Speaking at a community centre in London, the prime minister said he understood people's anxiety and that his government was "assessing the risks, monitoring and talking to our international partners" about reducing the "impact on people here". He argued that the economy was in a better place to withstand a shock to energy supply than in 2022, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine led to prices soaring. Global oil prices have surged in recent days over fears the US-Israeli war with Iran could lead to lengthy disruption to energy supplies.

The rise has prompted the G7, a group made up of the richest nations, to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the economic impact of the conflict. In a social media post, Donald Trump said "Short term oil prices, which will drop rapidly when the destruction of the Iran nuclear threat is over, is a very small price to pay for U.S.A and World, Safety and Peace." The US president has been critical of the prime minister for not allowing the US to use British military bases for initial offensive strikes against Iran. On Monday, Sir Keir said the two countries were "working together as they always have" but added that "decisions about what is in Britain's best interest are decisions for the prime minister of Britain".

On Sunday, the two leaders held their first phone call since the start of the conflict began. Downing Street has said they talked about the situation in the Middle East and military cooperation. The prime minister's spokesman would not be drawn on whether they discussed the president's criticism of Sir Keir. (BBC)