Political Fix

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 thousands of pupils miss out on top grades. Is it a good time to be old and a tough time to be young? The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by columnists Miranda Green and Stephen Bush to consider the question. Plus, the FT’s Ireland correspondent Jude Webber analyses the deepening crisis caused by the data breach at the Police Service of Northern Ireland. 

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UK exam boards make sharp cuts to top A-level grades

Why Rishi Sunak’s silly inflation target matters

British neglect risks Northern Ireland’s future

Record UK wage growth fuels inflation concerns

Health leaders welcome new UK cancer targets but warn more ‘resources’ needed

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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Philippa Goodrich. Executive producer, Manuela Saragosa. Sound design and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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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 don’t like the vessel, they can ‘f*** off back to France’, was the eyebrow-raising verdict of Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson. The senior Tory MP made a second startling statement: a public admission the government has ‘failed’ on migration. Lucy Fisher is joined by FT columnists Robert Shrimsley and Miranda Green to rake through the facts. They also consider the pitfalls of too much caution in politics. Plus, James Kynge, the FT’s global China editor, offers his take on claims the UK has been ‘weak’ over giving in to US pressure to cut back on dealings with Beijing. 

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Starmer won’t give the Tories an opportunity – that’s their opportunity 

The great ‘Brexit’ and ‘coalition’ taboos are holding the Lib Dems back

Bibby Stockholm and the battle over asylum 

Rishi Sunak weighs following Biden on curbing tech investment in China

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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Philippa Goodrich and Lulu Smyth with Andrew Georgiades. Executive producer, Manuela Saragosa. Mix by Simon Panayi. Original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s global 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.

Rishi Sunak calculates that by portraying himself as “on the side” of motorists and adopting a “pragmatic and proportionate” approach to climate change, he’s aligning himself with the views of middle Britain. Is he right? The FT’s Lucy Fisher weighs up the question with columnists Robert Shrimsley and Stephen Bush. They also consider the Labour party’s chances in a key autumn by-election in its former stronghold of Scotland. Plus, Lucy and political editor George Parker unpick what it will take to reform the House of Lords.

Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Rishi Sunak downplays green policies to court middle England

Labour faces test of by-election appeal in Scotland after ex-SNP MP ousted

Industry calls on UK to accelerate carbon capture as new projects approved

House of Lords speaker calls for better vetting of prospective peers

Arcane, hereditary, all-male – and at the heart of British democracy

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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Lulu Smyth and Manuela Saragosa with Andrew Georgiades. Mix by Simon Panayi. Original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 

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

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 Fisher is joined by columnist Robert Shrimsley and deputy political editor Jim Pickard to examine the government’s shifting approach to net zero. They also dissect Nigel Farage’s battle with Coutts bank, while public policy editor Peter Foster discusses the graduates suing UK universities for damages over Covid disruption.

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Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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NatWest chair says he will stay as he appoints lawyers to probe Farage row

Everyone loses if net zero becomes the new partisan divide

The Conservative war on Big Everything

Students are suing UK universities over Covid disruption. Do they have a case?

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

Clips: BBC

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

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 joined by the FT’s political editor George Parker and columnists Miranda Green and Stephen Bush to fillet the results of this week’s hat trick of by-elections. Plus, since it’s the end of term, the panel offers its political report cards.

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UK Conservatives lose two seats after big by-election swings to Labour and Lib Dems

Tories look for lessons from parliamentary by-election losses

Relying on wedge issues like Ulez won’t save Tories from wipeout

Sign up for 90 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://www.ft.com/newsletter-signup/inside-politics

Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher

Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Philippa Goodrich. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Original music and sound engineering by Breen Turner. The FT’s global 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.

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 loop" afflicting Rishi Sunak’s government. Plus, the FT’s political editor George Parker discusses UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s plans to boost growth. And with three by-elections coming up, the FT’s Anna Gross reports on the mood in Somerset, where the Liberal Democrats hope to win. 

Follow Miranda on Twitter @greenmiranda

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Hunt looks to City of London to bolster UK growth

We are on for a massive defeat: can the Tories prevent the inevitable?

The Conservative crisis of capitalism

Lib Dems look to deepen Tory gloom with west country by-election win

Clip from: Sky News 

Beethoven’s "Emperor" symphony: Paul Lewis, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jiri Belohlavek. Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos BBC / harmonia mundi.

Sign up for 90 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://www.ft.com/newsletter-signup/inside-politics 

Presented by Miranda Green. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 

View our accessibility guide 

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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 and Robert Shrimsley to discuss how to boost vocational training. Plus, the NHS reaches 75 - but is there much to celebrate? The FT’s global health editor Sarah Neville gives the service a health check. And will Threads overtake Twitter as the premier social network for political chat? 

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Badly run Britain needs lessons in management

Tory MP Chris Pincher should be suspended for eight weeks, report finds

NHS doctors’ 35% pay demand ‘not set in stone’, BMA union chief says

Clips: BBC 

Sign up for 90 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://www.ft.com/newsletter-signup/inside-politics 

Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Original music by Breen Turner, with audio mix by Simon Panayi. The FT’s Global 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.

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 country’s sewage and water woes? Lucy Fisher discusses the options with the FT’s infrastructure correspondent Gill Plimmer. Plus the FT’s Robert Shrimsley and Miranda Green discuss the Court of Appeal ruling against the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. And with by-elections approaching, Lucy visits Boris Johnson’s former constituency to hear voters’ views on the ground.

Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Why Thames Water is under growing strain

Ministers seek to overturn ruling against UK migration plan 

Britain is being primed for a ‘hopeless’ election

Sign up for 90 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. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 

View our accessibility guide 

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

Soaring interest rates are alarming mortgage holders and could derail the UK government’s strategy for re-election. This week Lucy Fisher is joined by regular FT panellists Stephen Bush and George Parker to assess the political fallout from the latest rate rise. Plus the FT’s economics editor Chris Giles considers whether the Bank of England deserves criticism, while consumer editor Claer Barrett assesses the damage to Britons’ finances.

Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Central banks’ battle with inflation enters new phase of ‘pain’

Ever tougher for Tories and Bank of England to avoid public blame in meme age

The Bank of England’s credibility is still on the line

Sign up for 90 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

Listen to Claer Barrett’s Money Clinic podcast, out on June 27:

Money Clinic with Claer Barrett | Financial Times

Claer Barrett’s book: What they don’t teach you about money

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

View our accessibility guide 

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

The blistering report into Boris Johnson’s behaviour by the House of Commons privileges committee casts doubt over his political future. The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by FT columnists Stephen Bush and Miranda Green to discuss the committee’s brutal conclusions — and where the former prime minister goes next. Plus, the FT’s Scotland correspondent Lukanyo Mnyanda joins Lucy from Edinburgh for an update on the turmoil engulfing the ruling Scottish National Party.

Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Has Rishi Sunak seen the back of Boris Johnson?

Johnsonism will haunt the Conservative party

Humza Yousaf rejects calls to suspend Nicola Sturgeon from SNP

Sign up for 90 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. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 

View our accessibility guide 

Clips: Jacob Rees-Mogg:BBC, Angela Rayner:Sky News

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