Keir Starmer today dashed hopes of a quick fix to soaring UK energy prices as he warned there was ‘still a lot of work to do’ to open a key waterway to shipping despite the US claiming a military ‘victory’ over Iran.

The Prime Minister spoke in Saudi Arabia as he began a visit to the UK’s Gulf allies, hours after Donald Trump announced a two-week pause in fighting after days of erratic brinkmanship.

Speaking as he met UK military personnel at an air base this evening, the PM suggested that the US were being overconfident in their assessment of the impact of the ceasefire.

‘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 said, branding it ‘early days’.

His remarks came after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters in Washington the ceasefire meant the strategically important Strait of Hormuz was once again open to traffic.

He said that Mr Trump had achieved ‘victory with a capital V’ at a congratulatory press conference in the US.

However Tehran this afternoon warned that oil tankers will be destroyed if they try to pass through Hormuz without permission, as Iran seeks to retain control over the passage.

The Prime Minister spoke in Saudi Arabia as he began a visit to the UK’s Gulf allies, hours after Donald Trump announced a two-week pause in fighting after days of erratic brinkmanship

Keir Starmer thanked UK and Saudi personnel at King Fahd Air Base in Taif for their work in the ‘collective self-defence of Saudi Arabia and the UK’

His remarks came after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters in Washington the ceasefire meant the strategically important Strait of Hormuz was once again open to traffic

The weeks of fighting have closed the strategically important waterway and helped push up oil and gas prices in the UK.

The US President last night agreed to a provisional pause in the war after pulling back at the last-minute from his apocalyptic warning that ‘a whole civilisation will die’ unless Tehran met his demands.

The PM is set to hold talks with Gulf leaders on how best to support the pause in fighting and ensure passage is permanently restored.

Following his arrival in Saudi Arabia, Sir Keir thanked UK and Saudi personnel at King Fahd Air Base in Taif for their work in the ‘collective self-defence of Saudi Arabia and the UK’.

He said: ‘We now, as you’ll have seen from the news, have a ceasefire, but there’s a lot of work to do, as you will appreciate, a lot of work to make sure that that ceasefire becomes permanent and brings about the peace that we all want to see.

‘But also a lot of work to do in relation to the Strait of Hormuz, which has an impact everywhere across the world.

‘So I’m here to work with Saudi Arabia and our other partners in the region on how we make sure that ceasefire does become a permanent ceasefire, and also the work that we’ve now got to do to make sure the Strait of Hormuz is fully open.

‘Because you will all appreciate the huge impact that that has had and is having on so many countries across the world, including back in the UK.’

Sir Keir said it was ‘early days’ and ‘there’s work to do’ when asked if he believed the US-Iran ceasefire could last for meaningful talks to begin, but he added there was a ‘sense of real relief’ about the pause in the conflict.

The PM declined to say whether his relationship with Mr Trump was ruined – following weeks of attacks by the US President on Sir Keir over a lack of support for attacks on Iran – but defended his guiding ‘principles’ on the Middle East conflict.

Asked whether his relationship with Mr Trump was ‘in tatters’, the PM told broadcasters: ‘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.

‘That was the right position for the UK, and of course, that has included us taking action, collective self-defence.

‘I’m here to say thank you to some of those who have been defending our allies and British interests in the region, but the principles of not getting dragged into this war, principles of always saying the UK will act only on a lawful basis and only for the viable, long-term plan. They’re the right principles. As I say, I’m the British Prime Minister.

‘I act in the British national interest, but nothing, but nothing, is going to deflect me from that.’

Ahead of his arrival in Saudi Arabia, the PM joined the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU in welcoming the ceasefire

Ahead of his arrival, the PM joined the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the EU in welcoming the ceasefire. 

‘We strongly encourage quick progress towards a substantive negotiated settlement,’ they said in a joint statement.

‘This will be crucial to protect the civilian population of Iran and ensure security in the region. It can avert a severe global energy crisis.

‘We support these diplomatic efforts. To this end, we are in close contact with the United States and other partners.

‘We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon.

‘Our governments will contribute to ensuring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.’

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he did not think Sir Keir would be treated ‘with a great degree of respect’ during his visit to the Gulf states.

Asked about the PM’s trip during a Reform event in Bexley, south-east London, Mr Farage said: ‘Why bother? What’s he going to say?’

Referring to Sir Keir’s decisions regarding the Iran war, the Clapton MP said: ‘He’s upset the Americans, he’s upset the Cypriots, he’s upset the Gulf states, and this level of indecision and chopping and changing your mind is quite extraordinary.

‘So my guess is he will not be treated today with a great degree of respect.’

Mr Farage added that that the UK’s relationship with its allies in the Gulf is ‘weak’.

He told reporters: ‘Our relationship with those parts of the world is weak, and our relationship with America is fractured. This is a massive, massive problem.

‘I don’t think it’s irreparable, but America has to respect us militarily… That’s going out the window.’

The Strait of Hormuz handles around 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas but has effectively been shut down by Iran in retaliation over the joint US-Israeli attacks launched on February 28

Less than two hours before his deadline passed for Iran to agree a deal, Mr Trump said he was suspending his threat to widen the military offensive to power plants and bridges subject to the reopening of the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway.

He said Tehran proposed a ten-point plan that provided ‘a workable basis on which to negotiate’.

Western ship owners announced today they were adopting a cautious approach, while waiting for updates on how and whether the waterway might reopen.

So far, no tankers are currently braving the transit apart from two linked to Tehran.

Maersk, the globe’s second biggest shipping line, said it is ‘working with urgency’ to clarify the regime’s terms.

‘The ceasefire may create transit opportunities, but it does not yet provide full maritime certainty,’ the company added, making clear it would continue to take a ‘cautious approach’ with cargoes and was not yet making changes to specific services.