The UK must improve its energy sustainability and independence, or its citizens will “pay the price of war”, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in an interview with ITV, noting the “obvious” impact of the war in the Middle East and the resulting restrictions on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“I am fed up with the fact that families across the country are seeing their energy bills rise and businesses are seeing their profits fall because of the actions of Putin and Trump around the world“, he said.
In a column for The Guardian published the same day, Starmer said his government was taking steps to strengthen Britain's energy resilience, because without it “events outside our borders are constantly throwing us off course“.
“That is why, alongside our actions in the Middle East, we have reduced our electricity bills and invested heavily in local energy, which could free us from the tyrants who manipulate gas prices. That is why, in addition to staying out of conflicts, we have rebuilt our European alliances and strengthened our defenses with the largest investment since the Cold War. And that is why, along with restoring public finances, we have also begun implementing an ambitious industrial strategy,” the prime minister wrote.
Kirill Dmitriev, a special representative of the Russian president, criticized the British prime minister’s statements. “Failing in everything, Starmer, as always, is trying to avoid responsibility for his disastrous energy policy,” he wrote in an email.