Political Fix
Episodes
Labour builds bridges with Trump
16 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Keir Starmer spoke for the first time with Donald Trump in the wake of the assassination attempt on the former US president at the weekend. After ...
Keir Starmer’s debut on the global stage
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer’s quest for closer EU ties received a tacit nod from US President Joe Biden as the UK prime minister made his global debut at the Nato ...
Keir Starmer enters his imperial phase
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Sir Keir Starmer appoints his cabinet and unveils his first raft of policies, host Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s deputy political editor Jim ...
Election special: Starmer moves into Number 10
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Sir Keir Starmer steps over the threshold of Number 10, FT experts answer audience questions about what to expect from the new Labour government. W...
Campaign catch-up: election-eve predictions and verdicts
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Labour is heading for the biggest “landslide majority” Britain has ever seen. That’s the verdict from Mel Stride, one of prime minister Rishi Su...
Could the election results still surprise us?
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With under a week to go until polling day, Lucy Fisher and her panel — the FT’s Miranda Green and Stephen Bush — pull together the threads of th...
Campaign catch-up: Why this UK election result could be the most distorted ever
25 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Conservatives’ embattled campaign suffered yet another setback this week, as the betting scandal escalated and the party finally suspended two c...
Is this the Tory death spiral?
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
An election-betting scandal is sending the Tory campaign into freefall. The latest blow to the Conservatives comes as some polls predict a wipeout for...
Campaign catch-up: Labour’s dash for growth
18 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Labour is promising voters not to raise a raft of taxes, not to borrow to fund day-to-day spending and not to return to austerity with major cuts to p...
Labour’s manifesto: where will the money come from?
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer has unveiled Labour’s manifesto - declaring that his is the “party of wealth creation”. But while the plans combine sweeping aspira...
Campaign catch-up: the Tories’ ‘kitchen sink’ manifesto
11 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak has pledged more than £17bn in tax cuts as the Tories attempt to revive their stalled election campaign. But will it be enough to overrid...
Tory morale plunges
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Morale within the Conservative campaign is low and was damaged further this week after the party chair became the fifth Tory MP to abandon his seat in...
Campaign catch-up: Farage is back!
04 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s troubled re-election bid has been dealt a fresh double blow, as Nigel Farage seized the reins of Reform UK and announce...
Introducing Untold: Power for Sale
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing Power for Sale, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. In Untold: Power for Sale, host Valentina Pop and a team of FT corre...
Labour’s messy campaign week
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the gloves come off and the parties swing into full campaign mode, Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s Miranda Green and Stephen Bush to consider –...
Bring it on! Election 2024 kicks off
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak shocked Westminster with the decision to hold a snap general election on July 4. As the parties launch their campaigns, Lucy Fisher assemb...
Election battle lines drawn up
17 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled his party’s six core pledges ahead of the general election – in the same week that Rishi Sunak claimed the country w...
Live special: Who will win the UK general election?
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As politicians and commentators digest the disastrous Tory local election results, FT experts answer subscribers’ questions about what this might me...
Election special — local poll results roll in
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Tories suffered sobering losses in local elections across England in the last big electoral test before a general election.Labour also trounced th...
Chinese spying claims in the UK – and beyond
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
‘In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the cold war, we cannot be complacent,’ Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at a n...
Prime ministers’ legacies: Sunak, Truss and Brown
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak has had an eye on his legacy this week with his flagship smoking ban clearing another hurdle in the Commons – though not without a Tory ...
The great stink of England’s sewage crisis
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The raw sewage being pumped into rivers and seas in England has become a seismic election issue. The musician turned environmentalist Feargal Sharkey ...
Tory ‘red wall’ seats under threat
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many ‘red wall’ constituencies across northern England, the Midlands and north Wales switched from Labour to the Conservatives in the 2019 general...
Britain’s China conundrum
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The government is preparing a crackdown on Chinese entities operating in the UK, following malicious cyber campaigns linked to Beijing. But there are ...
Will the economy save Sunak?
22 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The prime minister is urging his MPs to unite or face electoral defeat. Rishi Sunak has rallied backbenchers to hold their nerve, as he cleaves to the...
Who’s an extremist in the UK?
