Hello, I'm Hugo Rifkind, and now we're going to be unpacking the politics of the day,

from whether the government's response to the war has been anti-aspiration,

to whether reform is still seen as a one-issue party, and why Donald Trump couldn't save the world if aliens attacked the sun.

And joining me are two people who probably could save the world if aliens attack the sun, and they are Matthew Paris. So, Matthew. Good morning. How are you? Very, very good indeed. Yeah. Yeah. Struggling with a new kind of coffee, a studio friendly coffee mug. But I can't... It's just got a lid on it, Matthew. You flip the bit back, you can... You know, everyone who's been in this week has raised the issue of the mugs. Yeah, I'm not allowed, I will literally get sacked

saying this, but if you unscrew the top, it turns into a proper cup. I didn't say that. It's absolutely not allowed. Don't do it. Sarah Dyson, you probably have saved the earth from aliens attacking the sun, I'd imagine. How are you? I'm very well, thanks. Yeah, I'm just, you know, luxuriating in my non-sippy cup at home studio paradise.

Bad like Matthew. Well, thanks. Yeah, I'm just, you know, luxuriating in my non-sippy cup at home studio

paradise. Bad luck, Matthew. Check your mug privilege. Let's crack on. I want to start by

looking at the government rhetoric around the economic downturn linked to the Gulf conflict.

Addressing the rising cost of living, ministers have accused all companies of price gouging

and taken a tough stance on corporate profiteering.

And yet, an analysis of over 6,000 petrol stations by the Times has found little evidence of that actually happening.

And yet the government are still slagging it off, even though it isn't happening.

Matthew, you think this reflects the kind of ideological hostilities of business and aspiration in that generally?

Yeah, just take a kick at the private sector when you're in a bit of a corner.

And given the government can't do anything about the fuel crisis, nothing serious,

given that, as you say in your own column, we maybe come onto that we are now powerless in the world.

What can the government do? So they, I understand that

they're going to ban trail hunting and they take a kick at profiteering of which there is no

evidence at the moment. But they just assume it's going to happen. They go, well, the bad people

will behave badly, so let's, let's pre-attack. Well, in which case, say, we're on guard for profiteering, but they haven't.

Kirstama has been kind of lashing out with all sorts of words about greedy and unscrupulous

profits and all that kind of stuff. No, it's displacement's it's um it's displacement activity for them and and for us it's

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