Signal

Good evening. The Strait of Hormuz crisis is deepening with the final pre-blockade oil tankers now reaching refineries, marking the beginning of a genuine global energy crunch. Oil prices are already climbing toward potentially hitting $150 per barrel, while Iran appears to be playing a careful diplomatic game - publicly stating they're open to talks with the US "within international law" even as back-channel negotiations continue with Trump claiming Iranian representatives want a deal "very badly." The energy crisis is just beginning, and the political fallout will likely be severe across multiple countries dealing with soaring costs. Closer to home, the Southport attack inquiry has delivered damning conclusions about preventable failures, finding that the killer's parents failed in their "moral duty" to report their son's concerning behavior, alongside multiple missed opportunities by agencies that could have averted the tragedy entirely. Meanwhile, Starmer is pushing ahead with closer EU ties despite the obvious Brexit reopening this represents, while also facing criticism from former NATO leadership about his "corrosive complacency" on defense spending. On a lighter note, free-range chickens across the UK are finally being let outside after six months of bird flu lockdown.