• New chancellor, new rules
    Oct 25 2024

    Rachel Reeves has rewritten her fiscal rules on the eve of her seismic first Budget next week. She says her new borrowing rule will help get Britain building, but how will it go down with voters – and the markets? Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer is in Samoa, where a debate about reparations for slavery has threatened to overshadow the Commonwealth summit. Plus, the PM has had to grapple with Donald Trump’s allegations of illegal election interference by Labour. Host Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regular Stephen Bush and FT political correspondent Anna Gross, along with the FT’s deputy Washington bureau chief Lauren Fedor.



    Will Labour’s budget boost growth? Ask the FT’s economics editor Sam Fleming and colleagues at a Political Fix live subscriber webinar, hosted by Lucy Fisher, on Nov 1 at 1300 GMT. Register for your free pass at ft.com/ukgrowth



    Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Stephen @stephenkb, Anna @AnnaSophieGross and Lauren @LaurenFedor


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    Rachel Reeves confirms change to UK fiscal rules to help fund £20bn of annual investment

    Rachel Reeves: My fiscal rules will provide the stability on which growth depends

    Keir Starmer flies to Samoa to answer tricky questions from Commonwealth allies

    Donald Trump accuses UK Labour party of interference in White House race

    Labour paid for top Starmer aide to attend Democratic National Convention

    A Trump victory would end ‘normal’ politics between UK and US



    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com





    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    37 mins
  • Cabinet fightback: the revolt over spending
    Oct 18 2024

    Rachel Reeves’s plans for a tough spending round later this month have sparked a fierce revolt among a raft of cabinet ministers. But will their protests make a difference? Host Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regulars Robert Shrimsley and George Parker to discuss. They also hear from the FT’s chief features writer Henry Mance about the cash-strapped and crumbling English justice system. Plus, the panel considers whether Labour’s investment summit was a success and who is shaping up to win the Tory leadership contest.


    Will Labour’s Budget boost growth? Ask the FT’s economics editor Sam Fleming and colleagues at a Political Fix live subscriber webinar, hosted by Lucy Fisher, on Nov 1 at 1300 GMT Register for your free pass at ft.com/ukgrowth


    Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, George @GeorgeWParker, Robert @robertshrimsley, Henry @henrymance


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    Read Henry’s report here: How the English courts reached breaking point


    Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves face down cabinet revolt over spending cuts


    Rachel Reeves looking at sweeping inheritance tax changes in Budget


    UK innovation will be undermined by science department Budget squeeze, industry leaders warn


    Robert Jenrick vs Kemi Badenoch: meet the next Conservative leader


    David Lammy to raise human rights and support for Russia on China trip


    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. Andrew Giorgiades and Rod Fitzgerald were the studio engineers. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    38 mins
  • Martin Wolf on the UK economy: ‘Why I’m worried’
    Oct 14 2024

    What kind of economy did Labour inherit this summer, and how does Britain measure up to international comparators? Political Fix host Lucy Fisher sits down with Martin Wolf to examine the strengths and weaknesses inherent in the UK’s economy as Rachel Reeves prepares for her seismic first Budget on October 30. Wolf assesses the options facing the chancellor on tax, spending and debt.


    Want more? Free links:


    Keir Starmer vows to rip up bureaucracy to unleash ‘shock and awe’ of investment


    Rachel Reeves’s Budget must rescue Britain from its growth trap


    Reeves struggles to escape from self-imposed restraints


    Rachel Reeves needs a credible growth plan


    You too can step into the chancellor’s shoes and find out if you can run the UK economy with the FT’s new Budget game. Go to ft.com/chancellor-game and play from Tuesday, October 15


    Follow Lucy on X @LOS_Fisher


    Sign up for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award:

    https://ft.com/insidepoliticsoffer


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


    View our accessibility guide



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    41 mins
  • 100 days of Labour: Starmer’s stuttering start
    Oct 11 2024


    As Labour reaches 100 days in government we take stock of how Sir Keir Starmer and his team have performed. Host Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regulars Robert Shrimsley, Miranda Green and Jim Pickard to assess Labour’s stumbles – as well as its achievements – as the party gets to grips with power. The panel also examines what made it into Labour's flagship workers’ rights legislation – finally published this week. Plus, after the surprise elimination of moderate candidate James Cleverly from the Tory leadership race, how is the final stretch of the contest shaping up between rightwingers Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick?


    Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Jim on X: @PickardJE, Robert @robertshrimsley, Miranda @greenmiranda


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    Keir Starmer looks to Morgan McSweeney to fix Labour teething troubles

    UK ministers fire starting gun on landmark worker rights reform

    Robert Jenrick vs Kemi Badenoch: meet the next Conservative leader

    The battle of Labour’s three brains

    This Tory leadership ballot suits nobody, only perhaps Keir Starmer



    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson with Mischa Frankl-Duval. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. Andrew Giorgiades and Rod Fitzgerald were the studio engineers.

