Donald Trump is now paying the price of going to war with Iran “without thinking through the consequences”, a senior BBC journalist has declared.

Jeremy Bowen, the corporation’s international affairs editor, also warned that the US president’s attempts to re-open the Strait of Hormuz could see a return to all-out war.

His comments came as Iran’s foreign minister warned that America could be “dragged back into quagmire”.

Trump launched “Project Freedom” at the weekend, vowing that the United States would “guide” stranded ships through the Strait, which has been effectively closed by Iranian attacks since the war began.

That has led to a spike in oil prices and triggered fears of a global economic crisis.

Two US-flagged ships are reported to have passed through the key waterway.

However, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – a Gulf ally of the US – said a tanker affiliated with its state-owned oil company, had been targeted by two drones as it transited the Strait.

On Radio 4′s Today programme, Jeremy Bowen said “Iran was always going to react” to Trump’s plan and warned that it could lead to the collapse of the uneasy ceasefire which has been in place in recent weeks.

“The question is does it end there, or does it slide both of them back into all-out war,” he said.

“This is territory for misperceptions and miscalculations which have been made, and these are the factors which are classic ways of driving the ways that wars escalate, even out of ceasefires.

“The length of time that the Strait of Hormuz stay closed will determine how much more severe this becomes for all of us, as well as the Gulf states.

“You heard President Trump, as ever, being very bullish, but what is happening is [the Gulf states] are seeing the consequences of going to war, assuming an easy victory and without thinking through the consequences of what happens and what to do if it turns out, as has occurred, that it’s not easy.”

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In April, stargazers got to enjoy the Lyrid meteor shower.

But if you missed it, don’t worry: since April 18, the Eta Aquariid meteor shower has also been falling, and it’s set to peak this week.

Here’s why it happens, when it’ll be at its brightest in the UK, and how to catch it:

As with the Lyrid meteor shower, it’s not that the comets are “shooting” towards us.

They’re part of the debris following a comet (in this case, comet Halley); in our journey around the sun, we pass through this space rubble, some of which then enters our atmosphere.

When they do that, they move so quickly that they compress and superheat the air surrounding them.

That leads to a glowing “head” and, sometimes, a streaking “tail” that stargazers will recognise as part of a meteor shower.

Royal Museums Greenwich (RMG) said on its site, “the beautiful streaks we see in the night sky can actually be caused by particles as small as a grain of sand.”

The debris of Halley’s comet is associated with two meteor showers. The other one, Orionid, is due in October 2026.

In the UK, your best odds are on Wednesday, 6 May, from midnight to dawn. But don’t despair if you miss it.

One of the things that makes the Eta Aquariid meteor shower distinct is that it doesn’t have a “sharp peak”, RMG said.

Instead, brilliant shows tend to cluster around a particular week. In 2026, that’s this week (May 4-10).

Look towards the Eastern horizon in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Steer clear of sources of light pollution, like street lamps, and wait. (Unfortunately, the peak of this meteor shower occurs alongside quite a bright moon, which might make the display less obvious).

The meteors should be visible to the naked eye, so you won’t need any special tools like binoculars.

Every year, the Met Gala gathers together some of the most famous faces from across the world of music, cinema, sport and, of course, fashion for a star-studded fundraiser in aid of the Metropolitan Museum Of Art’s Costume Institute.

This year’s event was held on Monday night, and proved to be as A-list as ever.

Co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and, as ever, Anna Wintour, the themed dress code of 2026’s Met Ball was “Fashion Is Art” – really allowing the famous guests to think outside the box and let their imaginations run wild when putting together their red carpet looks.

And what do you know – some of them actually did.

On that note, we’ve pieced together some of the must-see looks from this year’s Met Gala, from some of the biggest stars on the planet…

As one of the organisers of the Met Gala this year, Beyoncé will have known that all eyes were on her on the red carpet.

Leaning into the elaborate theme, the Break My Soul singer sported this glittering, skeletal-inspired look on the red carpet, where she was joined by her husband Jay-Z and eldest daughter Blue Ivy Carter, marking the 14-year-old’s Met Ball debut.

Sam Smith has become renowned for their dramatic approach to fashion in recent history, and this year’s Met Ball really afforded them the chance to go all out.

Channelling Norma Desmond, the British star gave us old school Hollywood glamour in a floor-length black dress complete with bejeweled adornments, billowing sleeves and a feather headpiece.

Madonna’s Met Gala look was a real departure from what we’re used to seeing the Queen of Pop in, opting for something more gothic, dark and, frankly, weird that we’re totally here for.

The Bring Your Love singer’s ensemble was directly inspired by a Leonora Carrington painting, in one of the night’s more literal interpretations of “Fashion Is Art”.

Janelle Monáe brings it every single Met Ball, and a theme like “Fashion Is Art” was always going to be in their wheelhouse.

