Intro

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 Political Fix regulars Robert Shrimsley and George Parker to discuss whether Britain’s “first past the post system” will lead to the biggest ever mismatch between parties’ share of the vote and their share of Westminster seats. 

Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher

Want more? Free links:

How the Conservatives lost touch with England’s prosperous south 

No, Keir, the real opposition is behind you 

Brace for the most distorted election result in British history

The seeds of the Tory collapse were sown in 2019

Starmer will be centrism’s last chance

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Presented by Lucy Fisher. 

Produced by Persis Love and Audrey Tinline.

Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and audio mix by Breen Turner. 

The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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