Starmer Vows UK Won't Be Drawn Into Wider War In Middle East, Hormuz Crisis 'Not A Simple Task'
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke to President Trump on Sunday night, with Starmer on Monday describing that the two leaders discussed events "in the way that you would expect between two allies and two leaders" and he had a "good relationship" with the US president.
His articulation of an apparently positive and frank talk comes while he trying to dismiss suggestions the relationship with Britain's key ally had been damaged due to the Iran war.
President Trump has been very clearly making the case that European and NATO countries must back his effort to unblock global oil transit in the Strait of Hormuz
However, Starmer has made clear to his domestic population that the UK won't be dragged into a wider war with Iran, even as London tries to figure out what role in might play in any US-led Hormuz plan.
"Ultimately, we have to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to ensure stability in the (oil) market. That is not a simple task," Starmer told reporters.
"So we're working with all of our allies, including our European partners, to bring together a viable collective plan that can restore freedom of navigation in the region as quickly as possible and ease the economic impact," he added.
Below is a key line of Starmer's:
"While we are taking the necessary action to defend ourselves and our allies, we will not be drawn into the wider war," he said.
But it seems he's trying to have his cake and eat it too, acknowledging that Britain is on board with trying to piece together a multinational security effort - and yet Starmer has stressed it would not be a NATO-led mission.
According to more of his comments at a Downing street press conference:
The prime minister said the UK, which is considering sending ships and mine-hunting drones to the Middle East, was working with allies on a “viable plan” to reopen shipping lanes. Otherwise energy prices would remain high.
“It’s a discussion; we’re not at the point of decisions yet. It’s obviously a difficult question, that goes without saying, in relation to how you safeguard maritime traffic … But we are discussing that with the US, with Gulf partners and with Europeans,” he said.
He said that while the UK would take “necessary action” to defend itself and allies “we will not be drawn into the wider war”, as concern mounts at home over the prospect of a drawn-out conflict.
“I want to see an end to this war as quickly as possible, because the longer it goes on, the more dangerous the situation becomes, and the worse it is for the cost of living back here at home,” he said.
President Trump on Air Force One after he spoke to the UK's Prime Minister Keir Starmer,
— Farrukh (@implausibleblog) March 16, 2026
"I don't want the UK after we win the war, I want them before"
"Whether we get their support or not"
"I can say this, and I said it to Keir Starmer"
"We will remember" pic.twitter.com/DUb7xxXzBM
The British leader also rolled out the first domestic relief package tied to the US and Israeli-initiated war's economic fallout, announcing a £53 million ($70 million) support plan for vulnerable households that rely on heating oil after fuel prices surged.