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The UK government is redefining extremism. But there are warnings that the new guidance could curb free speech and ensnare legitimate organisatio...
Jeremy Hunt: tax-cutting wizard or fiscal drag queen?
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s overriding message in his big pre-election Budget was that hard economic choices were paying off in the form of tumbling in...
Labour’s worst nightmare?
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Veteran agitator George Galloway is returning to parliament after storming a divisive by-election in Rochdale. He claims his victory puts “scores”...
Why would anyone want to become an MP?
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The chaos in parliament over the vote on a Gaza ceasefire motion has segued into a debate on the threats facing MPs – and the lengths deem...
Tories reel from by-election blows
17 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Conservatives suffer a double blow, losing two safe seats to Labour, amid growing signs that Rishi Sunak’s party is losing votes to the populist...
Will Labour’s green U-turn weaken Starmer?
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer dismantles Labour’s flagship pledge, shredding the party’s £28bn green investment plan. The FT’s Jim Pickard joins Miranda Green a...
Introducing: Swamp Notes from The FT News Briefing
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you have questions about this year's US presidential election, we have answers.Swamp Notes is a new podcast from the FT News Briefing. Listen every...
Who still votes Conservative?
02 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Conservatives are languishing in the polls, while Labour is riding high – but beneath the headline figures, how does the voter appeal of the mai...
Who’s behind the Tory plots?
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The FT’s Whitehall Editor Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s George Parker and Robert Shrimsley to lift the veil on the Tory party plots against th...
Introducing Untold: The Retreat
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing Untold, a new podcast from the special investigations team at the Financial Times. In its first series, The Retreat, host Madison Marriage...
Destination Rwanda?
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The government’s plan to send undocumented migrants to Rwanda has overcome a series of hurdles in the House of Commons, but how will it fare in the ...
The Post Office scandal: who foots the bill?
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Who should foot the bill – both financial and political – for the Post Office scandal? Hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly convicted of t...
2024: a testing year for democracy
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The next 12 months will be an epic year for democracy. Half the world’s population will have the chance to vote. Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s...
Political Fix presents: How to survive the office Christmas party
28 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While Lucy Fisher and the Political Fix team take a break over the Christmas period, we’re sharing an episode of Working It, the FT’s workplace po...
‘Stop doing stupid things’: Martin Wolf on the UK
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the year draws to a close, Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regulars George Parker and Stephen Bush to consider where British politics goes n...
Tory turmoil: Sunak stumbles towards end of year
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As politicians and political hacks limp towards the end of a long year in Westminster, Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s Robert Shrimsley and Mirand...
Rwanda plan reignites Tory civil war
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Infighting has erupted once again within the Tory ranks over Rishi Sunak’s last-minute treaty with Kigali and emergency legislation to save his Rwan...
Rishi Sunak’s big fat Greek row
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Was it a huge fit of pique or a genuine desire to protect the Elgin Marbles that prompted Rishi Sunak to cancel his date with the Greek prime minister...
Autumn Statement Reaction
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt put a £20bn tax giveaway at the heart of his Autumn Statement. But will it be enough to win back disenchanted Tory voters...
Rebellions, reshuffles and Cameron’s return
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What a turbulent week in politics: home secretary Suella Braverman sacked, the government’s flagship Rwanda policy deemed unlawful by the Supreme Co...
What’s Suella Braverman’s game plan?
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Suella Braverman’s tirade against the Metropolitan Police’s handling of pro-Palestinan marches has divided opinion among her Tory colleagues. Lucy...
The Rishi Sunak and Elon Musk show
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak played the part of chat show host with tech leader Elon Musk this week, after hosting an AI summit at Bletchley Park. The FT’s Lucy Fish...
Labour’s week of woes
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Rishi Sunak celebrates his first year in office, the FT’s Lucy Fisher asks whether he has succeeded in steadying the Tory ship, while the FT’s ...
Labour’s historic by-election wins
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The UK's Labour party has pulled off two stunning by-election victories. The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by colleagues Miranda Green, Jim Pickard and...
Israel-Hamas war overshadows Labour conference
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Keir Starmer eschewed flashy policy vows at Labour’s annual conference, but did his promise of stability and certainty cut through? The FT’s White...
