Political Fix Financial Times

Morale within the Conservative campaign is low and was damaged further this week after the party chair became the fifth Tory MP to abandon his seat in the north to fight for a safer seat in the south of England. The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher gets round the table with colleagues Robert Shrimsley and Jim Pickard to reflect on the damage done and on those tax claims made by Rishi Sunak during the first leaders’ TV debate. Plus, the FT’s Michael Peel joins to discuss how the rest of the world views the UK.
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‘Morale is shot’: Tory campaign mood sapped by candidate row
Rishi Sunak apologises for leaving D-Day commemorations early
Keir Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak of ‘lying’ over Labour £2,000 tax claim
Behold the final casualties of Brexit 
More than half of British universities slip down global rankings

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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by 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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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s troubled re-election bid has been dealt a fresh double blow, as Nigel Farage seized the reins of Reform UK and announced he would stand as a candidate, while a new poll showed Labour could win the biggest majority of any party in a century. Lucy Fisher picks over the implications with political editor George Parker and politics correspondent Anna Gross. Plus, they talk about the Liberal Democrats’ campaign and the party’s pledge to offer free personal care to older or disabled people at home.
Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Anna @AnnaSophieGross, George @GeorgeWParker
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Trio of Tory donors decide against funding election campaign
Tories promise to introduce an annual cap on immigration
Tory election hopes hit after Nigel Farage decides to stand for Reform UK
Sketchy Politics: Starmy weather
Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award. 
Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Persis Love. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music by Breen Turner. Mix by Simon Panayi. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Introducing Power for Sale, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. In Untold: Power for Sale, host Valentina Pop and a team of FT correspondents from all over Europe investigate what happened in the Qatargate scandal, where EU lawmakers were accused of accepting payments from Qatar to whitewash its image.
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As the gloves come off and the parties swing into full campaign mode, Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s Miranda Green and Stephen Bush to consider – with five weeks to go – who’s pushing ahead. Has Labour’s very public row over whether Diane Abbott should be allowed to stand dented its prospects? And Lucy takes a trip west, to test the water in Bristol Central, a seat the Green Party has firmly in its sights. The team asks: can the Greens pose a threat to Labour?
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Greens aim to win voters ‘utterly uninspired’ by Starmer
Rishi Sunak’s spaghetti strategy
‘True blue’ turns Green as party rides countryside wave
Sketchy Politics: Starmy weather

Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award. 
Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Philippa Goodrich with Leah Quinn. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music by Breen Turner and audio mix by Simon Panayi. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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Rishi Sunak shocked Westminster with the decision to hold a snap general election on July 4. As the parties launch their campaigns, Lucy Fisher assembles the Political Fix team to look ahead to the next six weeks. The FT’s Robert Shrimsley, political editor George Parker, columnist Stephen Bush and Political Fix regular Miranda Green have the inside track on how the race to Number 10 might unfold.
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Key moments ahead in the UK election campaign
Sunak suffers a series of setbacks on the first day of UK election campaign
How Rishi Sunak shocked Westminster with a snap general election
Improving UK economy does little to lift Tory hopes of victory in July election 
Tories scout for post-election jobs as UK parties dial up campaign mode 
TV debates can change election campaigns. Leaders should choose wisely

Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award. 
Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Audrey Tinline with Leah Quinn. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s 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.

Sir Keir Starmer has unveiled his party’s six core pledges ahead of the general election – in the same week that Rishi Sunak claimed the country would be less safe under a Labour government. As both parties kick off their election campaigns, the FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher is joined by Jim Pickard and Miranda Green to examine the battle lines being drawn up. Plus, the FT’s public policy editor Peter Foster outlines the dangers facing the UK’s university sector if the government decides to axe the graduate visa route that allows foreign students to stay on after graduation.
Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Miranda @greenmiranda, Jim @PickardJE, Peter @pmdfoster
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Keir Starmer unveils 6 election ‘first steps’ for a Labour government
Sunak claims UK will be less safe under Labour in pre-election speech 
The think-tank laying the groundwork for a Labour government
Union leader urges backing for Keir Starmer over diluted worker rights
Sketchy Politics: Sunak’s sinking feeling
England’s universities face ‘closure’ risk after student numbers dive
The State of Britain

Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award. 
Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Audrey Tinline with Leah Quinn. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s 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.