PM and Trump discuss need for ‘practical plan’ to reopen strait amid Gulf visit

Sir Keir Starmer has spoken to Donald Trump about the need for a “practical plan” to get shipping going through the Strait of Hormuz in the wake of the Middle East ceasefire.

It comes as the Prime Minister was visiting allies in the Gulf for talks on how to support the pause in fighting and secure a permanent reopening of the key shipping strait.

He is set to head back to the UK on Friday after visiting Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

On Thursday a Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister spoke to President Trump from Qatar this evening.

“The Prime Minister set out his discussions with Gulf leaders and military planners in the region on the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the UK’s efforts to convene partners to agree a viable plan.

“They agreed that now there is a ceasefire in place and agreement to open the strait, we are at the next stage of finding a resolution.

“The leaders discussed the need for a practical plan to get shipping moving again as quickly as possible.”

Sir Keir earlier said the ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz must have “toll-free navigation” as part of the ceasefire amid reports Iran wants to charge for passage.

Asked whether he viewed the critical strait as now being open, he said: “There are a lot of things being said – they need to be tested” and that the UK’s position is that “open” means “open for safe navigation”.

“That means toll-free navigation and vessels can get through,” he told ITV’s Talking Politics Podcast.

Speaking in London, the Foreign Secretary also called for toll-free travel through the Strait, warning that trading routes from Qatar, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Oman were “all hijacked by Iran so that they can hold the global economy hostage”.

Yvette Cooper said: “The fundamental freedoms of the seas must not be unilaterally withdrawn or sold off to individual bidders and nor can there be any place for tolls on an international waterway.”

The US president later posted on his Truth Social platform: “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

He added in a separate post: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!”

Mr Trump agreed a two-week truce earlier this week with the reopening of the strait a key condition.

But the agreement soon came under strain as Israel’s bombardment of Beirut prompted Iran to close the shipping lane again amid disagreement over whether Lebanon was included in the ceasefire.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he had authorised direct talks with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbours.

Sir Keir said Israeli strikes on Lebanon are “wrong” and that it should be included in the ceasefire.

His call with Mr Trump also came hours after he was asked about the US president’s language in his posts about Iran and said they were “not words I would use”.

“Let me be really clear and blunt about this – they’re not words I would use or would ever use because I come at this with our British values and principles foremost and uppermost in my mind,” he said.

The US leader has repeatedly lashed out publicly at Sir Keir in recent weeks over his failure to initially allow Washington to use UK bases.

He reiterated on Thursday that the US is only authorised to use UK bases for “collective self-defence” and said the UK is “monitoring” to make sure that is the case.

Elsewhere, Sir Keir wrote in The Guardian newspaper that “Iran must now become a line in the sand”.

He said: “How we emerge from this crisis will define all of us for a generation.

“And, instead of hoping to return to the world of 2008, we will forge a new path for Britain – one that strengthens our energy, our defence and our economic security in a new age.”

A Downing Street spokesperson said that during his Middle East tour, Sir Keir discussed “the need to push to restore the free flow of goods to support global supply chains” with United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Prime Minister also “expressed solidarity with the people of the UAE and his condolences for the lives lost as a result of Iran’s reckless bombardment”, according to No 10.

In talks with leaders from Bahrain, Sir Keir “reiterated the importance of ensuring the ceasefire is upheld in order to pave the way for lasting peace”.