Political Fix

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. Pl...

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 mo...

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 – fi...

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 Si...

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 w...

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...

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 countr...

With a planned overhaul of employment law imminent and moves to renationalise rail companies, we’re asking whether Labour has got it in for business. The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by colleagues Miranda Green and Jim Pickard to discuss the Labour government’s apparently more interventionist approach to business. Plus Middle East editor Andrew England joins the panel to analyse the UK government’s...

A 'painful' Budget awaits this autumn and things will get 'worse before they get better', Sir Keir Starmer warned this week. But is Labour taking a risk projecting such a gloomy outlook? Political Fix host Lucy Fisher is joined by regulars Stephen Bush and Robert Shrimsley, as well as FT economics editor Sam Fleming, to consider how the new government might fund the fiscal black hole it claims the...

Democrats from across the US gathered in Chicago for their presidential convention this week, promising to move past the Donald Trump-era of American politics. But if their newly-minted nominee, vice-president Kamala Harris, wins November’s election, she’ll have her work cut out to keep her party together. The FT’s deputy Washington bureau chief, Lauren Fedor, and US political news editor, Derek B...

The billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk, has launched attacks on the UK government following the riots. So, how should Keir Starmer’s government deal with the self-declared “free speech absolutist” and his social media platform? The FT’s political editor George Parker is joined by Political Fix regulars Miranda Green and Stephen Bush, as well as political correspondent Anna Gross. Plus, the team con...

Sir Keir Starmer has told police to stay on ‘high alert’ for more disorder, as rafts of rioters receive lengthy jail sentences in Britain’s courts. Has the unrest petered out, or could it yet flare up again? And how will the government get a grip on the longer-term challenges the recent violence has thrown up – from illegal immigration to community cohesion? The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by north...

Sir Keir Starmer has announced a new national policing unit to tackle violent disorder as he vows to “put a stop” to unrest on British streets led by far-right “thugs”. But will it be enough to prevent a summer of riots? And is the unrest symptomatic of wider concerns? Lucy Fisher discusses these questions with colleagues Miranda Green, Camilla Cavendish and Anna Gross. Plus, after the c...

The chancellor Rachel Reeves is about to confront the British public with the size of the black hole in the country’s finances. A funding shortfall of about £20bn is likely to lead to tax rises at the Budget later this year. So — how to fix the problem? The FT’s political editor George Parker sits down with colleagues Stephen Bush and Robert Shrimsley to consider the government’s options. Plus, th...

Sir Keir Starmer plans to hand more powers to metro mayors in what has been dubbed a ‘devolution revolution’. Host Lucy Fisher speaks with politics reporter Rafe Uddin, deputy political editor Jim Pickard and north of England correspondent Jen Williams about the merits of the proposal – as well as the potential backlash. Plus, the group discusses an internal dossier by Sue Gray that lists potentia...

Sir Keir Starmer took the chance to extend the hand of friendship to Britain’s neighbours when he hosted the European Political Community summit in Blenheim Palace on Thursday. The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by political editor George Parker, columnist Stephen Bush and public policy editor Peter Foster to discuss how far Britain wants to deepen relations with the EU again. Plus, the team examine t...

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 years of criticising him, Labour ministers are trying to strengthen relations ahead of Trump’s possible return to the White House. But does the Republican candidate’s appointment of JD Vance as his running mate throw a spanner in the works? Lucy Fish...

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 summit in Washington. Biden told Starmer that Britain was ‘the knot tying the transatlantic alliance together’. The FT’s George Parker, Robert Shrimsley and Stephen Bush sit down in London to discuss the government’s foreign policy agenda, with Lucy Fi...

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 Pickard and columnist Stephen Bush to assess the new prime minister’s in-tray. Top of the list is planning reforms, but crisis looms in public services, from the NHS to prisons. Plus, Lucy and the panel discuss how the Conservative party will fare in o...

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. Will Keir Starmer’s landslide victory lead to lasting change? The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by colleagues Stephen Bush, George Parker, Miranda Green and Robert Shrimsley to discuss the Labour landslide and the future of the defeated Tory party Follow...

Labour is heading for the biggest “landslide majority” Britain has ever seen. That’s the verdict from Mel Stride, one of prime minister Rishi Sunak’s closest ministerial allies, who has in effect conceded defeat ahead of Thursday’s UK general election. Host Lucy Fisher is joined by columnist Robert Shrimsley, political editor George Parker and political correspondent Anna Gross to discuss the camp...

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 the campaign to explore the remaining ‘known unknowns’ in this election. They are joined by FT columnist Simon Kuper whose new book ‘Good Chaps’ looks at the disintegration of public service in our national life and examines how to rid our political system o...

The Conservatives’ embattled campaign suffered yet another setback this week, as the betting scandal escalated and the party finally suspended two candidates ensnared by the row. But when did it first start to go wrong for the Tories? Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s chief data reporter John Burn-Murdoch, who charts the beginning of the party’s descent back to 2019. The pair are joined by Politic...

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 the party on July 4. The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by Political Fix regulars Stephen Bush and Jim Pickard to discuss this latest blow in a campaign littered with blunders. Plus, the team analyses the effect of the Reform party on t...

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 public services. How will it manage this? Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves insists economic growth will square the circle. The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher asks economics editor Sam Fleming, who interviewed Reeves this week, whether her plans to i...