

Political Fix
Financial Times
The Financial Times takes you into the corridors of power to unwrap, analyse and debate British politics with a regular lineup of FT correspondents and informed commentators. New episodes available every Friday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 8, 2022 • 38min
Truss vs the ‘anti-growth’ coalition
Liz Truss endured one of the most traumatic Conservative party conferences in living memory, with open revolt from her cabinet and MPs. Can the new prime minister survive and where does her economic reform agenda go next? Plus we discuss whether business is moving its opinions sharply towards Labour with the potential of the party's return to government in sight. Presented by Sebastian Payne, with political editor George Parker, associate editor Stephen Bush, chief political correspondent Jim Pickard and business columnist Cat Rutter Pooley. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Persis Love and Jan Sigsworth.Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/ukFollow @Seb PayneSubscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: Sky NewsRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 30, 2022 • 39min
Kwasi Kwarteng’s market meltdown
Markets showed their dismay and the pound crashed to its lowest levels ever as Prime Minister Liz Truss and chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng struggled to defend their economic strategy. Where does the crisis go next? Political editor George Parker and economics editor Chris Giles make sense of it all. We also look back on the Labour party conference in Liverpool and discuss whether Sir Keir Starmer’s party is preparing to return to power. Chief political correspondent Jim Pickard and northern correspondent Jennifer Williams take us into the corridors of the convention centre.Presented by Sebastian Payne. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon-Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: BBCRead a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 23, 2022 • 38min
The gamble for growth
Kwasi Kwarteng delivered his first Budget in all but name this week, with the biggest overhaul in taxes in half a century. We unpack all the major tax cuts and examine whether the Truss government's huge bet on growth will pay off, and what happens if it doesn't. Plus, we look at the ABCD plan to see the health service through the winter and whether the UK is losing its focus on science. Presented by Sebastian Payne, with George Parker, Chris Giles, Sarah Neville and Clive Cookson. Produced by Howie Shannon. -Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: House of Commons / BBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 17, 2022 • 38min
King Charles III begins his reign
The UK has experienced an unprecedented week of constitutional upheaval with new national and political leadership. We discuss the death and mourning of Queen Elizabeth II, the arrival of King Charles III and what it all means for the new prime minister Liz Truss. Presented by Sebastian Payne, with Peter Foster, George Parker, Robert Shrimsley and special guest Hannah White. Produced by Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth.-Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: House of Commons / BBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 9, 2022 • 30min
In memory of Queen Elizabeth II
Following the sad news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II - who died on September 8 2022 at the age of 96 - we are in tribute republishing this platinum jubilee episode, in which we looked back on Her Majesty's 70 years on the throne.Presented by Sebastian Payne, with George Parker, Chris Giles and Sarah O'Connor. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth.-Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 3, 2022 • 26min
Truss’s glide path to Number 10
The Tory leadership race finished this week, with foreign secretary Liz Truss widely expected to triumph. We discuss the final campaign developments, Truss’ pledges on tax, and what Boris Johnson might do next. Presented by Sebastian Payne, with George Parker, Robert Shrimsley and Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth. -Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: LBC / BBC Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 27, 2022 • 28min
Struggling with the energy crisis
With energy bills set to soar from October, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak faced mounting questions about how they would help struggling families, yet neither of the candidates to be the new prime minister has set out detailed plans. We examine the foreign secretary's tax proposals, whether they will address the economic turbulence ahead and if Whitehall needs a new ethics adviser.Presented by Sebastian Payne, with chief political correspondent Jim Pickard, political correspondent Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe and special guest economist Gerard Lyons.Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Carlos San Juan. -Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newsletters Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 20, 2022 • 27min
Liz Truss pulls even further ahead
Two new opinion polls put Liz Truss 32 points ahead of her rival Rishi Sunak in the race to be the next Tory leader and prime minister. We analyse whether the contest is over, and the latest clashes between the two contenders on the union and economy. Presented by Sebastian Payne, with Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe and special guest Paul Goodman of ConservativeHome.Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth-Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: BBC + Sky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 13, 2022 • 22min
Tory leadership race: And the heat goes on
As much of the country wilts in a heatwave, the focus in the Tory leadership contest this week has been on colder times to come. The two rivals for UK prime minister have disagreed publicly on how to help the most vulnerable cope with rising energy costs in the autumn. Rishi Sunak is promising direct help, while Liz Truss has criticised what she calls “handouts”, favouring tax cuts instead. But in the face of dire warnings that energy bills could reach more than £4,000 a year, is Truss softening her stance?The FT’s political editor George Parker is joined by economics editor Chris Giles and political correspondent Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe. The producer was Philippa Goodrich and the sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth.Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/ukFollow @SebastianEPayne Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aug 6, 2022 • 19min
Liz Truss targets the Treasury
The voting process in the contest for a new Tory leader and prime minister was delayed over security concerns, but the campaign continued with Liz Truss looking all but certain to win. We discuss her lines of attack and her proliferation of new ideas, and delve into why Rishi Sunak is struggling to present himself as the grown-up. Will the delay to voting help him gain ground?Presented by political editor George Parker, with Robert Shrimsley, chief political commentator, and political correspondent Jasmine Cameron-Chileshe. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Howie Shannon. The sound engineers were Breen Turner and Jan Sigsworth-Read the latest on https://www.ft.com/world/uk-Follow @Seb Payne -Subscribe to https://www.ft.com/newslettersAudio: BBC / Sky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.