I'm Ed Vasey and we're going to be unpacking the politics of the day

as the fallout from the Mandelson Files continues to Nigel Farage's obsession with the polls

to the question of what past prime ministers are really remembered for.

With me today and trying to leave a legacy that won't just be a footnote

is the Times leader writer Michael Binion. Welcome to the show. Thank you very much. We'll see what the

legacy is. And the broadcaster, Daisy McCandry. Welcome to the show, Daisy. Good morning, good

morning. Well, President Trump stepped up his rhetoric against Iran, saying the US is totally destroying Iran and boasting it was a great honour to kill the country's leaders.

The United States has temporarily lifted sanctions on Russian oil to help tackle a surge in prices, which are up around 20% since the start of the conflict.

Meanwhile, Britain has accused Russia of having a hidden hand in

Iranian strikes after British troops came under attack for the third time since the conflict

began. Michael, it's turning into a right old mess, isn't it? Sure is, yes, and it's very depressing

watching it, because you never know where it's going, you don't know what the aim is, you don't

know what's going to happen in any direction, what the diplomacy is. As you say, a right old mess and a very

depressing one. And the consequences flowing rather unpleasantly into every aspect of our daily lives.

And it's boosting President Putin. I mean, there are these conspiracy theories who think that

President Trump is a Putin asset. I mean, you couldn't conspiracy theories who think that President Trump is a Putin asset.

I mean, you couldn't have had a better result for Putin. The sanctions are lifted, the oil prices going up.

He can fund this war in Ukraine. Indeed, he can. I think I saw a figure saying he's made $150 million just already out of the rise in prices.

And the Indians are now openly buying lots more Russian oil. He's having much less trouble selling it. And of course, there's no focus,

really, on the Ukraine issue itself at all. I mean, all negotiations seem to have stopped.

Nobody's really making much effort to get the Russians back around the table.

And we just sort of think, you know, Putin's got a free hand.

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