Keir Starmer warns impact of Middle East conflict on UK could be as severe as Covid

The impact of the conflict in the Middle East on the UK could be as severe as Brexit , Covid, and the war in Ukraine , Keir Starmer has claimed. The PM warned the public the conflict could “define a generation”, and not to expect things to return to normal once the Strait of Hormuz reopens. Vowing to build a stronger Britain, Mr Starmer argued closer ties with the EU would help protect from further financial shocks. Appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, the PM claimed the response to previous crises was to return to status quo, something he said left the economy "flatlining". He said: “I don't want anybody to think that once the Strait of Hormuz is open, it all returns to normal. It won't be like that. There's then the war in Ukraine and all the indicators are that the world is going to get more volatile, not less volatile. In that context, you have to look at Europe and ask itself, is Europe strong enough? I don't think we are. “But then the response then has to be not the status quo, I'm absolutely clear in my mind about that, but a changed Britain, a stronger Britain and a fairer Britain. What I mean by that is a country that can withstand these shocks, these global events, and that means strengthening our economy. Of course, that means investment, technology , getting rid of all the barriers to the economy, but it means being much closer to the EU." The PM pointed to progess made with inflation dropping and six interest rates cut in a row, along with positive growth figures, only for worse forecasts this week in the aftermath of the conflict. Promising change, he said: “We've flatlined for the best part of 20 years. And I'll tell you why I think that is. That is because each time we have a crisis like this, whether it's the 08 crash, whether it's Brexit, COVID, the government of the day aspires to get back to the status quo as quickly as possible. But the status quo wasn't working. And therefore, we cannot do that again. We have to take a different course in response to this crisis.” The PM added: “There are moments in history that will define a generation, and I think we're in one of those moments. I'm not going to drag the United Kingdom into a war, it's not in our national interest, but it is impacting us. It's impacting our economy, it's impacting what happens on our streets.”