Usually, when Donald Trump makes a weekend social media announcement about the state of his war, he tries to claim to have good news. The President claims a deal is imminent, or that ships are about to transit the Strait of Hormuz, and global markets celebrate the news.
This Sunday was different. After days of reports that a peace deal of some form between the US and Iran was imminent, Trump posted to Truth Social that Iran’s latest response to US proposals was “utterly unacceptable” – sending global oil prices skywards yet again.
The price of Brent Crude oil, which is the global benchmark for oil prices, rose 4 per cent on Monday, hitting around $105 a barrel. A year ago, it was just $65. Few of us are buying barrels of unrefined crude oil, but its price affects us all hugely – most obviously in petrol prices, and the cost of electricity and gas in our homes. But fuel is needed for agriculture, manufacturing and almost every other aspect of industry. When oil goes up in price, everything else follows.
Shorts – Quick stories
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risks associated with the us of sweeteners (Photo: Getty)
Environment
How climate change could put tea drinkers in hot water
The familiar taste of tea may turn bitter as climate change disrupts harvests and makes it harder to achieve consistent flavours, campaigners have warned. A Christian Aid report also warns that a warming world could cause the price of a cuppa to spike.
“As climate variability increases, achieving that consistency becomes more challenging, Dr Neha Mittal from the Met Office said.
What does the report say?
Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea more bitter and harsher, researchers say.
The issue is also hitting close to home, with tea growers in the UK warning that it is making it much harder to achieve consistent flavours .
Climate-induced disruptions to harvests could cause price spikes and unreliable supplies .
The rising price of fertiliser and fuel as a result of the US-Iran war is also expected to hit tea producers.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
Supporting farmers
Tea production relies on stable temperature and rainfall conditions, which are shifting in producer nations. Optimal growth conditions sit within a narrow range of between 13°C and 30°C and with adequate but not excessive rainfall.
Caption: FUZHOU, CHINA – MARCH 29: Farmers harvest celery in the fields as the area enters the harvest season on March 29, 2026 in Fuqing, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Xie Guiming/VCG via Getty Images) Photographer: VCG Provider: VCG via Getty Images Source: Visual China Group It’s raining heavily, wearing an umbrella during the rainy season – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The flavour and quality of tea depends on a balance of compounds such as catechins, amino acids and polyphenols, the report said. However, higher temperatures increase the production of more astringent compounds while reducing sweetness – leading to a more bitter taste.
The expert view
For generations, consumers have taken for granted that a cup of tea will taste the same, day in, day out. But that consistency depends on a stable climate, and that stability is now breaking down. What we are seeing is the beginning of a shift towards a harsher brew
Claire Nasike Akello, climate adaptation and resilience lead at Christian Aid
(Photo: Matthew Vincent/PA Wire)
NEWS
Who won big at the Bafta TV Awards 2026
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 10, 2026: Owen Cooper attends the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at the Royal Festival Hall in London, United Kingdom on May 10, 2026. (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images) Photographer: Wiktor Szymanowicz Provider: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publis Source: Future Publishing Copyright: ? 2026 Wiktor Szymanowicz
The winners of this year’s Bafta Television Awards have been announced in London, with Netflix drama Adolescence emerging as the big winner.
The hard-hitting four-part series was named best limited series. Owen Cooper, who played central character Jamie in his acting debut, became the youngest ever winner of the award for best supporting actor aged 16.
A look at key winners
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 10: Stephen Graham, Christine Tremarco, Hannah Walters, Owen Cooper, Ashley Walters and Erin Doherty with the Limited Drama Award for Adolescence during the BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises 2026 at The Royal Festival Hall on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) Photographer: Karwai Tang Provider: WireImage Source: WireImage Copyright: 2026 Karwai Tang
Leading actor: Stephen Graham – Adolescence (Netflix)
Leading actress: Narges Rashidi – Prisoner 951 (BBC One)
Supporting actor: Owen Cooper – Adolescence (Netflix)
Best comedy actor: Steve Coogan – How Are You? It’s Alan (Partridge) (BBC One)
Best comedy actress: Katherine Parkinson – Here We Go (BBC One)
FILM
4 min read
New Bafta record
Among the other winners were The Celebrity Traitors, EastEnders and comedy series Last One Laughing. The Celebrity Traitors and Last One Laughing each picked up two awards, while Adolescence set a record for the most Bafta victories in a single night.
In the International category, Apple TV+’s The Studio featuring Seth Rogan triumphed over fellow nominees Severance, Sky’s The White Lotus and Disney+’s The Bear.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 10: Alan Carr with the P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Award for The Celebrity Traitors during the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at The Royal Festival Hall on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart Wilson/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA) Photographer: Stuart Wilson/BAFTA Provider: Getty Images for BAFTA Source: BAFTA Copyright: 2026 Getty Images Caption: Ike Barinholtz, Seth Rogen and Chase Sui Wonders at the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises held at Royal Festival Hall on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Zak Hussein/Variety via Getty Images) Photographer: Variety Provider: Variety via Getty Images Source: Variety
Inside the race to replace Keir Starmer
When Angela Rayner finally commented in the wake of Labour’s election humiliation, it was a brutal takedown of Sir Keir Starmer’s record.
