The Guardian view on the Iran crisis exposing Britain’s energy vulnerability: clean power offers protection | Editorial

<p>The war reveals Britain’s exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices. More North Sea drilling will not shield households, building domestic green energy will</p><p>What should Britain do when war in the Middle East sends energy prices soaring? If the strait of Hormuz were blocked for the month of fighting that Donald Trump predicts, British households could face another brutal cost of living shock. Goldman Sachs <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/mar/08/oil-prices-supply-disruption-iran-war-goldman-sachs">warns</a> of prices at the pump rising to 2022 levels. That <a href="https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/fuel-watch/">would</a> put more than <a href="https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn04712/">50p on each litre</a> in the tank. Prolonged disruption to global gas supplies could see <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/daily-brief/gas-prices-surge-uk-bills-could-hit-2500-el-ninos-return/">energy bills</a> in the UK rise by £900 to £2,500 a year. Such uncertainty strengthens the case for going big on clean energy.</p><p>Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, has grasped this <a href="https://www.gov.uk/missions/clean-energy">reality</a>. By contrast, the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp890n51684o">Conservatives</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74172wlezwo">Reform UK</a> are doubling down on domestic fossil fuel extraction. The debate is framed around a simple claim of energy security: drill more at home. But the argument is rhetorical. Britain might export a bit more crude and have a smidgen more gas. But it would still need to import refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Households would remain exposed to global energy shocks. Clean electricity, by contrast, cuts gas demand and reduces exposure to volatile m