Live updates: Follow the latest news on US-Iran war
Britain’s Prime Minister has said the country is preparing for a lengthy war in Iran and must raise funding to build effective defences in a changed international situation.
“Since the conflict started, I’ve been really clear with the team that we mustn’t fall into the sort of false comfort of thinking that there will necessarily be a quick and early end to this,” Keir Starmer said on Monday. “We have to plan on the basis there may not be.”
Under questioning from senior MPs, Mr Starmer insisted that the UK’s strategic defence review “commits us to a war footing” and the funding was being put in place “to get there”, adding he did not want to raise anxiety about the impact of the conflict on livelihoods and security.
Mr Starmer was also due to hold a Cobra emergency meeting later on Monday on the economic impact of the war and what measures the government can take to assist the public.
“We’ve got to plan on the basis that [the war] could go on for some time,” he said.
Appearing before senior MPs, he added that “people are very anxious and concerned” alongside having a “fear of escalation”, although he made no reference to President Donald Trump’s announcement that talks had been held with Iran.
The fall-out from the war has spread far beyond Iran’s borders, with impacts being felt on home heating bills, petrol prices and mortgages.
The price of natural gas in Britain has doubled in the last week, since Qatar’s Ras Laffan field was hit, diesel is up by 20 per cent, and an expected rate cut that would significantly benefit homeowners with mortgages could well become a burdensome increase.
Iran missiles
Growing direct threats to Europe, with Iran potentially demonstrating the ability to fire long-range rockets that could hit the continent, have come after it set off two towards the US-UK airbase on Diego Garcia, about 4,000km from Iran, although none hit. While the Khorramshahr-4 has a stated range of 2,000km experts believe this could be further improved with a smaller warhead. The distance from Tehran to London is 4,400km.
But countries around Europe, who do not possess the same air defences as the Gulf, are now taking stock of their own air defences given the potential threat from Iran as well as the clear one demonstrated by Russia.
Defence Secretary John Healey told another meeting that the missiles aimed at Diego Garcia fell “well short” as questions swirl about the reach of Iran's firepower. He added that there was no assessment that Iran would try to attack the UK, but added that Nato defences were part of the UK's armoury.
“We operate a layered defence of this United Kingdom – our navy, our RAF (Royal Air Force), our army are all involved. And of course, we operate our defence with other Nato allies,” he said.
During a testy exchange with Bernard Jenkin, Mr Starmer was asked about Britain’s vulnerability to ballistic missiles, with the Conservative MP asking if “we have no way of defending ourselves?”
“We constantly assess this, and we do have very effective ways of defending ourselves, and I don't want to raise levels of public anxiety,” the Prime Minister responded.
Ambulance terror
As fuel prices rise, the war’s impact is being viscerally felt on the streets of London, with an arson attack on four ambulances, each valued at £125,000 ($166,000), late on Sunday.
The crime, which Mr Starmer condemned as a “horrific anti-Semitic attack”, is being investigated by counter-terrorism police. He also confirmed that replacement ambulances would be provided by the NHS on Tuesday and that the government would cover the costs.
In video of the arson attack, in which exploding gas canisters were used to cause significant damage, three hooded men can be seen starting a fire. They are understood to have come from the Iran-linked Harakat Ashab al-Yamin Al Islamia (HAYI) group. The group, which has links to Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militia, has also claimed responsibility for recent attacks against Jewish community sites in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the Iranian ambassador in London was summoned to the Foreign Office on Monday after an Iranian national and a British-Iranian dual national were both charged with providing assistance to a foreign intelligence service under the National Security Act.
Oilfield renewal
With around 40 per cent of the UK’s energy needs now imported, an argument is also being made that the country should rapidly reinvest in its North Sea gas and oilfields, which have been being slowly wound down for more than a decade. The current Labour government has a policy of not renewing any further oil licences, and little capital investment is going into the infrastructure or exploration.
“We believe that in the UK, rather than polarising the debate between oil and gas and renewables, the discussion should be around home-grown energy versus imported energy,” said Ben Ward of Offshore Energies UK trade association. “We have a real opportunity over the course of the next five or so years to take back control of our energy future by continuing to enable an environment that allows investment across all energy sources.”
He argued that as well as the jobs, tax revenue and energy security it will provide, Britain will still need to have 20 per cent of its energy demands met by fossil fuels in 2050.
