The Iran war lays bare the betrayal of Britain’s energy security
Planet Normal
Louisa Wells
4.7 • 2.9K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 59 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
You can watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uRceQCyRYIU
It’s markets this, oil prices that, and what will happen next, so your co-pilots are blasting in to make sense of the tsunami of news flooding across the globe from the Middle East and the war with Iran.
Allison points to the shame of all governments for not protecting British interests and defence strategy has left us woefully unprepared for any disruption to energy supplies. And as the news is pointing away from the UK Allison has spied Labour still pressing ahead with a definition of Islamophobia and potentially curbing Free Speech in the process.
Liam looks at the economic fallout as the Strait of Hormuz continues to be closed and Iran attacks cargo ships, and brings on board journalist and energy market expert Andrew Critchlow to discuss the UK’s energy security and strategy.
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Read Allison ‘The BBC is not living up to the ‘British’ part of its name’:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/11/bbc-boat-race-cancellation-crufts/ |
Read Allison ‘Starmer is pandering to Islamist extremists to save his own skin https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/03/10/keir-starmer-islamism-concerns-hannah-spencer/ |
Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |
Read Liam ‘Britain needs economic security – and a sovereign wealth fund’:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/08/britain-needs-economic-security-sovereign-wealth-fund/ |
Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |
Read Liam’s Substack: https://liamhalligan.substack.com/ |
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Telegraph. |
| 0:09.0 | But I've been watching Crofts, so let's cut the chase. |
| 0:16.6 | Four. |
| 0:18.0 | We already have a reputation for fiscal laxness under labour. |
| 0:24.6 | Three. |
| 0:25.8 | Your co-pilot is Donna and bought Brian and May matches and some candles. |
| 0:31.1 | Two. |
| 0:32.6 | We're producing barely 800,000 bowels a day, if that. |
| 0:36.6 | Investment in the North Sea has died a death. |
| 0:43.6 | Welcome once again to Planet Normal, the Telegraph podcast with Alison Pearson. Hello, |
| 0:51.3 | and me Liam Halligan. The news is happening thick and fast co-pilot, as the world continues to reel from conflict in the Middle East. |
| 1:00.1 | Oil prices soared up to $120 a barrel, up from just $70 at the start of this month, |
| 1:06.4 | and then they suddenly fell $30, with the price of the black stuff, now moving headline by headline, |
| 1:12.8 | presidential tweet by presidential tweet, and when I last checked, it was $85 a barrel. |
| 1:19.0 | But none of the big problems have changed, the strait of Hormers, that vital pinch point |
| 1:23.6 | at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, through which a third of the world's seaborne oil and |
| 1:28.1 | gas is meant to flow every day, is still blocked. U.S. airstrikes on Iran with direct attacks |
| 1:33.7 | on nuclear and military facilities, and the death of much of the Islamic Republic's leadership, |
| 1:38.9 | have dismantled the Middle East's longstanding, indirect, shadow war doctrine. America won't end its war with Iran |
| 1:45.5 | until the enemy's totally and decisively defeated, said Pete Hegzeth. Earlier, Tehran had said |
| 1:51.9 | it was absolutely not seeking a ceasefire, despite Donald Trump's claim that the war is, quote, |
| 1:58.0 | complete and would end very soon. |
... |
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