Maybe we’ve been misunderstanding Donald Trump this entire time. For more than a decade, the US President has been railing against Barack Obama’s “terrible” Iran nuclear deal time and again.
Obama had persuaded Iran to delay any nuclear enrichment activities for at least 10 years, and dramatically reduce its existing stocks of enriched uranium. In exchange, many US sanctions against the country would be lifted, and it would be allowed to use financial assets previously frozen or seized by the USA.
Trump had almost constantly attacked the deal, but focused in particular on a flight returning $400m (£298m) of previously frozen funds to Iran. “It’s so sad, so disgusting,” Trump said in one of his many interventions on the topic. We had all assumed that Trump was outraged at the idea of the US sending money to Iran, even if the money had been Iran’s in the first place.
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News
The far right are promoting Restore and undermining Farage
Caption: Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe (R) speaks to people as they campaign ahead of the Makerfield by-election on June 18, west of Manchester, north-west England on June 13, 2026. (Photo by PETER POWELL / AFP via Getty Images)
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In online chat groups, white nationalists, neo-Nazis and far-right activists are fired up. Those normally indifferent or outright hostile to parliamentary politics are putting their hope in Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain.
His online popularity has earned Lowe a vocal group of supporters from across Britain that means Restore is now seen as a genuine threat to Nigel Farage and Reform UK. In Makerfield, it could cost the party the by-election, some observers believe.
Lowe hailed as ‘saviour of nation’
At least three rival far-right political parties have declared support for Restore, with one leader hailing Lowe as “the saviour of this nation”. Several high-profile activists, including white nationalists who have been banned from entering the UK on security grounds, have been praising Restore to their millions of online followers.
Caption: A campaign placard for the Restore Britain political party is displayed outside a residential property, ahead of the Makerfield by-election, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, Britain, June 9, 2026. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja
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POLITICS
5 min read
A closer look at the figures
13%
An internal Labour Party poll conducted in Makerfield, and seen by The i Paper, suggested that Restore could significantly dent support for Reform, with 13 per cent of people saying they would vote for Lowe’s candidate, behind Farage’s party on 24 per cent and Labour on 35 per cent.
Reform still holds a healthy lead in national polling, with recent BMG polling putting Farage’s party eight points ahead of Labour.
However, some voters in Makerfield have become dissatisfied with Reform, believing that Farage has become a part of the political establishment.
Party seen as far-right’s ‘best hope’
There’s a sense that, in a way that Farage was seen not to, Lowe seems to talk the talk and walk the walk.
The aesthetics and the general vibes of Restore are much more in line with what these groups want.
Sid Venkataramakrishnan, analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue
Caption: MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM – 2026/04/18: Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First, made a speech in St. Peter’s Square, Manchester, following a city centre march by the far-right group. Anti fascist supporters were kept apart from the Britain First march and demonstration by police, including mounted police. Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First, made a speech in St. Peter’s Square, Manchester, following a city centre march by the far-right group. Anti-fascist groups formed counter-protests along the route. Police struggled to keep the opposing groups apart. Paul Golding, the leader of Britain First, made a speech following a speech by co-leader Ashlea Simon. Golding demanded the repatriation of immigrants and the execution, as traitors, of political figures, including the Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Britain First supporters carried England flags and shouted abuse at the counter protesters, who included members from Stand Up to Racism. Manchester Council had paid for displays for Manchester to stand against hate throughout the city. (Photo by Gary Roberts/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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Caption: LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 10: Katy Fox, Sarah Fay, Nick Mohammed, Celia Imrie, Mike Cotton, Claudia Winkleman, Paloma Faith, Alan Carr, Stephen Lambert, Lewis Thurlow, Cat Burns and Ben Archard accept the Reality Award for ‘The Celebrity Traitors’ onstage during the 2026 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises at The Royal Festival Hall on May 10, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/BAFTA/Getty Images for BAFTA)
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ENTERTAINMENT
Traitors set to West End debut
The UK version of the reality series The Traitors has formed the basis of a new West End show, four years after it was first broadcast by the BBC.
The show’s creators have teased the elements that gave the TV series its most dramatic moments will be replicated on stage, but that the show will offer audiences a look at The Traitors in a “way they have never seen before”.
How will the show work on stage?
Titled The Traitors – Acts of Betrayal, the show will feature a cycle of five brand new plays, which have been written by John Finnemore and directed by Robert Hastie.
The format means audiences can see what happens in different situations and if somebody else is chosen as a traitor.
From Monday to Friday the story begins identically but ends in five different ways. But on Saturdays the audience will be handed control on who will wear the cloak.
“For those who go and see one version of it, they will still have a very enjoyable time,” the show’s executive producer Stephen Lambert.
Those who do return will get a 360-degree understanding of the characters, Finnemore said.
When does the show start?