Rishi Sunak’s ‘questionable radicalism’
05 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak is pitching himself as the change candidate at the next election with a raft of policy shake-ups - but does the substance match the rhetor...
Sunak and Starmer flip-flop on policies
29 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As the Tories waver over major elements of HS2 and Labour is forced to clarify its policy on private schools, Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s Step...
Is Rishi Sunak’s net zero U-turn a vote-winner?
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak sparked a fierce backlash from eco-minded Tories, as well as fury from industry, over his rowback on net zero policies. But will his gambl...
Keir Starmer's small boats gamble
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Labour leader Keir Starmer is attempting to seize the initiative on dealing with clandestine immigration. Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s Step...
The weight of the UK’s concrete crisis
07 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As hundreds of schoolchildren are forced out of their classrooms by unsafe buildings, the FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by chief polit...
Political Fix special: Live at the FT Weekend Festival
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
FT Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher hosts a panel of Michael Gove, secretary of state for levelling up, FT deputy opinion editor Miranda Green and Stephen...
PM rewards loyalists in mini-shuffle
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak has prepared for the new political term with a mini-shuffle, promoting his closest political ally Claire Coutinho to energy secretary and ...
Could a reshuffle revitalise Sunak’s government?
25 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s almost time to wave goodbye to the summer, but is Rishi Sunak also poised to bid farewell to some of his ministers? The FT’s Whitehall editor...
Britain’s intergenerational unfairness: reality or myth?
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a week of results: economic data that lays the path for a steep rise in the state pension, followed by A-Level results that saw tens of th...
The Tories’ battle over asylum seekers
11 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After months of delay and safety concerns, the first asylum seekers were marched up the gangplank of the Bibby Stockholm barge this week. If they...
Rishi Sunak’s dash for oil and gas
03 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak calculates that by portraying himself as “on the side” of motorists and adopting a “pragmatic and proportionate” approach to clima...
The end of the green consensus?
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak has signalled he plans to soften his eco policies to avoid heaping extra “hassle” and expense on the British public. The FT’s Lucy F...
By-elections special: Tories face double blow, but avoid 3-0 drubbing
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Conservatives faced a rout in both Selby and Somerton, but is their narrow win in Uxbridge enough to lift the party’s mood? Lucy Fisher is joine...
Are the Tories stuck in a 'doom loop'?
14 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Miranda Green is joined by FT columnists Stephen Bush and Robert Shrimsley to ask whether there’s any way out of the economic and political "doom lo...
Keir Starmer’s bid to smash the class ceiling
07 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer sketches out his vision for education, the FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by columnists Stephen Bush ...
The crisis facing the UK water industry
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pressure is growing on the UK’s water sector, as swelling debt threatens to overwhelm Thames Water and other companies. What is the remedy for the c...
Inflation pain: who will UK voters blame?
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Soaring interest rates are alarming mortgage holders and could derail the UK government’s strategy for re-election. This week Lucy Fisher is joined ...
The damning verdict on Boris Johnson
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The blistering report into Boris Johnson’s behaviour by the House of Commons privileges committee casts doubt over his political future. The FT’s ...
Rishi Sunak and the 'real good' special relationship
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden have agreed a new ‘Atlantic declaration’ to improve UK trade ties with the US. What does it tell us about the bilateral ...
The Boris Johnson WhatsApp psychodrama
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak’s government is heading to court to challenge the Covid inquiry’s right to demand ministers’ unredacted messages, following a row ov...
Rishi Sunak’s immigration conundrum
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said net migration is too high following data showing that it hit a record last year, but he insists it’s not out of ...
Does Rishi Sunak have an industrial strategy?
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Critics claim the Tories lack an industrial strategy and three former business secretaries have said that this fails to prepare Britain for the future...
Inflation and migration: Sunak’s problematic pledges
14 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Cutting inflation and stopping small-boat migration are two of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s five core priorities, but there's no let-up in inflation...
Local elections: How bad was it for the Conservatives?
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the results were ‘disappointing’, Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer claimed his party was heading for power and Lib Dem l...
Wooing business: will it work?
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak has launched a charm offensive to win back the support of business while Labour wines and dines the financial community. Are their efforts...
Is a Labour win over the Conservatives inevitable in 2024?
