Summary

  1. That's a wrap - join us next weekpublished at 09:59 GMT

    Media caption,

    Getting Strait of Hormuz reopened 'a priority for the world'

    Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg has just come to an end.

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said the government is looking at "any options" that will help secure the Strait of Hormuz - a key shipping lane through which around 20% of the world's oil passes.

    He said the UK government is already in talks with allies, including the US, about how to secure the key shipping route. Miliband said the "best way is to de-escalate".

    Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho said the UK should explore sending ships or drones to the Middle East if it is in the national interest.

    Her comments come after US President Donald Trump said he hoped five countries - China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK - would send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

    Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said the UK should not send warships to the key oil route, and added that Britain should not be at the beck and call of Trump.

    That's all for this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, we'll be back next week. Thanks for joining us.

  2. Davey: Britain should not be at Trump's beck and callpublished at 09:57 GMT

    When pushed on whether the UK should agree to Donald Trump's call for support, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey says the UK should not send ships to help control the Strait of Hormuz.

    Speaking to Kuennsberg from the Liberal Democrat spring conference in York, Davey says the quickest way to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and the most certain way to get oil prices down is to de-escalate this war.

    He criticises Trump, who he says has been very insulting of how the UK has offered help in the conflict so far. He says Trump seems to be "very reckless" in this "illegal, damaging war".

    Davey adds that Britain should not be at the beck and call of an American president "who does not seem to know what he is doing".

  3. UK should explore sending ships if in national interest - shadow energy secretarypublished at 09:42 GMT

    Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho speaking to Kuenssberg.

    Shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho tells Kuenssberg that the UK should explore sending ships or drones to the Middle East if it is in the national interest.

    She adds that it is national interest to have international shipping lanes open and to protect military assets abroad.

    Coutinho is pressed on whether the Conservatives have pulled back on their approach to the conflict after Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told parliament the UK was in this war "whether we like it or not".

    She says that the Conservatives would have allowed allies to use military bases more quickly than the Prime Minister Keir Starmer did.

  4. Strait of Hormuz - explainedpublished at 09:38 GMT

    The Strait of Hormuz is a key trade artery through which around 20% of the world's oil passes.

    Since the beginning of the US-Israel war with Iran, numerous ships have been reported to have come under attack in the area and Iran's new supreme leader said on Thursday that Iran should keep using the "lever of blocking" the Strait.

    About 3,000 or so ships usually sail through the corridor each month. In 2025, about 20 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait per day.

    It is deep enough for the world's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by the major oil and gas producers in the Middle East – and their customers.

    The Strait of Hormuz, a narrow shipping route in the Gulf region, is one of the world's most important shipping routes. Bounded to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Strait of Hormuz connects the Gulf with the Arabian Sea. The strait is deep enough for the world's biggest crude oil tankers, and is used by the major oil and gas producers in the Middle East - and their customers.
  5. UK looking at options to secure Strait of Hormuz, Miliband sayspublished at 09:20 GMT

    Ed Miliband speaking to Laura Kuenssberg.

    "It is very important that we get the Strait of Hormiuz reopened," Ed Miliband says.

    He tells Kuenssberg that the government is in talks with allies, including the US, about how to secure the key shipping route.

    "Any options to help the Strait reopen are being looked at," he adds.

    In a post on his platform Truth Social on Saturday, Trump wrote that he hoped five countries - China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK - would send warships to the Strait of Hormuz so it can "no longer be a threat" by Iran.

    Miliband says he will not provide operational details of what the UK government is considering. The government said on Saturday it is discussing a "range of options" to secure the key oil route.

    Map showing location of Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Gulf states.
  6. Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg starts - watch livepublished at 09:03 GMT

    Ed MilibandImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Ed Miliband arriving at BBC Broadcasting House in London ahead of this week's show

    Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg has just begun.

    On the show this week we'll be hearing from:

    • Energy Secretary Ed Miliband
    • Shadow energy minister Claire Coutinho
    • Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey

    And, on the panel:

    • Tina Brown, journalist and creator of Fresh Hell substack
    • Piers Morgan, broadcaster
    • Sharon White, Frontier Economics

    As a reminder, we won't be providing regular text updates but you can watch live at the top of this page.

  7. We expect government help in a crisis. Will Reeves intervene on energy bills?published at 08:55 GMT

    Laura Kuenssberg
    Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

    Rachel Reeves in the Commons.Image source, PA Media

    How big is the blowback from the Iran conflict likely to be on us? "Insanely profound," answers one government source. "Huge," says another.

    Which begs the question: what are the prime minister and chancellor going to do about it?

    This week Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed working families were always at the top of the list. It is possible that a crippling spike in energy costs is on the way.

    So are we careering towards the government writing another enormous cheque to prop up families and firms in the name of a crisis?

    When missiles started dropping a fortnight ago, Chancellor Rachel Reeves switched the focus of a weekend working on her planned Spring Statement to a weekend of starting to plot what the effect of a new conflict in the oil-rich Middle East might be, and what the government might consider doing in response.

    Reeves soon asked her top official to create an Iran response board to pull together what the government could do to protect the economy from the worst possible effects of the war and spiralling oil prices - as well as families' energy bills.

    But how does the government protect consumers and companies if the price of oil stays sky-high for a long time?

    A graph showing how US-Israeli war with Iran has moved oil prices, a spike around March 9.
  8. 'Panic at the pumps': What are the newspapers saying?published at 08:53 GMT

    There's a mix of stories on the front pages of the Sunday papers, with the war in the Middle East remaining prominent.

    "Over a barrel" is the Observer's headline as the paper fills its front page with plumes of black smoke rising from a key oil depot in the UAE after an Iranian strike.

    The Sunday Telegraph reports Keir Starmer could send thousands of interceptor drones to the Middle East as the Independent leads on Trump's call for the UK to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz.

    The Sunday Mirror focuses on effects of the war closer to home, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband - who we'll be hearing from shortly on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg - vowing to help keep household bills down.

    Meanwhile, The Sunday Times reports a woman has said that late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein trafficked her to former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed.

    And, The Sun leads on the news that actor John Alford has died in prison.

    The Observer front page, large image of smoke rising in UAE with headling 'over a barrel'Image source, Tortoise Media/Guardian Media Group
  9. Ed Miliband to face Kuenssberg's questions - watch livepublished at 08:48 GMT

    Energy Secretary Ed Miliband is set to appear on this week's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.

    Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey and shadow energy minister Claire Coutinho are also on the show.

    It comes as the conflict in the Middle East rages on - follow our live coverage.

    Oil prices have been fluctuating during the US-Israel war with Iran and petrol prices in the UK soared to an 18-month high on Friday. Miliband has vowed he "will not tolerate unfair practices" or "price gouging".

    Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has repeated a call for several countries to help secure the Strait of Hormuz.

    And, musician and songwriter Self Esteem will also be on the show.

    We won't be providing regular text updates during the show, but you can watch live at the top of this page.