The Traitors – Acts of Betrayal will run at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from 11 May, 2027. Tickets, which are now on sale, start at £25.
Analysis
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
3 min read
Entertaining characters
The challenge is to ensure that each play is satisfying in its own right, and I think John [Finnemore] has done a brilliant job of that. He’s created fictional characters who are very rich and entertaining and interesting, and as a group are wonderful. We also learn probably more about them than we do the contestants on the show.
Stephen Lambert, executive producer
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)
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WORLD NEWS
Petrol could drop by 8p within a fortnight – if Trump’s deal holds
Rocketing prices for petrol and diesel have been the most obvious consequence of the Iran crisis (Photo: Reuters)
Caption: Cahal Milmo
i byline
At the heart of the expected signing on Friday of the US peace agreement with Tehran is the quid pro quo for Gulf countries, and the rest of the world, that would see the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz – the maritime chokepoint whose closure has throttled a substantial portion of the world’s supply of oil, gas and other vital commodities.
Pump prices set to fall
Just as rocketing prices for petrol and diesel have been the most obvious consequence of the Iran crisis, there are grounds for expecting that a fall in what drivers pay at the pump will be among the first dividends of a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Motoring organisation the RAC said it expects the price of petrol to fall from its current average of 156p per litre to 148p within the next fortnight, and diesel to similarly fall from 177p to below 160p.
The question remains of when, or even if, the costs being borne by motorists will return to their pre-war levels of 132p for petrol and 141p for diesel, based on an oil price of $70 per barrel.
50%
In Britain, farmers have had to deal with a rise in fertiliser prices of between 50 per cent and 70 per cent, hitting greenhouse and arable operations.
Roughly a third of global fertiliser needs, in particular ammonia and urea, passes through the Gulf and its interruption has forced growers around the world to either seek alternative supplies at higher prices or simply use less of the chemicals
While fluctuations in oil prices tend to be reflected in consumer costs within a fortnight, the effect on food prices takes longer to manifest itself.
There are concerns that food inflation will rise steadily and hit 9 per cent by the end of the year.
Air travel and holidays
Roughly a fifth of global aviation fuel supply – and about 40 per cent of that required by Europe – originates in the Gulf.
This led to concerns early in the war of swingeing price rises and even shortages imperiling summer holidays.
Caption: Passengers at the departures hall of Terminal 5 at London Heathrow Airport in London, UK, on Monday, July 14, 2025. London??Heathrow??Airport??plans to invest ??10 billion ($13.6 billion) over the next five years to upgrade its terminals and services after the dominant UK hub slipped in global airport rankings. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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While airlines have cut schedules and increased the cost of tickets, the doomsday scenario of summer getaway cancellations due to fuel availability is now not expected to materialise.
Look out for bargains
Experts warn that the resumption of supplies from the Gulf will not precipitate a fall in ticket prices. However, Bryan Terry, managing director of Alton Aviation Consultancy, said a returning sense of “optimism” in the sector is likely to see some carriers dashing to capitalise on a return of demand by restraining or cutting prices to gain passengers.
Caption: A passanger jet prepares to land at London Gatwick Airport, near Crawley, southern England, on April 20, 2026. British no-frills airline EasyJet on Thursday April 16, said it expects to post a deeper first-half loss compared with one year earlier after the Middle East war sent jet fuel prices soaring. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images)
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NEWS
3 min read
What else has been affected?
The US-Iran conflict has also had ramifications for a range of obscure products which are nonetheless vital ingredients for everyday goods and services from medicines to consumer durables.
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Caption: Shelves in retail pharmacy containing various skin creams and gels (Photo by Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Experts have warned that the loss of helium supplies from Gulf countries, where Qatar alone provided as much as 38 per cent of global production, will have impacts on a number of high-tech sectors. Pharmacies have reported price rises of up to 30 per cent for common remedies such as paracetamol and hay fever tablets.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 19: Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Emma Reynolds arrives in Downing Street to attend the weekly Cabinet meeting in London, United Kingdom on May 19, 2026. (Photo by Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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nEWS
Minister’s warning about £10bn Thames Water rescue bid
The Environment Secretary has written to regulator Ofwat to object to a £10bn Thames Water rescue deal over concerns it poses an “unfair cost to customers”.
Emma Reynolds’s stance has cast doubts over the future of the deal, but she said her views “should not be taken as, nor do they constitute, a direction from Government to Ofwat”.
Concerns over the deal
Reynolds said the 16 million Thames Water customers are front and centre of her consideration. She is worried about the impact the proposed deal would have on them.
“There is an expectation in the proposal for customers to fund and therefore bear an undue cost for investment in the company,” she said.
She warned the proposals would mean delays to required environmental improvements of wastewater treatment facilities and projects that were important for drinking water safety.
Shadow Environment Secretary Victoria Atkins said the Government should be wary of scaring off potential investors.