The 10-time Grammy nominee mixed the old and new with their imaginative look, which incorporated elements of nature and technology, merging moss and butterflies with wires and microchips.

Dressed in head-to-toe leather, Luke Evans’ look was an obvious nod to Tom Of Finland.

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight on the Met Ball red carpet, the Welsh actor said that “playing such an iconic character on stage” in the current Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show made him want to put a “twist” on an “iconic gay artist who has influenced so much”.

Former Game Of Thrones star Gwnendoline Christie has never been one to shy away from leaning into a Met Gala theme.

On Monday night, her look consisted of a massive feathered hat and a floor-length red dress nodding to faded glamour – but our favourite part of the whole ensemble was the hand-held mirror, adorned with a recreation of her own face.

Perhaps inspired by her own trip to space last year, Katy Perry’s Met Gala look consisted of what appeared to be a fencing mask, with a shiny and opaque face covering on the front.

As she made her way down the red carpet, Katy revealed that the mask also swung open, adding even further to its futuristic elements (and putting us slightly in mind of a Star Wars villain).

We’re going to be very honest and say that content creator Emma Chamberlain was not exactly the person we thought was going to turn it out the hardest at Monday night’s event – but you can’t argue with this look can you?

In fact, the influencer may have just given us our favourite Met Gala look of 2026, with the dripping paint effect creating an optical illusion that really served the night’s theme.

Fresh from her Oscar nomination and leading performance in the new Handmaid’s Tale spin-off The Testaments, Chase Infiniti’s Met Gala debut was also one of our favourites from this year’s event.

The One Battle After Another star’s colourful dress almost put us in mind of painting-by-numbers (in the best way!), with its graphic design.

On its own, Sarah Paulson’s expansive, red carpet look would have been show-stopping enough, putting us in mind of a presidential ball as much as an event like the Met Gala – but that dollar bill blindfold accessory really gives it something extra.

Sadly, even though Madonna was there too, we didn’t get a recreation of one of our favourite moments in Met Ball history.

One of the more literal “Fashion Is Art” ensembles came from Ben Platt, wearing a colourful suit inspired by one of Georges Pierre Seurat’s most famous works.

The Seurat painting, of course, was also the basis of the iconic Stephen Sondheim production Sunday In The Park With George, which makes Tony winner Ben wearing it all the more fitting.

SZA’s Met Gala look consisted of a layered gown in this absolutely gorgeous yellow colour, as well as a floral headpiece and some beaded face jewellery for the evening.

Our favourite part of the whole look, though, was just how much of a blast the Good Days singer was clearly having wearing it.

Extra body parts always go down well on the Met Ball red carpet, and Lisa’s look was no exception.

The jury’s out on whether “Fashion Is Art” really came into play here, but we just think the Blackpink and White Lotus star looks really cool, to be honest.

Another big name doing the UK proud on the Met Gala red carpet was Brit Award nominee Skepta.

The rapper made a big impression in this matching white co-ord, which he later revealed was adorned with embroidery inspired by his own tattoos, as well as his own song lyrics.

Listen, Nicole Kidman never misses on the red carpet, but given how imaginative some people were with their looks, this feels a little out of place.

We’ve mostly mentioned it in this round-up so we can include her explanation for it.

“Fashion is art and I wanted something red, because I wanted to embrace the way in which red has been used in art through the years,” she apparently claimed.

Kim Kardashian’s latest Met Ball look consisted of a molded bodysuit in an eye-catching shade of orange.

Again, it wasn’t exactly our favourite outfit of the evening, but given just how synonymous with the Met Gala that Kim K has become, we just had to include her, alright.

This year, Halloween came early, with Heidi Klum unveiling one of her trademark dramatic transformations six months before her usual spooky season bash.

For the 2026 Met Ball, Heidi transformed herself into a living artpiece, paying homage to 19th century sculpture with the aid of prosthetics and unconventional materials to deliver one of the night’s most talked-about looks.

And speaking of prosthetics – Bad Bunny’s look was certainly an unconventional one, too.

The recent Super Bowl headliner walked the red carpet as an older version of itself, which it’s been pointed out was a probable nod to “The Aging Body”, a key element of the Met’s Costume Institute’s exhibit this year.

Rihanna’s position as Queen of the Met Gala is safe for another year.

Her latest Met Ball look was another mix of the old and new – offering an unconventional silhouette and undoubtedly the night’s most intricate adornments.

We absolutely love what she did with her hair, too, with her partner A$AP Rocky also joining her on the red carpet later on, sporting a baby pink overcoat and tuxedo.

This Thursday will present the largest test of the Labour government – and its rival parties – since the last general election nearly two years ago.

Around 5,000 seats across 136 local councils, along with six mayoral contests, are up for election in England.

