Starmer’s message was in stark contrast to European Energy Commissioner, Dan Jørgensen, who warned on Tuesday that Europe faced “a very serious situation” with no return to normal in the “foreseeable future.” He urged EU citizens to follow advice issued last month by the International Energy Agency, which included working from home where possible, reducing driving speeds, car sharing and more use of public transport.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday used a rare address to the nation, urging those who can to use public transport rather than driving to work. Albanese warned that “the months ahead may not be easy.” Australia is heavily dependent on fuel imports from the Middle East.
The more sanguine approach adopted by the U.K. reflects internal government assessments that, despite the disruption to global oil and gas shipped via the Strait of Hormuz, the supply situation for the U.K. does not yet merit behavior changes.
“There is no immediate concern about supply,” said a government official, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on record. “This isn’t like COVID — supply is different in every country.”
The U.K. is a net importer of oil, but is self-sufficient and a net exporter for one important fuel, gasoline. It is also, said former government energy official Adam Bell, more physically distant from the Asian markets “most affected” by the Middle East supply crisis.
That said, Bell added, “this is the phoney war.”
He predicted the U.K. would be forced to issue similar warnings by the end of April, by which time supplies will start getting tighter.