logo
episode-header-image
Nov 14
32m 9s

Is Starmer’s leadership on the line?

Financial Times
About this episode

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 runners and riders for the top job at the national broadcaster. Host George Parker is joined by Anna Gross, Stephen Bush and Jim Pickard to discuss. 


This episode was recorded before the FT broke the story about the chancellor scrapping proposals to raise income tax. Read the article here:

Starmer and Reeves drop proposal to increase income tax rates in Budget  


Plus, stay tuned for our panel discussion next week ahead of the Budget on November 26. 


Follow George @georgewparker.bsky.social; Jim @pickardje.bsky.social and Stephen @stephenkb.bsky.social


Want more?  


Self-inflicted leadership crisis unites factions against Starmer 


‘He’s played a blinder’: How Wes Streeting won the week


Brain-dead Labour retreats to its comfort zone: campaigning


Who will be the next director-general of the BBC?


And 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 analysis. Get 30 days free.


Plus, the FT is hosting a live webinar on November 28 on what the UK Budget will mean for your money. You can put questions to FT journalists Claer Barrett, Stuart Kirk, Tej Parikh and special guest, tax expert Dan Neidle. Get your pass now at ft.com/budgetwebinar


Our email address is politicalfix@ft.com


Political Fix was presented by George Parker and produced by Lulu Smyth. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Original music by Breen Turner, mix by Odinn Ingibergsson. The video engineers are Petros Gioumpasis and Andrew Georgiades. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Manuela Saragosa.


Clip from BBC


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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

Up next
Yesterday
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 7
To tax, but who to tax, that is the question
With just three weeks to go until the Budget, Rachel Reeves gave a surprise speech to reset expectations on who she’s planning to hit with more taxes on November 26. This has fuelled further speculation about whether the government's central manifesto pledge to not raise income t ... Show More
34m 49s
Oct 31
Reeves’ £30bn treasure hunt
With a month to go until the Budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves needs to find a projected £30bn to balance the books. And the forecasts are not in her favour, with the OBR’s bigger than expected productivity downgrade dealing another blow to the Treasury this week. So where will th ... Show More
33m 44s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
It’s Not A Law LCBO So Calm Down!
The Hamilton Today Podcast with Scott Thompson: In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Supercrawl weekend in downtown Hamilton! Scott witnessed a debacle at the LCBO last night that left him with a bad taste in his mouth and some questions about how things are being run. What happens w ... Show More
1h 16m
Sep 2024
How “painful” will the Budget be for your finances?
With a £22bn ‘black hole’ in the public finances, the new chancellor Rachel Reeves has difficult decisions to make ahead of Labour’s autumn Budget next month. How might this hole be plugged, and where might tax rises land? In this episode, Dan Neidle, founder of think-tank Tax Po ... Show More
31m 32s
Oct 7
OpenAI’s circular deals
EU governments have agreed to limit the travel of Russian diplomats, analysts are worried about a flurry of circular AI deals, and France lost another prime minister after less than a month in office. Plus, why the weaker dollar is helping big US exporters, while domestic-focused ... Show More
10m 53s
Oct 16
A financial power grab in Turkey?
Big investors are cutting back their exposure to riskier corporate debt, the IMF doled out some advice to the US and the UK, and China’s economy remained mired in deflation last month. Plus, Turkey’s business community is being rattled by an anti-corruption drive that has swept u ... Show More
11m 15s
Mar 2025
Will Rachel Reeves be forced into an emergency budget?
<p>It’s been a week of political whiplash, including that infamous explosive meeting in the Oval office and renewed commitment from European leaders to back Ukraine. George Osborne and Ed Balls consider who - if anyone - has fared well in this wild week. Is Trump himself as the d ... Show More
58 m
Sep 30
Game on for the biggest leveraged buyout
Elon Musk’s business empire has been hit by a wave of senior departures over the past year, video games maker Electronic Arts is being taken private by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium, and Downing Street has opened the door for Labour to break its election promises and raise tax ... Show More
9m 55s
Aug 25
Jerome Powell triggers market bets on a September rate cut
Jay Powell signalled a monetary policy shift during a high-profile Jackson Hole speech last week, and European investors are pouring money into new air defence technology. Plus, Spanish bank Santander is seeking to become a big player in Wall Street’s Spac market. Mentioned in th ... Show More
11m 49s
Sep 15
Turkey’s opposition is under siege
Borrowing costs for the French government are outpacing some French corporations, and the threats to Turkey’s leading opposition party may be part of a wider push to change the country’s democracy. Plus, Chinese export controls on Germanium are forcing defence firms to seek new s ... Show More
12m 41s
Apr 2025
The elusive Ukraine peace deal
Canadians will head to the polls Monday to pick a prime minister, and a new US proposal to end the War in Ukraine would allow Russia to keep some of the territory it’s conquered. Plus, Hungary’s government may be funneling money to friendly news outlets, and major American compan ... Show More
11m 32s
Nov 13
Scottish kilts set to enter the bond market
US government shutdown nears an end as House approves funding deal, European carmakers and other industrial companies continue to face “devastating” chip shortages, and Scotland has been handed the same credit rating as the UK, in a boost to Edinburgh as it plans to launch an ina ... Show More
11m 55s