Voters in Scotland and Wales will also go to the polls for elections to Holyrood and the Senedd.

Labour are widely expected to suffer a catastrophic night, piling fresh pressure on Keir Starmer.

The Tories are expected to endure significant losses too, with the Greens and especially Reform UK on course to make huge gains as voters deliver a damning verdict on the two main parties.

Here, HuffPost UK assesses how the main parties are shaping up ahead of the biggest test of public opinion since July, 2024.

Pollsters’ prediction? Top forecaster Lord Hayward warned Labour will lose 1,850 council seats. That means the party could be left with barely a quarter of the 2,550 councillors they currently have in the areas which are up for re-election.

YouGov does not expect Labour to win any constituency seats in Scotland at all, with their predicted 15 seats coming from the regional top-up lists.

Labour is also expected to lose power in the Welsh parliament for the first time since it was established in 1999, with YouGov predicting the party’s vote share will drop to 13% – down 23 points on the 2021 election.

That means Labour could end up with just 12 of the Senedd’s 96 seats.

What’s the mood within the party? Understandably bleak.

Starmer is actively calling for his party to support him amid rising fears of a leadership challenge from his main rivals Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham and Wes Streeting.

One party insider said: “We’re resigned to taking a significant knock, but are still standing and trying to get out as many votes as possible.”

“I just think Labour are fucked either way,” another source said candidly.

In a rare moment of optimism, campaigners also said voters have been “disinterested” rather than actively hostile to Labour activists – which was an improvement on what they were expecting.

One insider told HuffPost UK that deputy prime minister David Lammy had told activists over the weekend that the row which hit Zack Polanksi in the wake of last week’s Golders Green attacks could damage the Greens.

This sparked some hope that the party could claw back some of their supporters.

Pollsters’ prediction? The Tories are expected to lose 600 councillors in England, according to Lord Hayward.

YouGov expects the Tory vote to fall to just 8% of the vote in Holyrood – that would be the worst ever result for the party at any election within Scotland.

Predictions suggest the Tories would go from having 31 seats in 2021 to just seven.

The pollster also predicts the Tories will end up with just three seats in Wales.

What’s the mood within the party? Not very optimistic.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s own leadership has been strengthened in recent months as she’s improved her PMQs appearance – and her main challenger, Robert Jenrick has defected to Reform.

But that does not necessarily translate to votes – especially as the Tories are still being punished for their 14 years in power.

One traditionally Conservative voter stunned the public this week by announcing she would be backing Labour instead, just to keep the Greens out.

Anecdotally, HuffPost UK has heard other Tories telling door-knockers they planned to do the same. The party did not respond when approached for comment.

Pollsters’ prediction? Hayward expects Reform to gain 1,550 seats in England.

The party is expected to make a bmajor reakthrough in Scotland, according to YouGov, winning 20 MSPs in total and replacing Labour as the official opposition to the SNP.

Reform is also in a close fight with Plaid Cymru to be the largest party in the Welsh Senedd.

What’s the mood within the party? Understandably upbeat.

Reform are set to win their first seats in Wales and Scotland after more than a year of leading in the national opinion polls.

Nigel Farage told The Sunday Times he expected the party to do “stunningly well”.

He claimed Reform would be taking “Labour heartlands” in the local elections – Yorkshire, the northwest, the northeast, parts of the Midlands and the Welsh Valleys.

But there are suggestions that support for the party has already peaked, with its polling numbers declining over the past six months.

Farage also skipped a grilling from the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday. That came after reports he accepted an undisclosed £5 million donation from a billionaire supporter before he ran to be an MP.

His team said he decided to pull out last minute to campaign in his Clacton constituency, but critics suggested he was dodging scrutiny.

The party courted further controversy on Sunday by announcing plans to put detention centres for illegal migrants in constituencies and councils which vote Green.

Pollsters’ prediction? The Greens are set to see its number of councillors in England increase by 500, according to Hayward, mainly in London and other middle class areas of major cities.

The Greens are predicted to enjoy a small boost in Scotland, up from their current eight seats to 11, according to YouGov.

YouGov also expects the party to win seven seats in Wales, meaning it could come in fourth place behind Labour in the Senedd.

What’s the mood within the party? Hopeful – but cautious.

Leader Zack Polanski was forced to apologise last week after sharing a social media post which criticised the police response to a terror attack in Golders Green.

While Labour are hopeful this will reduce the number of voters willing to support their left-wing competitors, a Green insider suggested it would not have too much cut-through.

One senior figure in the party also insisted it was all “very positive” on the doorstep, but campaigners have been more cautious behind the scenes.

“There’s been a lot of hype about us wiping out Labour in London, and we’re definitely going to have a record-breaking result. At the same time, I think people forget the base we’re coming from,” they said, pointing to Greens’ poor performance at London’s last local elections in 2021.

