The release of the Mandelson files, war in the Middle East and a fresh cost-of-living crisis are all causing turmoil for the Prime Minister – but strangely, are they also doing him a favour? The fallout from the first details of Peter Mandelson’s departure from Washington have already exposed the cracks between Keir Starmer and some advisors. With thousands more emails, messages and WhatsApps to come, this could be just the beginning. But Sam and Anne assess how a lack of obvious successors might actually shore up the PM’s position. Meanwhile, as the Iran war continues to escalate in the Middle East – pushing oil prices ever higher – Sam hears from government sources that contingency planning is already underway to soften the blow if energy bills surge.