Spectator Australia · Lisa Haseldine · Sunday 19 April 2026
Keir Starmer eyes the Strait of Hormuz while the rest of his government collapses around him, trying to find abroad what he can't manage at home.
Starmer heading to the Gulf to secure the Strait of Hormuz has the energy of a bloke volunteering to bouncer a nightclub he couldn't get into last weekend. Britain lost the Suez in '56 and hasn't recovered the muscle memory — what exactly is the Royal Navy going to do, sternly sail past a Revolutionary Guard speedboat? Palmerston could send a frigate. Starmer sends a statement.