Political Fix

Is Nigel Farage regretting his move to trigger a by-election now that his main rival is the novelty candidate Count Binface? What do Reform’s supporters think, and has he blown his chances of broadening support for the party? Host Lucy Fisher is joined by political correspondent Anna Gross, columnist Stephen Bush and political reporter Rachel Rees to discuss the Reform leader’s gamble. Plus Andy Burnham wins overwhelming support to become the next Labour leader, while outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been talking up his legacy at the Nato summit in Turkey.

Follow: Lucy @LOS_Fisher or @lucyfisher.ft.com; Stephen @stephenkb and @stephenkb.bsky.social, Rachel @rachel-rees.bsky.social and Anna, @AnnaSophieGross

Want more?
Labour MPs queue up to back Andy Burnham as next leader
Labour MPs push for permanent ban on crypto political donations
Police launch probe into donations to Robert Jenrick’s Tory leadership campaign
‘Nigel can fix it’ — what Clacton voters think of Farage’s gambit
A timeline of Nigel Farage’s £5mn gift and his return to politics
Nigel Farage ridiculed in parliament as ‘farce’ by-election gets go-ahead
US carries out second day of strikes against Iran
Britain’s power problem

You can also sign up here for Stephen Bush’s morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.

Political Fix was presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Persis Love and Clare Williamson. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and sound engineering by Breen Turner. The broadcast engineers are Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. Flo Phillips is the FT head of audio.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Has Nigel Farage played his trump card by announcing that he will resign as MP for Clacton and fight a by-election there, or will the move backfire? After mounting pressure over donations from wealthy backers, he insisted he has “done nothing wrong” and that he would fight “the establishment” to retake the seat for Reform UK. But it might not be the contest he anticipated. In this breaking news episode, deputy opinion editor Miranda Green is joined by chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and UK political editor George Parker to examine what the move means for Reform, the scrutiny of Farage’s finances and the future of his political career.

Want more?

As it happened: Nigel Farage quits as MP to force Clacton by-election

Parliamentary watchdog urged to investigate Nigel Farage over benefits from fraudster

Nigel Farage to make statement on his ‘future in public life’

Farage struggles to be ringmaster of his own circus

Sign up here for Stephen Bush’s morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.

Presented by Miranda Green. Produced by Persis Love. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s global head of audio is Flo Phillips.

Our email address is politicalfix@ft.com

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andy Burnham’s big idea for government is to shift power out of Westminster. In his first major speech setting out his plans for government, he outlined his vision this week for a No 10 North and to devolve a range of powers to mayors and councils. But how would his blueprint for devolution work – and is it actually popular with voters? Burnham believes it would answer the public’s call for greater control of public services, but sceptics worry about inefficiency, accountability and scrutiny. The likely incoming prime minister must also grapple with tough spending decisions, after Sir Keir Starmer finally set out his defence investment plan, leaving a £5bn black hole for Burnham to fill. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has been noticeably quieter than usual. Is this a deliberate strategic pause as he works out a shift in political priorities, or simply the calm before another high-profile campaign?

Host Lucy Fisher is joined by political correspondent Anna Gross, deputy political editor Jim Pickard and chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley.

Follow: Lucy @LOS_Fisher or @lucyfisher.ft.com; Robert @robertshrimsley and Anna, @AnnaSophieGross

Want more?

Five things we learnt from Andy Burnham’s speech

Burnham’s Middle England challenge on devolution

Britain’s case for meaningful devolution is overwhelming

Britain’s defence investment predicament

The strategic dilemmas behind Britain’s defence spending mess

Nigel Farage’s pay from gold dealer doubles to £22,500 an hour

Farage attempts to justify large donation from Christopher Harborne

Andy Burnham and the politics of nostalgia

Morgan McSweeney: ‘I felt guilty about what I’d done to Keir’

You can also sign up here for Stephen Bush’s morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.

Political Fix was presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Persis Love and Nisha Patel. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and sound engineering by Breen Turner. The broadcast engineers are Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ten years ago, the UK voted in a referendum to leave the EU. Since that Brexit vote, the country has been through six prime ministers, the political landscape has splintered, relations with the EU have cooled, and the economy has spluttered. A decade on, host Lucy Fisher and panellists political editor George Parker, markets columnist Katie Martin, political columnist Stephen Bush and economics correspondent Delphine Strauss consider the impact of Brexit and whether a major shift in the UK’s relationship with the bloc is on the horizon.

This is a recording of an FT Live subscribers’ webinar, recorded on Thursday June 25

Want more?
Lessons from Brexit for the world economy
Rejoining EU is ‘mirage’ but UK must get closer to bloc, says minister
In charts: How Brexit still divides British voters
Britain’s hunt for a post-Brexit economic model
Andy Burnham plans devolution blitz ahead of key City of London speech
‘Big spending vibes, small spending commitments’: Andy Burnham’s tricky fiscal dance
How Brexit ghosts will stop the UK from quickly rejoining the EU

Follow: Lucy @LOS_Fisher or @lucyfisher.ft.com; @georgewparker.bsky.social, @GeorgeWParker; Stephen @stephenkb and @stephenkb.bsky.social Katie Martin and Delphine Strauss

You can also sign up here for Stephen Bush’s morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.

Political Fix was presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Persis Love and Clare Williamson. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and sound engineering by Breen Turner. The global head of audio is Flo Phillips.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Can any other Labour MP amass sufficient support to challenge Andy Burnham for the top job, or is his ascent to No 10 now all but assured? Just 24 hours after Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation as prime minister, host Lucy Fisher is joined by FT colleagues Miranda Green, Robert Shrimsley and Chris Smyth to discuss the merits of a leadership contest over a coronation, who will win big roles in a Burnham cabinet and his early policy priorities. Plus the group considers the political ripples that a Burnham government will have on the other parties.

Follow: Lucy @LOS_Fisher or @lucyfisher.ft.com; Chris: @Smyth_Chris and @chris-smyth.bsky.social; Miranda:@greenmiranda and @greenmirandahere.bsky.social and Robert: @robertshrimsley and @robertshrimsley.bsky.social

Want more?
Labour MPs consider backing challenger to Andy Burnham
Waiting for Andy: what will a Burnham premiership mean?
The 10 headaches Starmer is handing to Burnham
The revolving door of Downing Street
Why does Britain keep changing prime ministers?
Labour’s Burnham sceptics don’t have the numbers to stop him

Join the Political Fix panel on Thursday June 25 for an FT Live event, ‘Ten years after Brexit: Can the UK deliver change?’ Register to take part at ft.com/anniversary and send us your questions.

You can also sign up here for Stephen Bush’s morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter, plus puns and tongue (mostly) in cheek views. Get 30 days free.

Political Fix was presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Persis Love and Clare Williamson. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and sound engineering by Breen Turner. The global head of audio is Flo Phillips.

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.