Atkins warned that if no deal were reached Thames Water could collapse “at enormous cost to taxpayers”.
‘Confident about our plan’
We are confident that our plan is by far the fastest route to improve outcomes for customers and the environment, without any Government funding or any cost to taxpayers.
A spokesman for London & Valley Water, the bidding consortium that has proposed injecting £10bn into Thames Water
Why is the firm in hot water?
Thames Water – Britain’s biggest water supplier – is fast running out of cash and said to be facing collapse within months if a deal is not forthcoming.
The utility firm has also faced a series of hefty fines for its poor environmental performance in recent years.
Caption: File photo dated 22/8/2025 of a Thames Water van. Thames Water is among six water companies to have blocked bonus payouts to bosses over serious pollution incidents and other performance issues. More than ?4 million of potential bonuses were banned under new rules on performance-related executive pay, regulator Ofwat said. Issue date: Wednesday November 5, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Yui Mok/PA Wire
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Save Britain’s Rivers
5 min read
news
Son of Norway’s crown princess found guilty of rape
Caption: Norway’s Marius Borg Hoiby on his way to a meeting with his lawyer in Oslo, Norway, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (Heiko Junge/NTB Scanpix via AP)
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Marius Borg Høiby, 29, has been sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted of raping two women and abusing an ex-girlfriend, among other serious offences.
Høiby guilty on 34 counts
The son of the Norwegian crown princess, who she had before she married the Crown Prince Haakon, was found guilty of 34 offences – including two counts of rape, serious bodily harm, abuse in close relationships, physical assault, threats, six counts of sexually offensive behaviour and three counts of violating a restraining order.
Caption: FILE – Norway’s Marius Borg Hoiby and Crown Princess Mette-Marit in Oslo, June 16, 2022. (Lise Aserud/NTB Scanpix via AP, File)
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NEWS
4 min read
Norwegian royal family in scandal
Høiby has been in prison since March after he was denied bail. He was arrested in August 2024 and the royal family has been tainted by his crimes, though he is not officially a royal.
Caption: FILE PHOTO: A court sketch shows Marius Borg Hoiby during the second day of the trial against him, which takes place at the Oslo District Court in Oslo, Norway February 4, 2026. NTB/Ane Hem via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NORWAY OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NORWAY./File Photo
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Caption: (FILES) Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway talks with Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (R) as they attend the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at the Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway on December 10, 2024. Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s life was once the stuff of fairytales, but rape charges against her son and her recently revealed friendship with convicted US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have seen it rapidly turn into a nightmare. The tale of the single mother from humble beginnings, whose chance encounter with Crown Prince Haakon propelled her to the heart of the monarchy, won the affection of Norwegians. But her frequent exchanges with Epstein, published this weekend in Norwegian media, have exposed an unsuspected relationship that has shocked the Scandinavian country. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN / AFP via Getty Images)
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Høiby’s mother has also faced scandals of her own this year after her messages with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein were revealed in the Epstein files. She is currently very ill with a form of pulmonary fibrosis and has recently been placed on a lung transplant list.
Watch more from The i Paper
Around 200 renters on a south London estate have been hit with eviction notices or steep rent rises after their homes were sold to a new landlord. Some residents had lived there for decades. Others now fear being forced out of their community, their borough, and in some cases London altogether. The notices landed just days before the Government’s ban on so-called “no fault” evictions came into force. @vicky.spratt spoke to the heartbroken locals caught up in the fallout – read the full story on The i Paper’s website
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Multi-millionaire banker arrested in hunt for ‘Putney Pusher’
The arrest at the suspect’s West London home comes nine years after a woman was pushed in front of a bus on Putney Bridge.
Caption: The Metropolitan Police have issued this picture of a jogger they wish to interview in connection with an incident in May on Putney Bridge, west London, in which he appears to push a woman into the path of a bus. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday August 8, 2017. See PA story POLICE Putney. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire
NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
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Suspect is former army officer with medals for service
The 44-year-old man was arrested at his £1.4m home in connection with an incident in which a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on 5 May 2017.
The woman was able to escape uninjured and footage of the incident went viral as police searched for the man, who was out jogging.
The Government has increased the bus fare cap for the first time since it was launched for most routes two years ago (Photo: PA)
OPINION
4 min read
Why has the investigation taken so long?
Caption: A Metropolitan Police Officer stands in the rain outside the Houses of Parliament in London on May 13, 2026, during the State Opening of Parliament. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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An appeal was launched from CCTV footage taken on the bus.
Police interviewed 50 men and arrested three. None were charged.
With no further leads, the investigation closed in 2018.
