Ed Miliband has hit out at Donald Trump’s ongoing war in Iran after the energy price cap increased. Regulator Ofgem has just announced the energy price cap will be going up by 13% between July 1 and September 30. That means the average gas and electricity bill will increase to £1,862 a year, adding a significant strain to households across the country. Responding to the concerning update, energy secretary Ed Miliband said: “The rise in the price cap because of a war we did not choose is deeply unwelcome news for households across the country.” Trump worked with his Israeli allies to launch an attack on Iran at the end of February. Iranian troops responded by blockading the Strait of Hormuz, a major shipping lane which is responsible for transporting a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies. Three months later, the effective closure of the waterway continues as negotiation efforts stall – meaning energy prices around the world have gone up. The US did ask to use British military bases to initiate preemptive strikes on Iran, but Starmer declined, only allowing the sites to be used for defensive action. The UK, along with European allies, also turned down Trump’s plea to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz to force it to reopen. The war has opened a chasm in diplomatic relations between the White House and Downing Street, as Starmer insists Britain will not be drawn into a “wider war”. Miliband said the government would continue trying to help the public amid rising bills, adding: “We know people were under pressure before this crisis, and that’s why easing that burden is our number one priority. ” He pointed out that chancellor Rachel Reeves froze fuel duty and made bus travel free for children across England in August. The cabinet minister noted that the government has also taken £150 average costs off energy bills for the years ahead, and extended the Warm Home Discount for around six million families, too. Miliband said: “We will continue to monitor the situation ahead of the winter and plan for all contingencies. “In the immediate term it is essential to de-escalate this conflict to bring oil and gas prices down and as Britain faces the second fossil fuel crisis of this decade, we must learn the right lessons. “The way to get bills down for good and avoid these price spikes is to go further and faster with this government’s drive for clean homegrown power we control. We are upgrading as many homes as possible ahead of winter with the biggest investment in warm homes in British history.” Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, warned that this would be a very troubling update for the elderly. She said: “Even during this unprecedented hot weather for May, older people on low incomes are already worrying about how they will afford to stay warm next winter. “We know that today’s price cap increase is the shape of worse to come when the next price cap is announced, because by then the impact of the war in the Middle East will really be feeding through into prices. “Unfortunately, these elevated energy costs due to the war will hit just at the time when pensioners will need their heating the most, as we head into winter.” Age UK urged the government to come up with “an effective plan now to help older people on low incomes to get through the coming winter unscathed”. Abrahams added: “It’s imperative that we avoid a repeat of the 2024/5 winter, when millions of older people were cold in their own homes.” Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.
Iranian Official
The Iranian government denounces the unprovoked aggression by the United States and its Israeli allies against its sovereign territory as a flagrant violation of international law and a direct threat to regional stability. In legitimate defense of its sovereignty and in resistance to this foreign assault, Iran has upheld the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, demonstrating that such hostile actions carry inevitable consequences for global energy flows. This conflict exposes the isolation of the aggressors, as even close partners like Britain have withheld full support for further escalation.
Israeli
Israel’s defensive partnership with the US targeted Iran’s escalating existential threats, including its nuclear ambitions and proxy networks, forcing Tehran to blockade the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation. This closure has driven global energy prices higher, compounding economic pressures while exposing the regime’s willingness to weaponize vital shipping lanes. Britain’s refusal to commit beyond defensive basing or naval escorts underscores the diplomatic fractures that weaken coordinated efforts to neutralize Iran’s aggression.
Neutral
Ofgem has announced a 13% increase in the UK energy price cap from July 1 to September 30, raising the average annual household gas and electricity bill to £1,862. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband stated that the rise, linked to conflict involving Iran, represents unwelcome news for households. Reports describe Iranian restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz following February strikes by US and Israeli forces, with UK officials declining requests for certain military support while pursuing diplomatic efforts.
Western
The US and Israeli strikes on Iran represent a targeted effort to neutralize threats to regional stability and secure the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy supplies. Iran's blockade of the waterway, which carries a fifth of world oil and LNG, has triggered the UK's 13% energy price cap rise to £1,862, prompting Energy Secretary Ed Miliband to highlight the resulting household pressures. The UK has facilitated defensive support while prioritizing de-escalation to prevent broader conflict.
