5 top UK news stories today (16 March 2026)

Here’s your UK news roundup for Monday (16 March 2026):

Starmer holds call with Turmp

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Donald Trump held a phone call where they discussed “the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz to end the disruption to global shipping.” Tehran’s stranglehold on oil tankers passing through the narrow sea passage has driven energy prices up across the world. On the global stage, the crisis has led Trump to appeal to other world leaders – including Sir Keir – to help secure the strait with a naval presence. [LBC]

Labour to set out a support plan for heating oil costs

Plans to support households who have faced a sharp rise in the cost of heating oil are to be set out by the government. The price of heating oil has spiked since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, as the cost of crude oil has jumped above $100 (£75) a barrel – it was $71 a barrel before the conflict began. At the weekend, Chancellor Rachel Reeves told The Times she had “found the money” to help. [BBC]

Plans to cut NHS’s international workforce appear overambitious

Ministers’ plans to cut the international workforce within NHS England appear overambitious, MPs have said, as a report reveals the health service saved more than £14 billion by recruiting doctors, nurses and midwives from overseas. Many of the countries recruited from were struggling with staff shortages, and the UK had a moral duty to offer support, rather than simply extracting what it needed, the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on global health and security found. [Guardian]

Business bosses told to check details after Companies House glitch

Business directors are urged to check their details after a major glitch on Companies House allowed people to edit the data of other firms, leaving them potentially exposed to fraud. On Friday, a tech glitch on the UK’s official corporate register permitted people to access other companies’ details by pressing the back key on the site’s dashboard. This led to the potential exposure of the five million companies on the register and allowed people to view directors’ addresses, email addresses, and dates of birth, all due to the tech bungle. [CityAM]