Ministers are drawing up plans to send mine-detecting drones to the Strait of Hormuz amid concerns in Whitehall that meeting Donald Trump’s demand to send ships could exacerbate the crisis.
The government is considering sending aerial minesweepers to help clear the vital canal of mines in a bid to allow the flow of oil exports to resume. However, officials said sending ships, as requested by the US president over the weekend, could worsen the situation given the volatile nature of the war.
Keir Starmer will announce tens of millions of pounds to help Britons feel the impact of rising energy prices at a Downing Street press conference on Monday, where he will also emphasize the importance of reducing the crisis.
“We will continue to work to achieve a rapid resolution of the situation in the Middle East. Because there is no doubt that ending the war is the fastest way to reduce the cost of living,” the prime minister will say.
Speaking to the BBC on Sunday, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: “It is very important that we manage to reopen the Strait of Hormuz… There are different ways we could contribute, including with mine-hunting drones.”
And he added: “All of these things are being analyzed together with our allies… Any option that could help reopen the strait is being analyzed.”
Iran’s announcement that it would attack ships using the strait, through which 20% of the world’s oil supply normally passes, has sent oil prices soaring from around $65 a barrel to more than $100. As a result, economists predict higher inflation and lower growth this year, although the exact impact will depend on the duration of the conflict.
The situation has further strained the relationship between Trump and Starmer, which has been damaged by the prime minister’s refusal to allow the president to use British bases to launch his initial attack on Tehran.
A week ago, Trump dismissed recent offers of British aid as “a little late,” but this weekend he changed course and called on several countries to deploy ships to the strait.
“Hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom and others affected by this artificial restriction will send ships to the area so that the Strait of Hormuz is no longer a threat to a nation that has been totally decapitated,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
Starmer spoke with Trump by phone Sunday night. Downing Street said afterwards: “The leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, including the impact of the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz on international shipping.”
Officials from the United Kingdom, Japan, China and South Korea are considering Trump’s lawsuit.
Takayuki Kobayashi, a senior politician in Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, said on Sunday that the request was “something we should judge cautiously.” South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was “exploring various measures from multiple angles to protect our citizens and ensure the safety of energy transportation routes.”
British officials say they are open to the idea and are expected to present more plans in the coming days. However, they are skeptical about sending ships into the strait given the depletion of the navy and the likely consequences of doing so.
HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer, left Portsmouth last week for Cyprus and could be redeployed to the Middle East. However, authorities have told The Guardian that it is unlikely to reach Cyprus for at least a week, meaning it would take even longer to reach the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, the last British minesweeping ship in the region, HMS Middleton, left Bahrain for maintenance days before the war began, a move that is now at the center of a government dispute over whether the UK did enough to prepare for the conflict.
Officials are more optimistic about the possibility of using mine-detecting drones, which cause mines to explode safely by mimicking the movement of ships. They also plan to send Octopus counter drones, which are being manufactured for Ukraine but could be deployed in the Gulf.
As the government considers its options, it has been criticized by Conservatives for not spending more on defence.
Kemi Badenoch, the opposition leader, said in a speech last week that ministers were delaying increasing defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product, something the government had promised to do by 2027.
However, internal Ministry of Defense (MoD) figures seen by The Guardian show that spending on counter-drone and missile defense fell in the final years of the Conservative government.
The detailed budget breakdown shows spending on land-based missile defense fell from £158m in 2021-22 to £49.4m in 2023-24, while investment in anti-drone systems fell from £22.4m in 2021 to £18.1m in 2023. The number of minehunting ships fell from 16 when the Conservatives took office to seven.
A Ministry of Defense spokesperson highlighted that defense spending had increased under the current government. They added: “This spending will boost our defenses, including on new technology like the Dragonfire laser, which will be installed on Type 45 destroyers in 2027.”
The Conservatives have been contacted for comment.
