Sir Keir Starmer: 'I'm fed up' with actions of Trump and Putin causing energy bills to skyrocket

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is "fed up" with the actions of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin affecting energy prices in the UK, in his strongest comments about the US president yet.

Speaking during a trip to the Middle East, the prime minister made the case for achieving energy independence, and argued that renewables are the quickest way to achieve that.

"I'm fed up with the fact that families across the country see their bills go up and down on energy, businesses' bills go up and down on energy because of the actions of Putin or Trump across the world and saying to families across the country, saying to businesses across the country: 'we've just got to be, we've got to put up with being on the international market'," Sir Keir told ITV's Talking Politics podcast.

"We need energy independence, and the only way to get energy independence is to go even more quickly to renewables because we're not going to get it on the international market."

Tap here for the latest politics news

The criticism of the US and Russian presidents came shortly before a phone call with Mr Trump, and Sir Keir was asked by broadcasters if he made that point directly to the US president.

The prime minister replied that he "set out to him the views of the region here" and that any ceasefire has to involve Gulf countries if it is to hold.

He continued: "They have very strong views on the Strait of Hormuz. We spent most of the time on the call talking about the practical plan that's going to be needed to get navigation through the strait and the role that the UK is playing."

The prime minister pointed specifically to the UK's work convening over 40 countries to discuss how to reopen the crucial shipping route and ensure it remains open in the long term.

However, he did not say if he told the US president that he is "fed up" of his actions affecting energy prices in Britain.

'We will respond with strength'

Sir Keir's comments come as he concludes a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Qatar to discuss the war in Iran, British assistance in defending those countries from missile and drone attacks, and how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

He insisted the visit is "a big opportunity" for the UK to demonstrate leadership, and there is "a real desire" in the region to "work more closely with us on defence resilience, on economic resilience".

"There's a sense here, as there is of the United Kingdom, that this conflict is going to define us for a generation, and we must respond and we will respond with strength," the prime minister added.

UK will 'continue to make the case' for NATO

He also responded to a social media post by Mr Trump yesterday, in which he wrote: "NATO WASN'T THERE WHEN WE NEEDED THEM, AND THEY WON'T BE THERE IF WE NEED THEM AGAIN."

Sir Keir said the alliance "is in America's interests" and "in European interests".

"NATO is a defensive alliance which for decades has kept us much safer than we would otherwise have been. So we're strong supporters of NATO will always be strong supporters of NATO," he continued.

"Do I think there should be a stronger European element to NATO? Yes. And I think we should step into that space. We're already doing it, which is why we're coordinating strategically with our partners in NATO."

He added that NATO is "the single most-effective military alliance the world has ever known" and said he has been making the case for Europeans to do more "for the best part of two years".

"We continue to make that case, and we will make that case," he concluded.

(c) Sky News 2026: Sir Keir Starmer: 'I'm fed up' with actions of Trump and Putin causing energy bills to skyrocket<