Starmer vows to crack down on 'profiteering' from fuel crisis

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to crack down on those companies in Northern Ireland "profiteering" from the fuel crisis triggered by the war in the Middle East.

The prime minister was speaking during a visit to Northern Ireland where he is due to hold talks with party leaders and also visit a community centre.

He said the government will not hesitate to act if companies "fleece customers or rip them off" with "unfair" heating oil prices.

Recognising the majority of households in Northern Ireland rely on heating oil, the prime minister said prices must be "fair transparent and justifiable and not inflated at the expense of working people".

Almost two-thirds of homes (62.5%) in Northern Ireland use oil for heating, the highest proportion among UK nations. Industry data suggests prices have more than doubled since the US attack on Iran.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it will be be engaging with "suppliers and intermediaries" to see whether there are "consumer protection law concerns".

It said it would look specifically at whether existing oil orders were being cancelled, with customers then offered new quotes at higher prices.

"If companies hike prices without justification the government will act," Sir Keir said.

"Global instability has real impacts on the lives of working people across the UK, and I know families in Northern Ireland are worried about what the war in the Middle East could mean for their finances.

"Let me be clear we will not tolerate profiteering or unfair practices. If companies fleece customers or rip them off we will not hesitate to step in."

He said the government had already asked the CMA "to look urgently at the extortionate prices" of fuel.

But the prime minister is expected to come under pressure from the local party leaders to provide more financial support for families struggling with their energy bills.

Northern Ireland MPs met Treasury officials on Wednesday to discuss securing more support.

Afterwards some of the MPs said they were disappointed with the lack of a commitment to provide practical help.

Sir Keir arrived in Northern Ireland on Wednesday night and attended a British-Irish gathering at a Belfast hotel.

Sir Keir is to travel to Cork in the Republic of Ireland on Thursday afternoon, for the second UK-Ireland summit, following the inaugural gathering in Liverpool last year.

Addressing the invited guests in Belfast, he talked about the importance of resetting the relationship with Dublin.

"When I became prime minister, I was really determined to reset the relationship between the UK and Ireland," he said.

He said the relationship between the two countries "had not been in the right place and that we needed to reset it".

At the Cork summit on Thursday, Sir Keir and Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin are to focus on greater cooperation across areas such as infrastructure, clean energy, skills and innovation.

The two premiers are due to take part in events along the theme of "Shared Prosperity, Shared Seas, Shared Ties", including a research-focused visit, a cultural reception and a discussion with young people.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Martin said he was "delighted" to welcome Sir Keir and UK ministers to his home county of Cork.

"At our inaugural UK-Ireland Summit in Liverpool last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and I agreed a comprehensive programme of strategic co-operation which is now beginning to deliver for the people of these islands," he said.

"Today we will mark the progress on what has been achieved over the course of the past year and reaffirm our commitment to deepen and broaden further the co-operation, friendship and partnership between Ireland and the UK this year and out to 2030."