About this episode

The episode discusses the heavy local election losses for Britain's Labour and Conservative parties amidst a rise in populism, alongside international news regarding Iran and a tribute to David Attenborough.

Britain's governing Labour party and main opposition Conservatives have suffered heavy losses as the populist right wing Reform surges ahead in early results from English local elections. We look at what this means for the country's traditional party system and how long the current prime minister can last in light of these results. Also in the programme: President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is still in place despite a series of clashes in the Strait of Hormuz; we mark the 100th birthday of the documentary maker David Attenborough; and we'll look at how the war in Iran is causing a shortage of saffron in Italy. (Photo shows the UK's prime minister Keir Starmer speaking at a meeting with Labour Party members in Ealing, West London on 8 May 2026. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

Topics covered

• local elections
• political parties
• populism
• Iran conflict
• David Attenborough
• saffron shortage

Keywords

• Labour party
• Conservatives
• Reform
• local elections
• Donald Trump
• Iran
• David Attenborough
• saffron

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Labour party, Conservatives, Reform

Places: Iran, Strait of Hormuz, Italy

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