Q&A: more pain for Starmer but 'No more Mr. Nice Guy' for Iran

Q&A: more pain for Starmer but 'No more Mr. Nice Guy' for Iran

From The Story by The Times

April 30, 2026 · 29 min

About this episode

The episode discusses political challenges for Sir Keir Starmer and the implications of Trump's statements regarding Iran.

Sir Keir Starmer has dodged a bullet on the Mandelson vetting scandal but did he expend too much political capital in the process? With local elections around the corner he’s not out of the woods yet, so what can we expect from next week's results? And more than 60 days into the Iran war, Trump has proclaimed there's 'No more Mr. Nice Guy' - so are we about to see renewed military action from the USA? Hosts Manveen Rana and Luke Jones are here to answer your questions in our monthly Q&A. This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Hosts: Manveen Rana and Luke Jones.  Guest: Aubrey Allegretti, chief political correspondent, The Times. Producers: Olivia Case and Callum Martin. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: Iran war latest: Trump warns Tehran ‘No more Mr Nice Guy’ in Truth Social post Further listening: ‘The punishment election’: Is Labour facing a bloodbath in Wales? Clips: The Independent, Sky.  Image: @realDonaldTrump / Truth Social This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy…

People in this episode

Hosts: Manveen Rana, Luke Jones

Guest: Aubrey Allegretti

Topics covered

  • politics
  • Iran war
  • local elections
  • Q&A
  • Starmer
  • Trump

Keywords

  • Starmer
  • Iran war
  • Trump
  • local elections
  • political capital
  • Mandelson scandal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Times, The Sunday Times

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