British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday pointed fingers at President Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for volatile energy bills hitting London, saying he was “fed up” with global conflicts wreaking havoc on global oil prices.
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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 told ITV News on Thursday.
The British prime minister has repeatedly criticized Trump, blaming him for global turmoil driven by the Iran war hammering households with sky-high energy costs — even as his own response remains limited.
In the interview, he doubled down on his stance that the UK would not follow Trump into conflict, reiterating that “our bases will not be and are not being used for wider offensive and particularly for offensive on civilians”.
“From the get-go, we’ve been monitoring this situation. So I’m pretty clear in my own mind about what we’ve agreed and what the use of the bases are,” he said. “I’ve been saying we are not going to be dragged into this war because I say there must be a lawful basis.”
“That matters if you’re going to commit our service personnel to risk their lives,” he added.
Starmer’s ire comes ahead of King Charles III’s state visit to the United States later this month – a visit Trump is looking forward to but is seen in the UK as a politically awkward moment for the king, who will be caught in the middle of the two men’s political feud.
The prime minister, who is visiting the Middle East this week, first drew Trump’s ire in February when he denied the US request to use a British base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for the war on Iran.
Beyond calls for “de-escalation” and diplomatic talks, critics say the prime minister has offered little to quell tensions.
His government has focused on international coordination and long-term resilience — including closer ties with Europe and securing shipping routes — rather than intervention.
And Starmer wasn’t the only British official showing annoyance with the president.
Britain’s Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper blasted Iran’s push to charge a toll for ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Countries cannot simply hijack those kinds of international transit routes and unilaterally apply tolls,” she told the BBC. “They cannot do that as part of the laws of the sea and the United Nations arrangements.”
Trump has expressed support for such a plan and even speculated the United States could collect a portion of the fees.
Before the war with Iran, passage through the strait – which is a critical waterway for oil and cargo to flow between the Middle East and Europe – was free.
But Iran has floated charging $1 per barrel of oil contained in a cargo ship. Those massive ships can carry a million or more barrels per trip – meaning the toll would add up quickly.
Britain is leading a group of about 40 countries seeking to come up with a military and diplomatic plan to reopen and safeguard Hormuz but they have not shown many signs of progress.
Cooper told the BBC the freedom of the seas is a “principle that applies right across the globe, and it’s crucial for the cost of living back here at home. It’s crucial for the global economy.”
