down because of actions taken by Trump and Putin.

The comments came as oil prices, which had dipped sharply after the two-week ceasefire and talks announcement, started fluctuating after comments of Iranian leaders on nuclear enrichment provisions and Israeli attacks continuing on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Starmer also said that Israel was “wrong” to order deadly strikes on Lebanon after the ceasefire announcement.

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“I’m fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses’ bills go up and down on energy, because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world,” Starmer said in an interview with ITV News.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, setting off a war that is still continuing and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and roiled the global economy.

White House defends Trump’s actions

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly defended Trump’s actions.

“Many world leaders have spent decades talking about the threat posed by Iran, but doing nothing about it,” she said by email. “President Trump took courageous action to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and as he said, we are far along with a definitive agreement to deliver lasting peace.”

Pointing to the Lebanon strikes, Iran has accused the US of violating the terms of the ceasefire.

Also Read: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vows revenge for father’s assassination, claims Iranian ‘victory’ in conflict

Starmer, who is on a trip to the Middle East, is facing tricky local elections likely to be dominated by cost-of-living concerns back home. The impact of the crisis on the UK economy was “clear to see,” he added.

The US-Israeli war with Iran led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Tehran, badly squeezing supplies and causing a sharp increase in oil prices. Starmer has tried to position Britain at the centre of a coalition of countries helping to reopen the strait.

Also Read: Netanyahu says Israel will hold direct talks with Lebanon for disarming Hezbollah, improving ties

‘It was not the language I would use,’ says Starmer on Trump’s remark

The British PM had refused to give the US permission to use British bases for offensive strikes and has been targeted by Trump several times since.

Responding to a query on Trump’s threat that “a whole civilization will die” if Iran did not reopen the strait, Starmer said, “It was not the language I would use,” and said he is guided by British values.

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On the recent Israeli strikes on Lebanon, Starmer said, “It’s hard to say that there is a breach when we haven’t all got access to all the details of the ceasefire. But let me be really clear about it. They are wrong. That shouldn’t be happening. That should stop.”