The UK could be on the cusp of an energy crisis comparable to the chaos seen in the 1970s, according to a former deputy governor of the Bank of England.

Iran continues to restrict the number of oil tankers which can travel through the major shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation against the US-Israel strikes from last month.

As the conflict continues, the global economy is facing a period of uncertainty – and energy bills are expected to rise, pushing up the cost of living.

The government is considering supporting some energy bills for targeted households once the current energy price cap lifts in July.

As fears grow over what lies ahead, former deputy governor of the Bank of England, Sir Howard Davies, suggested it was “probably right” to compare the current era to the crises we saw in the 1970s.

World oil prices soared at the time, triggered by the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The price of an oil barrel then quadrupled in a matter of months.

Arab oil-producing countries only ended their oil embargo against western nations after intense negotiations, though another crisis emerged in 1979 in the wake of the Iranian Revolution.

Davies compared that worldwide energy crisis to the current situation.

“In this case it could well be that supplies from the Middle East are constrained for some time and therefore we may have to live with a higher oil price – perhaps not $150, but certainly higher than $60 it was when we started,” Davies told BBC Radio 4′s Today.

“That requires a plan to increase alternatives and also to reduce consumption because it also looks like we may have a long term reduction in supply.”

Brent crude oil hit $116 per barrel on Monday morning.

Keir Starmer tried to prevent any panic buying from the public when speaking to the media on Monday.

The PM said the advice from the energy sector chiefs is “normal use, no need to do anything other than what’s normal”.

He added: “Obviously, we are bearing down on energy costs. The single most important thing we could do is de-escalate to get the Strait of Hormuz open.

“That’s why I’m putting so much effort into that aspect.”

A Downing Street spokesperson also said: “It’s obviously a serious conflict as the prime minister and the chancellor have said and they’ve been very clear that the impact of disruption to shipping and to the Strait of Hormuz is having an impact here in the UK, and households up and down the UK.”

He said the government’s focus is on working with international partners to de-escalate the situation and reopen the Strait.

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Donald Trump has called on the UK to “go get your own oil” from the Strait of Hormuz in a new social media post.

The US president has tried and failed to get western allies including the UK to support him in his offensive against Iran.

After the US-Israeli strikes last month, Iran’s forces effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, which transports a fifth of the world’s oil supply.

The subsequent squeeze on fuel has caused a significant economic shock – and Trump has been trying to force Iran to negotiate as the global cost of living rises.

Writing on TruthSocial, he said the UK should either buy jet fuel from the US or “build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait and just TAKE IT”.

He said: “You’ve have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the USA won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us.”

The UK government has insisted it is not concerned about oil shortages right now though there are worries about an energy crisis later in the year.

Trump’s attack on Britain comes after Keir Starmer refused US requests to use British military bases for premptive strikes on Iran last month, before allowing American troops to use UK sites for “limited and defensive” strikes.

The president also claimed: “Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil!”

Read Trump’s full TruthSocial post below:

All of those countries that can’t get jet fuel because of the Strait of Hormuz, like the United Kingdom, which refused to get involved in the decapitation of Iran, I have a suggestion for you: Number 1, buy from the U.S., we have plenty, and Number 2, build up some delayed courage, go to the Strait, and just TAKE IT. You’ll have to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A. won’t be there to help you anymore, just like you weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially, decimated. The hard part is done. Go get your own oil! President DJT

The US president also lashed out at France, claiming it will not allow planes headed to Israel, “loaded with military supplies” fly over French land.

“France has been VERY UNHELPFUL with respect to the ‘Butcher of Iran’ who has been successfully eliminated! The USA will REMEMBER!” Trump wrote.

Children chat about a lot of pretty odd stuff (remember Ballerina Cappuccina?) – however if you’ve heard them mention ‘gooning’ in conversation with their mates, or during gaming, it’s certainly worth pulling them up on it.

While you might consider ‘gooning’ as messing around or even goofing about (that’s what first came to my mind), per Mashable, it actually means “masturbating for a prolonged period of time, usually hours, without ever climaxing”.

In online spaces, it can also refer to zoning out as a result of intense sexual arousal, which Gabb (a company providing child-safe phones and tech) notes is “most often in the context of pornography”.

The issue is, if tweens and teens are using this terminology, chances are they are coming across pornography or inappropriate content online.

It’s not uncommon – over one-quarter (27%) of kids have come across pornography by age 11, according to a survey by the Children’s Commissioner.

While children shouldn’t be easily coming across porn due to stricter regulation as part of the Online Safety Act, they may still find ways to access it.

If your tween or teen is talking about gooning, even if it’s just joking with friends, it’s definitely worth asking them about it.

If they are getting involved in this activity, Fiona Yassin, a family psychotherapist, told HuffPost UK: “There’s a real neurodevelopmental risk here. During adolescence, the brain is still under construction – very much a work in progress – and when it’s repeatedly flooded with high-intensity sexual content, it drives spikes in dopamine that can create a pathway towards compulsive cycles.

“Over time, young people may need more and more intensity to achieve the same effect, which mirrors the mechanisms we see in other forms of addiction. That’s particularly concerning in a developing brain.”

