UK Government Holds Meetings to Monitor Supply Chains Due to Iran-US Strait of Hormuz Tensions

The UK government is developing plans to mitigate potential supply disruptions from the Iran war, including a contingency analysis for items like chicken and pork if the conflict persists. The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of a Cabinet committee on Tuesday to address any shortfalls, while a group of ministers meets twice a week to monitor stock levels and disruptions to the supply chain.

The Strait of Hormuz closure, affecting 20% of global oil and LNG shipments, has contributed to rising oil prices amid the Iran war.

Twice-weekly meetings of the contingency planning group of ministers are being led by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. Officials said: "This is not our war. The government made the right call to stay out of the conflict and only take defensive action to protect Britain's interests.

Officials stated that while the government will do everything in its power to find a permanent solution to the crisis and offset its impact, "what happens abroad will still affect us here at home". A government source said it was planning for a scenario involving breakdowns in the supply of carbon dioxide (CO2), used in the slaughter of some animals and in food preservation, if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

The government has provided funding to reactivate the Ensus bioethanol plant, which makes CO2 as a by-product, to shore up supplies of the gas.

A spokesperson for the Ensus bioethanol plant said they were 'confident we can continue to produce CO2 for the country's needs for the foreseeable future'. The majority of the UK's CO2 is imported from Europe but it is often produced as a by-product when companies make fertiliser, which needs natural gas. Supermarkets are working with the government to help plan for a worst-case scenario.

The National Farmers' Union said cucumber and tomato prices could rise over the next six weeks. The National Farmers' Union also said the cost of other crops and milk could increase in the next three to six months. The government is urging drivers to keep filling up with petrol and using cars as usual amid fears over potential jet fuel shortages.

The government is urging people not to change their travel plans amid fears over potential jet fuel shortages. UK airlines have insisted they are 'not currently seeing a shortage of jet fuel' as they buy it in advance and airports maintain stocks. Iran's top negotiator said earlier this week that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is 'impossible' if the US continue their naval blockade of Iranian ports.

US President Donald Trump hopes to put pressure on Iran by targeting two economic drivers - the tolls the country was demanding ships pay to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's oil revenue. Iran has responded by calling the US blockade 'piracy'. Negotiators from Iran were in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday for talks on ending the conflict.