logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2023
27m 33s

Tory turmoil: Sunak stumbles towards end...

Financial Times
About this episode

As politicians and political hacks limp towards the end of a long year in Westminster, Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s Robert Shrimsley and Miranda Green to assess the turmoil engulfing Sunak’s Tory party. The PM has won an important battle, but faces more strife in the new year. Also, the FT’s climate reporter Kenza Bryan has been in Dubai and sums up what, if anything, the COP28 mega-gathering really achieved and appraises the UK’s performance at the summit. 


You can raise money for the FT's charity, the Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign, by bidding to have lunch with Political Fix regulars Miranda Green, Stephen Bush, George Parker or one of their colleagues, at top restaurants that are donating meals for an excellent cause. Go to ft.com/appeal to see what's on offer.

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. 


Free links: 

Sunak’s Rwanda fight is really a battle for control of the Conservatives

Rwanda vote exposes Tory divisions despite Rishi Sunak’s win

Countries reach ‘historic’ COP28 deal to transition from fossil fuels

Ex-Tory MP faces 35-day suspension for giving impression he was ‘for sale’


Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Miranda on: @greenmiranda, Robert on: @robertshrimsley, Kenza on: @KenzaBryan

Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. Broadcast engineer is Rod Fitzgerald. 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.

Up next
Nov 24
Coming soon from Tech Tonic: Defying death
<p>Investors are spending billions of dollars on novel ways to extend human life through inventive treatments, therapies, and even manipulating our genes. And increasingly, it seems as though anti-ageing efforts have moved from the super rich to a mass market consumer industry. I ... Show More
1m 30s
Nov 21
Boats and the Budget: the battlelines are drawn
<p>Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a tough set of measures overhauling immigration policy this week, in a bid to deter illegal boat crossings and tackle the thorny issue of asylum seekers that dominates the news agenda. But how did the announcement go down with a divided ... Show More
34m 28s
Nov 14
Is Starmer’s leadership on the line?
<p>It has been a whirlwind week in Westminster with the BBC in crisis and a supposed challenge to the prime minister’s leadership. So, was there a putative coup from within Keir Starmer’s own cabinet? Is there a “toxic culture” in Downing Street? Plus: the panel’s take on the run ... Show More
32m 9s
Recommended Episodes
May 2023
Turkey’s tight election
<p>Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and rival Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu are locked in a tight battle for the presidency as the election count suggested rising odds of an unprecedented second round, Argentina today will announce a new round of emergency government measures, Twitter's ... Show More
8m 16s
Sep 2022
Britain set for new prime minister
<p>The oil producing cartel is meeting today and will consider a cut in oil supply to prop up prices, and UK Conservative Party members will vote today on a new leader to replace Boris Johnson. Plus, the FT’s Jemima Kelly tells us about the the passion of crypto believers she met ... Show More
10m 30s
Nov 2022
The UK chancellor’s new plan
<p>The world’s largest cryptocurrency fund has become embroiled in the turmoil swirling around the troubled sector, Jeremy Hunt announces a £55bn fiscal squeeze as UK economic outlook darkens, and negotiators at the COP27 UN climate conference in Egypt burned the midnight oil to ... Show More
9m 1s
Nov 2022
US midterm elections: what we know so far
<p>Binance backs out of its deal with FTX, Joe Biden and the Democrats avoided sweeping defeats but still risked losing control of Congress to the Republicans, and the FT’s Rob Armstrong explains why a potentially divided Congress could hurt investors.&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Men ... Show More
9m 29s
Feb 2024
Will Young: popstar to politician? Plus Westminster ceasefire row
Nish and guest co-presenter Liz Bates set the scene on what went on to become a chaotic night  in the Commons, that put speaker Lindsay Hoyle’s job at risk. They call out the “pathetic and petty” political game playing that sought to use the suffering of people in Gaza to embarra ... Show More
54m 22s
Feb 2024
‘Where globalism goes to die’: inside the US right at CPAC
<p>It’s billed as the most influential gathering of conservatives in the world: CPAC, or the Conservative Political Action Conference. In the past, it’s brought US Republican leaders together with activists on the right. In recent years, though, it’s catered to one particular lea ... Show More
23m 1s
Feb 2024
Biotech is back
<p>Israel plans to raise debt and taxes to fund its war in Gaza and global house prices are on the rise. Plus, FT correspondent Paola Tamma discusses some of the troubles plaguing the EU’s key pandemic stimulus fund.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br><p><strong>Mentioned in this podcast:</stron ... Show More
9m 55s
Feb 2024
Commotion and a no confidence motion: What damage has the Commons Gaza row done?
The third largest party in the House of Commons, the SNP, says it doesn't have confidence in its Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle. The Speaker himself says he took decisions about how MPs debated and voted on calls for a ceasefire in Gaza because he wanted as broad a discussion as possible ... Show More
26m 14s
Feb 2024
60. Anthony Scaramucci: What it's like to be Donald Trump's Communications Director
Would a second Trump presidency be far more right wing? What drives the former US president? Is he trying to do a deal with Taylor Swift? In this week's episode of Leading, Rory and Alastair are joined by Anthony Scaramucci, Trump's former spin doctor, where he answers all these ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2024
Is democracy dying?
Why are younger voters around the world turning their back on democracy in favour of strongman leaders who are prepared to defy parliaments?In a year when more than two billion people in 50 countries will go to the polls – the biggest global election year in history – Amol and Ni ... Show More
47m 54s