Starmer and Trump discuss need to reopen Hormuz Strait

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump have discussed the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in a call about the ongoing Middle East conflict.



Traffic through the strait - one of the world's busiest shipping lanes - has slowed down by about 95% since the Iran war began on 28 February.



A Downing Street spokesperson said the leaders "agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz was essential to ensure stability in the global energy market".



It comes as Starmer is set to chair a Cobra meeting, which will be attended by Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, on Monday to discuss the impact of the war on the cost of living.



The Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer and Trump had "agreed to speak again soon".



About 20% of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas usually passes through it, and global fuel prices have soared in the wake of the war, with crude up 45% to $106 a barrel.