Britain’s Treasury chief Rachel Reeves has sought to present a rosy picture of the state of the U.K. economy, even as oil and gas prices soared in the wake of the fast-evolving Iran war that has cast a pall over the global economic outlook.

The Bank of England has cut its main interest rate by a quarter percentage point to 4%, as policy makers seek to bolster the sluggish U.K. economy.

Britain’s new government, which is already facing anger over higher taxes, unpopular spending decisions and political scandals just six months after taking office, is now being battered by rising borrowing costs that threaten to derail its left-leaning program.