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re bringing you an extended edition of the podcast recorded during a webinar from the FT Live events team. Host Miranda Green is joined...
Biden in Belfast: did the US president snub Sunak?
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Biden’s visit to Northern Ireland was designed to mark the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. But it was brief compared with his stay in ...
Is ‘Fortress UK' a vote-winner?
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Getting out of the UK - and indeed getting in - is becoming more difficult. Host Miranda Green unpicks home secretary Suella Braverman’s tough talk ...
Have the UK’s green plans hit a red light?
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The UK government unveiled a new net zero plan this week after the High Court ruled last year that existing plans were not enough for the UK to reach ...
Rishi Sunak and the rout of Tory Eurosceptics
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson testified for his political life this week but was it enough to save his political career? George Parker discusses the former prime mini...
Are Jeremy Hunt’s plans really a ‘Budget for growth’?
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why was the chancellor buoyed by forecasts that the UK would avoid a technical recession when the economy is still set to shrink? We dissect the econo...
Rishi Sunak tackles the small-boat crossings
11 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even the Home Secretary Suella Braverman admitted there were questions over the legality of the tough new legislation introduced in the House of Commo...
Has Rishi Sunak’s NI deal silenced Tory Eurosceptics?
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Boris Johnson may have criticised the prime minister’s deal on post-Brexit trading in Northern Ireland but a number of formerly staunch Eurosceptic ...
Northern Ireland: Rishi Sunak’s big test
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A deal to resolve the bitter dispute over post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland was due this week but the UK prime minister appears to have a fight on...
What Nicola Sturgeon’s exit means for UK politics
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scotland’s first minister announced this week that she was stepping down after eight years in office. What does her resignation mean for the Scottis...
Sunak and the backseat former PMs
11 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Liz Truss and Boris Johnson have both been intervening this week. Could they challenge Rishi Sunak? We discuss how much of a threat to him they are. P...
Rishi Sunak’s first 100 days
04 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a week that’s seen mass strikes and a growing number of bullying allegations against his deputy Dominic Raab, we discuss how Prime Minister Ri...
Zahawi £5mn tax scandal tests Sunak
28 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer attacked Rishi Sunak as ‘weak’ as calls escalated for the Tory party chair Nadhim Zahawi to be sacked over his £5mn s...
What Keir Starmer did at Davos
21 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves gave a pre-Davos interview to the FT before setting off to woo the global elite in Switzerland at...
A rumbustious start to 2023
14 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer clash at PMQs as they set out their plans for a year that could shape the outcome of the general election. The prime mini...
2022 year in review
17 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In our final episode of 2022, we look back on an especially turbulent year in Westminster - from partygate to Chris Pincher, Ukraine to market me...
Sunak versus the strikes
10 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak confronted a growing wave of industrial unrest facing the UK with tough new proposals for anti-strike laws, but will they work? We ex...
Winter of discontent
03 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Britain is seeing a swelling wave of industrial action this winter, from nurses to rail workers. Is the country facing a de facto general strike ...
Sunak’s short honeymoon
26 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak's authority with Tory MPs is waning and he is now facing policy battles on almost every front. We analyse which fights the new prime ...
Jeremy Hunt’s sombre Autumn Statement
19 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The chancellor unveiled a £55bn plan for fiscal tightening this week, with the biggest drop in living standards for 70 years. We unpack all of the fi...
Farewell Sir Gavin, for the third time
12 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rishi Sunak forced Sir Gavin Williamson out from his government this week, the third time the former cabinet minister has been made to quit. Why did S...
Pressure grows on the home secretary?
05 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We ask whether the home secretary Suella Braverman can survive in her post with attacks on multiple fronts. Does she have a plan for dealing with...
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
29 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After another turbulent week and the potential return of Boris Johnson. Rishi Sunak became Britain's latest prime minister - its first non-white leade...
How the stopwatch began on Truss’ time in Downing Street
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We look back on what can only be described as a total bonkers week in Westminster: how Liz Truss became the shortest and one of the worst prime minist...
A new chancellor and another U-turn for Truss
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A tumultuous week and a dramatic Friday as Liz Truss was forced to reverse on tax cuts again and sacked Kwasi Kwarteng. Doubts are growing over whethe...