    The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    38 mins
  • ‘Let’s be more normal’ – and rival Tory strategies
    Oct 4 2024

    Who’s up and who’s down in the Tory leadership race after the four-day beauty parade at the party’s conference in Birmingham? Host Lucy Fisher and Political Fix regulars George Parker and Stephen Bush assess the four contenders’ performances, as Conservative MPs prepare to whittle down the field to two next week. The panel are also joined by the FT’s public policy editor Peter Foster to discuss Sir Keir Starmer’s first step on the road to resetting UK-EU relations. Plus, the group discusses the latest twist in freebiegate.



    Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher; George on X @GeorgeWParker, Stephen @stephenkb and Peter @pmdfoster


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    Tories embrace life in opposition at party conference

    Conservatives should pick James Cleverly. Here’s why they won’t

    Keir Starmer to repay £6,000 for gifts including Taylor Swift tickets

    Keir Starmer looks for post-Brexit ‘reset’ in meeting with EU leaders

    US and G7 warn Israel against strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities



    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    38 mins
  • Starmer’s ‘weird’ week: from Liverpool to New York
    Sep 27 2024

    Labour’s conference in Liverpool should have been a celebratory event after its landslide win in the July election. Political editor George Parker, standing in for Lucy Fisher, is joined by Miranda Green and Robert Shrimsley to discuss why the mood was anything but triumphant. Plus, economics editor Sam Fleming explains how the government might increase capital spending despite Labour’s repeated warnings that the state coffers are empty; and chief foreign affairs commentator Gideon Rachman steps into the studio to assess Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s debut on the world stage at the UN general assembly this week. Lucy Fisher is back next week.

    Follow George on X: @GeorgeWParker, Robert @robertshrimsley, Miranda @greenmiranda, Sam @Sam1Fleming and Gideon @gideonrachman.


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    Keir Starmer struggles to fix morale at ‘weird’ Labour conference


    Rachel Reeves paves way for capital spending increase


    Gilt investors urge Reeves to keep investment ambitions in check


    Keir Starmer meets Donald Trump in New York


    Keir Starmer plays down significance of Storm Shadow decision for Ukraine


    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.


    Presented by George Parker. Produced by Tamara Kormornick. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The broadcast engineers were Rod Fitzgerald and Andrew Georgiadis. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    26 mins
  • Is the shine coming off Saint Starmer?
    Sep 20 2024

    A growing controversy around Lord Waheed Alli’s donations to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria risks tarnishing the new government, while propelling the normally discreet Labour donor into the public eye. Lucy Fisher discusses the saga with Political Fix regulars Stephen Bush and Jim Pickard. Plus, the panel is joined by chief business correspondent Michael O’Dwyer as business leaders warn that the UK government’s tax-raising plans and negativity about its economic inheritance risk undermining its efforts to boost private sector investment.


    Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Stephen @stephenkb, Jim @PickardJE, Michael @_MODwyer


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    Labour denies ‘transparency’ issue after clothing donation to Keir Starmer’s wife


    Waheed Alli: How Labour donor’s largesse tarnished government’s squeaky clean image


    UK government borrowing overshoots in blow to Rachel Reeves


    Why has Sue Gray’s salary stoked unease and vicious briefings?


    Lib Dems to press Rachel Reeves to raise taxes on banks and wealthy


    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 “Best Newsletter” award.


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Tamara Kormornick with help from Leah Quinn. The broadcast engineers were Rod Fitzgerald and Andrew Georgiadis. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    28 mins
  • A terminal diagnosis for the NHS?
    Sep 13 2024

    A government-commissioned review has found the NHS on life support. Can Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer succeed where his predecessors have failed in turning around the health service? And how long has he got to do it? Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regulars Robert Shrimsley and George Parker, plus the FT’s global health editor Sarah Neville, to examine the future of the NHS for the country’s health, politics and economy. And party conference season is upon us, so what are the flash points ahead? Leah Quinn joins the conversation.



    Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, George @GeorgeWParker, Sarah @SarahNev Robert @robertshrimsley and Leah @thelittlerquinn


    Want more?


    Links:


    England’s NHS in ‘critical condition’, official review finds


    NHS to receive ‘no more money without reform’, says Starmer


    ‘Dire’ NHS report shows scale of Sir Keir Starmer’s turnaround challenge

    And then there were four: The surviving Tory leadership hopefuls


    Green party calls for long-term approach to UK’s problems




    Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award.


    Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. Audio engineer, Jean-Marc Eck. Broadcast engineers Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.


    Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    36 mins