“It’s going to be very good for us but perhaps some of the more apocalyptic predictions forget the context we’re coming from,” the source claimed.

Pollsters’ prediction? The Lib Dems are on course to gain 150 seats in the local elections, according to Hayward.

YouGov expects the centrist party to take nine seats in Scotland (up from its current four) but secure just three seats in Wales.

What’s the mood within the party? Surprisingly upbeat.

The Lib Dems have been trailing in the national opinion polls for some time, outshone by the traditional parties and the populist groups.

Behind the scenes, MPs have been unhappy with Ed Davey’s leadership for months, frustrated with his “gimmicks”.

But, with these elections, the party has developed a clear strategy – focusing on local council issues in the hope of taking more seats in England.

There’s even been some speculation they could become the largest party in English local government, especially with Labour and the Tories expecting to endure major losses.

Pollsters’ prediction? The SNP is once again on course to comfortably win the Scottish Parliament election.

YouGov predicted the SNP could win 67 seats in Holyrood – giving the party an overall majority. But More in Common and Lord Hayward have both said they will fall short.

What’s the mood within the party? Very happy.

If the polls are correct, the SNP is heading for a remarkable third decade in power, after first being elected way back in 2007.

This is despite criticism of their handling of the Scottish NHS, education system and other public services during nearly 20 years in power.

While questions remain over whether the party will be able to clinch a majority, they are set to benefit from the major splits between Scottish Labour and the Westminster government.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar called for Starmer to step down earlier this year in the hope of distancing himself from Downing Street’s disasters, but the move does not seem to have won over voters.

The Nationalists have also pledged to call for a second Scottish independence referendum if they win a majority.

Pollsters’ prediction? The pro-independence party is only standing in the Welsh devolved election. Hayward predicted it will be the largest party in terms of votes and seats in Senedd.

However, YouGov predicted it will secure 36 seats – making it just one representative away from Reform’s lead.

What’s the mood within the party? Nervous.

Like the SNP, Plaid Cymru are hoping to capitalise on Labour’s downfall.

Unlike the Scottish Nationalists, they’ve never been in power before and so do not have to contend with their own record in office to win over voters.

But, they do have the new kids on the block to compete with: Reform UK, who are making gains in Wales – and who look set to be the largest unionist party in the Senedd after Thursday.

Steve Akehurst, director of research initiative Persuasion UK, warned against seeing this set of results as the ideal test of how the public feels.

He told HuffPost UK: “Local elections are an imperfect way of attempting to measure national sentiment.

“In terms of predictions, I think it’s best to wait for the national equivalent vote share later in the weekend.”

The specialist said analysing Reform’s performance will be particularly difficult “given the party basically didn’t exist in 2022, the last time many of these seats were contested.”

But, Akehurst warned: “It’s important to remember that Labour losing seats to Reform is not the same as Labour losing votes to Reform.

“Around the country we have seen the same patterns since the general election – where votes shifting from Reform to Tory, or Labour to Green or Liberal Democrat, led to Labour seats becoming Reform seats with little direct loss of votes from one party to the other.

“That is likely to be the case again at these elections.”

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

In a year when disappointingly few Met Gala guests stuck to the event’s themed dress code, we’re pleased to see that Madonna definitely got the “Fashion Is Art” memo.

On Monday night, the Queen of Pop singer served up one of the night’s most elaborate and dramatic looks, transforming herself with an ensemble inspired by the Leonora Carrington painting The Temptation Of Saint Anthony (you just knew there’d be a religious connection somewhere with Madonna, didn’t you?).

The Like A Prayer singer’s mysterious and gothic look consisted of a dark brown wig, long gloves, a show-stopping hat (topped with a towering, boat-inspired headpiece) and yards of grey tulle, which looked even more impressive in motion.

As in the original Carrington painting, Madonna’s outfit was supported by an entourage of models in more colourful, eye-catching attire.

Check out the artwork that served as the visual inspiration for Madonna’s look below:

Over the years, the seven-time Grammy winner has been responsible for some of our favourite Met Gala looks ever, including this expansive outfit from 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies” Catholicism-inspired event…

…channelling Bettie Page on the red carpet in 2013…

…and just last year, when she made her way into the event smoking a cigar in a fitted white tuxedo.

We aren’t the only ones who’ve been enamoured with Madonna at the Met Ball, either.

Indeed, who could forget in 2017, when Sarah Paulson was visibly gagged at clocking the music icon across the red carpet from her…?

Madonna is currently gearing up for the release of Confessions II, which will be her first studio album in seven years.

Weeks earlier, she was a surprise guest during Sabrina’s headlining slot at the Coachella music festival, duetting with her on classics Vogue and Like A Prayer in addition to giving Bring Your Love its live debut.