The drumbeat of war is growing louder in the Gulf. Iran has issued a stark warning to Britain and its allies, vowing retaliation after US airstrikes struck targets linked to Tehran-backed militias. The attacks, which hit sites in Iraq and Syria, have sent shockwaves through the region and left ordinary families in the crossfire. For working people in the North of England, this is not a distant conflict. It means higher fuel prices, more expensive imported goods, and the spectre of another Middle Eastern crisis that drains the public purse.
Rising tensions come as families already struggle with the cost of living crisis. Every spike in oil prices hits the pockets of drivers, commuters, and households trying to heat their homes. The threat of a wider war could push petrol above £1.50 a litre again, and food prices may follow. The government is urging calm, but there is little reassurance for those who remember the last Gulf war and the years of instability that followed.
Union leaders have called for restraint and diplomacy. Unite's general secretary said: "Our members did not sign up to be collateral damage in someone else's oil war. The government must prioritise peace and public services, not war." The TUC has demanded that any military action be debated in Parliament, with a full vote on troop deployment.
Regional inequality will deepen if the crisis escalates. The North, with its lower wages and higher reliance on transport and manufacturing, is more vulnerable to supply chain shocks. A prolonged crisis could hit the ports and factories that employ thousands, just as they recover from Brexit and pandemic disruption.
Downing Street has not yet committed to military involvement, but the Prime Minister is expected to hold emergency talks with US officials. Foreign Office sources indicate that options are being reviewed, including naval deployments in the Strait of Hormuz. The cost of such operations would run into hundreds of millions, money that could instead shore up the NHS, schools, and local councils.
Meanwhile, community organisations are bracing for a spike in hate crimes against British Iranians and Muslims. Campaigners warn that the government must not repeat the mistakes of the Iraq war, which fuelled division and suspicion.
For the ordinary Briton, the news from the Gulf is a reminder that the price of bread is always tied to the price of oil. As one retired miner from Barnsley told me: "We've been here before. The rich get richer, and we pay the price at the till."
The coming days will test both the government's resolve and its commitment to protecting the living standards of those it claims to serve. The real economy, the one of wages and bills, is watching.