POLITICS
4 min read
Watch more from The i Paper
Ten years after Brexit, is Britain having second thoughts? New polling from Ipsos and King’s College London suggests support for another Brexit referendum extends well beyond traditional Remain voters, with some Leave and Reform UK supporters also backing a fresh vote. As frustrations over Brexit’s impact grow, the findings reveal a country that remains deeply divided over its future relationship with Europe. #Brexit #EU #BrexitReferendum #Reform
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Caption: Mandatory Credit: Photo by Peter Lea/Shutterstock (12657837a)
Special TV investigative journalist Roger Cook pictured at the Central TV studios, Birmingham.
Special TV investigative journalist Roger Cook pictured at the Central TV studios, Birmingham, UK – 27 Dec 1994
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news
ITV broadcaster Roger Cook dies aged 83
Investigative journalist Roger Cook, best known for current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83 after a short illness.
His family’s statement
Alongside a distinguished and award-winning career in journalism, Roger was first and foremost a beloved husband and father. He will be deeply missed by all of us, and we ask for privacy as we navigate this difficult loss.
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ROGER COOK IN ‘THE COOK REPORT’ – 1998
ITV ARCHIVE
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Who was Roger Cook?
The New Zealand-born journalist hosted The Cook Report on ITV for 12 years, winning a Bafta special award in 1997. Its audience peaked at 12 million viewers in the UK.
Police have yet to launch a criminal investigation into the worst treatment disaster in NHS history (Photo: Justin Tallis/AFP)
Caption: File photo dated 29/04/13 of investigative journalist Roger Cook at Our Lady Of Compassion Church, Formby, Merseyside for the funeral of Hillsborough Campaigner Anne Williams. The investigative journalist, best known for current affairs programme The Cook Report, has died aged 83, his family said in a statement. Issue date: Monday June 15, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
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The programme uncovered miscarriages of justice and cover-ups which helped change UK law and prompted inquiries, including the infected blood scandal. Cook and his crew also travelled the world exposing drug dealing, people smuggling and war criminals.
But as the details of Trump’s own peace deal with Iran emerge, it seems like that can’t have been the case. Not only does Trump’s deal appear to unfreeze billions of dollars of Iran’s money, but the proposals include plans for a $300bn (£223bn) “reconstruction fund” for Iran, funded by the USA and its allies.
That’s a package 750 times bigger than the Obama deal, and this time it wouldn’t be money that had technically belonged to Iran the entire time. Iranian state media is even provocatively referring to the money as “reparations” for Trump’s war.
At present, Trump’s deal doesn’t commit Iran to any solid action on its nuclear enrichment programme, even as it promises Iran far more than Obama ever did. So, what can we conclude from that? Clearly, we must have misunderstood Trump’s objection to the Obama deal: maybe he just didn’t think it was generous enough to Iran. He certainly seems to have fixed that.
There is no way to view the tentative deal Donald Trump has struck with Iran other than as an utter humiliation for Trump, and by extension for America itself. Even the typically cautious editorial board of The New York Times put it starkly in their own verdict on the matter: “President Trump Lost This War”.
Trump started his misadventure in Iran talking about reshaping the region, changing the regime, and encouraging a popular uprising in Iran. He is now trying to sign a peace deal that would involve billions of dollars of payments to a newly entrenched and emboldened Iranian regime, with none of the USA’s war aims anywhere close to achieved.
The escapade might be the most glaring US defeat overseas since Vietnam, albeit thankfully with a much shorter time frame and a vastly lower death toll – but perhaps with similarly seismic effects on the US worldview, and its sense of its place in the world over time.
In reality, all of us need the US-Iran war to be over. So far, it has only shown up in most of our lives in the form of higher fuel and energy prices, and food becoming slightly more expensive. But that’s because countries around the world have been burning through their strategic oil and gas reserves to prevent the shortfalls the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would usually cause. This has been helped by the war taking place in late spring, rather than the dead of winter.
Reserves only last for so long, however, and they are already starting to run short. Oil and gas production can take weeks or months to ramp back up to normal levels. If we are to avoid an economic calamity – and the very real prospect of people in lower-income countries freezing to death this winter – we all need this conflict to be over.
That leaves Trump’s critics on the horns of a dilemma. The honest response to Trump’s deal is that it is among the worst ever signed by a US president in the modern political era. It is almost comically terrible for America. If any Democratic president – or any normal Republican – tried to sign it, they would be spurned by Congress. Frankly, they might even face impeachment.
Luckily for Trump, he is no normal president, and the world wants this conflict to be over just as much as he does. Trump himself seems willing to end the Iranian war at virtually any price, as his willingness to sign this awful deal shows.
That leaves the rest of us with a dilemma: Trump is a volatile and egotistical man. If he sees enough coverage mocking him and his deal, he might just rip it up rather than look weak in public. So, is it for the best if Fox News and the Trump media bubble flatters Trump and his deal, in the hope that it sticks?
Such is the nature of life under a Trump presidency. Is it even worth saying the emperor has no clothes, if pointing it out will only cause yet another tantrum?