Sir Keir Starmer has said there was a “sense of real relief” at the ceasefire in the US-Iran conflict but a lot of work still needed to be done to make the peace deal last and restore oil and gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Prime Minister, who was visiting an air base in Saudi Arabia, said he wanted to ensure the economic impact of the war was minimised by getting the strait open again.
US President Donald Trump had threatened to obliterate Iran’s power plants and bridges if a deal could not be reached to reopen the route to shipping, but less than two hours before his deadline he said a ceasefire had been agreed.
Sir Keir said it was still “early days” after the overnight announcement.
He said there was still work to do to ensure “this ceasefire should be not a temporary ceasefire but a permanent ceasefire”.
He added: “On top of that, we have to acknowledge that this war was not our war, but my job is to protect the UK.
“It’s already had an impact on the UK, and it’s very important we get the Strait of Hormuz open. There’s a lot of work to do there.”
Sir Keir’s refusal to let the US have free rein on the use of British bases to launch raids against Iran has severely strained the Prime Minister’s relationship with Mr Trump.
Asked whether his relationship with the US president was “in tatters”, Sir Keir said: “I’ve acted as you would expect of a British Prime Minister, which is by being absolutely focused on what is our national interest, and that’s why I’ve applied my principles and my values throughout.
“And my principles and values made sure that our decisions were that we wouldn’t get involved in the action without a lawful basis, without a viable, thought-through plan.”
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