Yassin, who is the founder and clinical director of The Wave Clinic, also warned that it can impact social development (zoning out in front of a screen might increase isolation, anxiety and low mood) and attachment, particularly as far as sexual relationships are concerned.

“This can disrupt the development of healthy attachment, increasing impulsivity, risk-taking, and a disregard for personal and relational safety,” she explained.

Teens who are exposed to this kind of content can also begin to develop unrealistic expectations of themselves and others, particularly as far as sex and relationships are concerned.

“It can encourage objectification, a sense of disposability in relationships, and a reduced capacity for genuine intimacy – building, sustaining, and nurturing connection,” said Yassin.

Ultimately, she warned, “it can shift how young people see others, which can lead to the oversexualisation of what would otherwise be non-sexual interactions”.

“That has wide-reaching implications for how they relate, connect, and develop into adulthood.”

Some children might use the word without fully understanding where it comes from and the potential impact on others. So, the key here is to be curious about where they’ve heard the term and what they think it means – which can help steer your conversations going forward.

“Rather than reacting with frustration or alarm, the most effective starting point for parents is to stay calm and curious,” said Yassin.

“Parents may ask: ‘What does this word mean to you?’ or ‘What do you think someone else might hear or feel when that word is used?’. Like many aspects of child and adolescent mental health, this situation offers a valuable teaching and learning opportunity.”

If they do know the full meaning, the therapist urges parents to seize the opportunity for age-appropriate honesty. “Teens, in particular, are more likely to engage when they feel respected, rather than lectured,” she added.

“Parents can gently widen the conversation to the bigger picture, which might include the consequences of the word, how pornography can shape expectations, impact mental health, and, in some cases, lead to more compulsive patterns of behaviour.”

Action for Children has a few helpful pointers for talking to kids about porn, but ultimately it advises parents to reassure kids it’s OK to feel curious about sex, while also explaining that “porn is unrealistic” and it “can be harmful for them to watch it”.

You probably already know that strength training and calcium can help to keep your bones healthy and strong as you age.

But some factors – like getting enough vitamin D, which helps to absorb calcium, and avoiding smoking, which raises your risk of osteoporosis and is linked to a 30-40% higher risk of broken hips – are less obvious.

And in one study, prunes, which are high in anti-inflammatory polyphenols and calcium-balancing vitamin K, appeared to preserve bone density and strength at weight-bearing parts of the hip for post-menopausal women.

The researchers followed a group of 235 postmenopausal women, who are at greater risk of bone loss, over a year.

They told one group to eat 50g (about five to six prunes) a day during the trial, and another group to eat 100g a day. A third group didn’t eat any prunes at all.

Though both prune levels were beneficial, the first group (50g) were more likely to stick to the habit, which meant they tended to get better results.

Professor Mary Jane De Souza, the study’s lead author, said: “Consuming five to six prunes a day for 12 months resulted in preservation of bone at the hip, a finding that was observable at six months and persisted through month 12.”

Postmenopausal women who didn’t consume any prunes saw a 1.1% bone loss in the same time period, while for those in the study, it stayed the same.

That benefit could lead to fewer bone breaks.

The same group of women were part of another study looking at how prunes seemed to affect the structure and estimated strength of their tibia.

“This is the first randomised controlled trial to look at three-dimensional bone outcomes with respect to bone structure, geometry and estimated strength,” Professor De Souza said.

“In our study, we saw that daily prune consumption impacted factors related to fracture risk. That’s clinically invaluable.”

She added that prunes may help to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, but more research is needed.

Labour MP Karl Turner has had the party whip suspended after rebelling against the government over its plans to scrap most jury trials.

It is understood the MP for Kingston upon Hull East was informed by the chief whip Jonathan Reynolds today that he had the whip suspended following his recent conduct.

This decision will be reviewed at a later date, HuffPost UK understands.

However the MP has suggested he was not told of the party’s decision before the media announced it.

Turner wrote on X: “I am being told that I have had the whip suspended but I have not had any notification from the whips about this. It seems journalists have been told but I have not.”

He issued a full statement hours later, saying he was “disappointed” to be suspended without prior verbal communication.

Ministers have been pushing to end jury trials in cases that carry a likely sentence of less than three years, which would instead be heard in front of a lone judge.

The government argues that this is needed to clear the huge backlog of cases within the system, but critics like Turner say jury trials are a fundamental right.

Turner also told HuffPost UK less than a fortnight ago that a “revolt” by the Parliamentary Labour Party is just weeks away unless Starmer turns around the government’s fortunes ahead of the May elections.

He voiced his support for former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner after she warned the government was “running out of time” to deliver the change voters were promised.

The MP said: “It is refreshing to see a senior Labour politician come out and speak clearly to the situation we find ourselves in.”

He claimed there is “a great deal of discontent on the Labour benches”.

Turner said he still supports the prime minister’s leadership but urged him to up his game as Labour trails in the polls.

And he said the elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and English councils on May 7 were D-Day for his premiership.

He said: “The PM needs to listen hard to what his PLP are saying. We cannot be treated with contempt.”

Meanwhile the Guardian reported that Turner’s suspension was related to an interview the MP gave to Jody McIntyre, a campaign who previously stood at the 2024 elections against Labour’s Jess Phillips.