“What we are doing isn’t working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance,” she declared.
OPINION
6 min read
Analysis
4 min read
Rayner sets out demands
The former deputy prime minister called on Starmer to end a “toxic culture of cronyism” and to allow the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to return to Westminster. Then she set out a left-wing shopping list of demands.
Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 9: Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks to media as he reacts to the local Council Election results at AFC Wimbledon on May 9, 2026 in London, England. In response to what is being seen as a disastrous set of results for Labour in the 2026 Local Elections Starmer says “the local election results do not mean tacking left or right; but mean we must bring together a broad political movement, one that is assertive in its values and bold in its vision. (Photo by Alishia Abodunde/Getty Images) Photographer: Alishia Abodunde Provider: Getty Images Source: Getty Images Europe Labour MP Angela Rayner (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Her demands include taxing the wealthy, cutting household costs, ending the freehold system, raising the minimum wage, giving regional mayors more powers over planning and licensing and boosting community ownership.
Damp local elections for Labour
Rayner’s comments follow a damp set of local election results for Labour, as MPs openly debated whether there should be an immediate leadership contest.
MPs who had been previously loyal, in public and in private, were beginning to say on Sunday that they would lend Rayner support for a challenge.
Sir Keir Starmer will deliver a key speech this morning after devastating local election results last week (Photo: AFP)
POLITICS
4 min read
Dozens of MPs call for Starmer to step down
Josh Simons, previously a Starmer loyalist, said the Prime Minister had “lost the country”.
Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, blamed a “national wave” against Labour for his party’s defeat in the Holyrood election.
Labour left-wingers fear that a stalking horse candidate would boost Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s chances of becoming PM, with Burnham barred from standing until he becomes an MP.
Exclusive
7 min read
Trump has repeatedly shown he doesn’t much care about the knock-on effect of his decisions for countries across the world. His attempt to introduce sweeping global tariffs last year caused economic havoc among almost all of the USA’s trading partners.
The President has threatened to take over Canada, Greenland and Mexico, and has claimed to be running Venezuela. He has largely abandoned Ukraine to fend off Russia’s aggression on its own. He is openly contemptuous of the Nato alliance.
The fact that his war on Iran is causing misery across Europe and the Middle East, then, is unlikely to matter much to Trump. But rising oil prices are a different matter, and almost impossible for him to ignore – when the global oil price rises, the price of fuel at the pump in America goes up, and US voters care very much about that.
The USS Rafael Peralta implements the maritime blockade against Iran-flagged crude oil tanker vessel Stream as it tries to sail towards an Iranian port in April (Photo: US Navy / AFP via Getty Images)
Before Trump launched his offensive against Iran in March, gasoline was about $3 a gallon for retail customers. Today, it averages around $4.50 a gallon – an increase of 50 per cent in just two months. That is a huge blow to the wallets of typical American families, but there could be much worse to come.
Around 20 per cent of the world’s traded oil and gas passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been all but blocked for the last two months. That backlog is enough of a problem, but the knock-on effects are worse. Once you’ve pumped oil out of the ground, you have to ship it somewhere, or else find a place to store it – and that takes a lot of space.
Once storage is full, and with no ability to ship oil out, refineries have to shut down, and restarting them can take weeks, if not months. As if all of that wasn’t a problem enough, several major refineries in the Middle East have been damaged by Iranian strikes. That means that even once the Strait has reopened, there will be supply shortages for months.
Oil prices surged after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s latest response to a ceasefire proposal, with Brent crude jumping to $105.99 per barrel amid fears of prolonged disruption around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The oil price spike is enough to make the cost of living much more expensive for almost everyone across the world, but the worst is still to come. At present, countries are emptying their emergency reserves of oil to maintain supply, but those are finite – and they’ll need replacing once the crisis is over.
All of this means that this disaster of Trump’s own making is even worse than the current increase in prices suggests. If the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t reopen soon, countries across Europe and Asia may simply not have enough oil to keep the lights on, or cars on the road – prices could get much higher, and some countries just won’t have enough fuel at any price.
Trump is lucky that the USA produces most of the oil and gas that it uses, meaning it is unlikely to face the worst consequences of his actions. But his luck has limits: American fuel prices could still go much higher than they already are. Serious economists have suggested gas prices could hit $8 a gallon, which would provoke utter fury among American voters.
Vehicles queuing at a Costco gas station on 1 May in Simi Valley, California (Photo: Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
Trump himself might not be on the ballot, but 2026 is an election year in America, with control of both the House and the Senate up for grabs. If Trump loses the House, he will face endless Congressional scrutiny of his every action, and will struggle to pass even basic budgetary measures. If he loses the Senate, he can no longer confirm judges or appointees, and could face a months-long impeachment trial.
The electoral map favours the Republicans. Thanks to gerrymandering, the contests are eminently winnable for Trump’s party. But if Trump’s wars continue to send oil and gas prices spiralling, it could spell the effective end of his presidency in just a few short months – and Trump would have no one to blame but himself.