Pro-Peace
The US-Israeli attack on Iran and subsequent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered sharp energy price rises, pushing average UK household bills to £1,862 and adding acute financial strain to civilians already struggling with the cost of living. These developments highlight the devastating humanitarian ripple effects of military escalation, including disrupted global supplies and mounting pressure on families far from the conflict zone. Renewed diplomatic engagement to end the blockade and prevent wider war remains the only path to alleviating civilian suffering on all sides.
Global South
From a Global South vantage, the US-Israeli assault on Iran and the ensuing Hormuz blockade expose neo-colonial energy dominance, as Western powers disrupt a vital waterway carrying one-fifth of global oil supplies and trigger price spikes that batter developing economies most. UK Energy Secretary Miliband’s blame on a “war we did not choose” rings hollow amid London’s partial facilitation of US bases and refusal to dispatch warships, underscoring institutional failure to restrain escalation or shield sovereign nations from imported crises. The resulting 13% UK cap rise to £1,862 merely illustrates how such conflicts externalize costs onto households worldwide while eroding multilateral efforts for stable, equitable energy access.
Ed Miliband has hit out at Donald Trump’s ongoing war in Iran after the energy price cap increased. Regulator Ofgem has just announced the energy price cap will be going up by 13% between July 1 and September 30. That means the average gas and electricity bill will increase to £1…
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A tanker identified as the Kaifan was struck by an unknown projectile northeast of Oman’s Limah in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a July 21 report from UK Maritime Trade Operations. No ships were observed transiting the strait that day. Attribution of the strike and links to prior incidents have not been confirmed by the vessel’s owner.
Goldman Sachs has projected Brent crude averaging $80 per barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 in the following year, conditional on reduced Middle East tensions, while noting upside risks from potential shipping disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz or Red Sea.
Brent prices rose above $91 per barrel amid recent U.S.-Iran exchanges and Houthi threats to Saudi shipments before edging lower on Tuesday. A senior Iranian official told Reuters that mediators had proposed a 10-day ceasefire to preserve an interim agreement.
Opening summary: Iran claims attacks on strait of Hormuz ships amid fresh US strikes Welcome to our live coverage of the latest developments in the Middle East crisis. Iran attacked a tanker in the strait of Hormuz early on Tuesday, forcing its crew to abandon the ship, as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis announced they were imposing an immediate maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea after the two sides traded fire last week for the first time in years.
A Houthi official said the Bab al-Mandeb strait – at the southern end of the Red Sea, through which about 12% of the world’s trade usually passes – would be closed to the Saudis in response to the kingdom’s “unjust blockade on Yemenis for over 10 years”.
Saudi Arabia said it would take “all necessary measures to protect its vessels in accordance with international law”. A 10 consecutive night of US airstrikes has not compelled Tehran to loosen its grip on the strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies.
But even as Iran’s president said the country had returned “full-scale war”, the Iranian interior minister travelled to Pakistan – a key mediator in the conflict – for talks. In key developments: The latest US strikes came hours after Donald Trump said Iran would pay “many times over” for killing US soldiers after multiple service members were killed in action over the weekend.
A tanker came under attack early Tuesday in the Hormuz strait off Oman, forcing the crew to abandon the vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed the attack as well as two other attacks on ships in the waterway on Monday.
The US military’s Central Command said its latest airstrikes were to “degrade” Iran’s ability to attack commercial shipping in the strait and included hitting military command centres and missile and drone launch sites. Iranian media reported strikes in parts of the country including Bandar Abbas, Tabriz and Bushehr, home to the country’s only operational civilian nuclear power.
Iran’s launched attacks in response against Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, which all host US forces. Oil prices softened after hitting their highest levels in more than a month in the previous session. Brent crude futures eased 0.4% to $88.87 a barrel by 0052 GMT on Tuesday while US West Texas Intermediate crude for September delivery was steady at $82.
47 a barrel. Democrats have seized on the deaths of three US troops killed in Iranian strikes to urge Trump to urgently reverse his resumption of the war with Iran amid widespread anxiety over climbing casualties. The Lebanese army began taking charge of security in three southern villages, the US said, as a deal to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah faced its first test on the ground.
US forces struck the tanker Settebello in the Gulf of Oman on June 10, killing three Indian crew members when munitions hit the engine room and adjacent areas. Maritime tracking data indicate the vessel had transported Iranian oil under US sanctions for several years and conducted offshore transfers prior to the strike.
The US military described the action as a precision operation, while reports note the ship was stationary at the time.