logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2025
12m 10s

EU politicians bristle at US trade deal

Financial Times
About this episode

Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and UK chancellor Rachel Reeves are at odds, and EU politicians are grumbling over the bloc’s trade deal with the US. Plus, the US economy is defying expectations and Bain & Co is to shut down its consulting business in South Africa after a corruption scandal. 


Mentioned in this podcast:

Rachel Reeves and Andrew Bailey clash over Revolut meeting

What have the US and EU agreed on trade?

Merz says trade deal will cause ‘considerable damage’ to German economy

How the EU succumbed to Trump’s tariff steamroller

Bain & Co shuts South Africa consulting business after corruption scandal

How long can the US economy defy expectations?


Today’s FT News Briefing was produced by Fiona Symon Sonja Hutson, and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Blake Maples, Michael Lello, and Gavin Kallmann. Our acting co-head of audio is Topher Forhecz. Our intern is Michaela Seah. The show’s theme song is by Metaphor Music.


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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

Up next
Nov 21
The Big Tech stock rollercoaster
<p>Tech stocks have been on a rollercoaster since Nvidia reported earnings, the US added 119,000 jobs in September but unemployment reached its highest level in four years, and the US has formally handed Ukraine a sweeping peace plan drawn up with Moscow. Plus, we’ll go over all ... Show More
12m 22s
Nov 20
The bidding war for Warner Brothers Discovery begins
<p>Nvidia grew sales of its chips even faster than Wall Street anticipated in its latest quarter, and UK inflation fell to 3.6 per cent in October. Plus, Paramount is trying to buy Warner Brothers Discovery and China’s opaque economic data is coming under scrutiny.&nbsp;</p><br>< ... Show More
12m 36s
Nov 19
Brussels sprouts critical minerals plan
<p>Meta has won the antitrust case that threatened to break it apart, the EU plans to create a central body to co-ordinate the purchasing and stockpiling of critical minerals. Plus, US tech stocks sold off on Tuesday as worries mounted over high valuations for artificial intellig ... Show More
10m 7s
Recommended Episodes
May 2025
Ask Political Fix: Trade, tax and leftwing pacts
Our first Q&A special episode is finally here! You sent in questions, now our panel answers them. Is the UK-US trade deal worth the paper it’s signed on? Could the UK benefit from a brain drain from the US? Is there any chance of Keir Starmer being booted out by his party before ... Show More
43m 56s
Oct 17
Britain: a beacon of economic stability?
The countdown is on: Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just six weeks to finalise her Autumn Budget before the November 26 deadline. This week, she was in Washington DC for the annual meeting of the IMF, where she hinted at tax rises for the rich, while pinning some blame for Britain’ ... Show More
33m 12s
Oct 13
What’s up with the US economy? With Austan Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a voter on the Fed’s interest rate-setting committee, speaks to the FT’s economics commentator Chris Giles about the outlook for the US economy amid a boom in AI investment, sluggish hiring, President Donald Tr ... Show More
24m 57s
Sep 26
Does Starmer have a northern problem?
As the prime minister prepares for his annual party conference, the mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, seems to be mounting a thinly veiled bid for the Labour leadership. In numerous interviews given to the media this past week, Burnham said he had been privately urged b ... Show More
32m 16s
Sep 16
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: Tariffs, TikTok, & A Duel 9/16/25
<p>On the ground in London for the President’s state visit, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent discusses tariffs, a potential trade deal with China, Federal Reserve independence, and reports of a spar between himself and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte. Plus, <a ... Show More
45m 28s
Sep 12
Starmer in a spin as the ‘Dark Lord’ bites the dust
After the toe-curling revelations about Lord Peter Mandelson’s connections with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the ambassador’s departure seemed inevitable to all - with the exception of some in Downing Street. Questions about the speed of his sacking, what Sir Keir St ... Show More
31m 21s
Sep 15
Losing the plot: Brazil-US relations tested
After Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for trying to organise a coup in 2023, Donald Trump accused Brazil of staging a “witch hunt”. How will America respond? Niche sports like padel and tag are now attracting sponsorship and broadcast deals. And meet the real L ... Show More
24m 45s
Aug 25
How Asia is coping with Trump’s tariffs. With Mari Pangestu
President Donald Trump thinks that Asia's goods exports are automatically America's loss and as part of his ‘reciprocal’ tariff policy, he has imposed some of the highest import taxes on goods from south-east Asia. So what does this mean for the region? And are Trump's policies p ... Show More
28m 36s
Sep 14
Trump wages economic war on US allies, while BRICS builds alternative system
Donald Trump is imposing tariffs and unequal treaties on longtime allies in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, forcing them to pay and move their factories to the US. Meanwhile, BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) are building a new multipolar world order based on ... Show More
1h 25m