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Political Fix
Labour builds bridges with Trump
Sir Keir Starmer spoke for the first time with Donald Trump in the wake of the assassination attempt on the former US president at the weekend. After years of criticising him, Labour ministers are trying to strengthen relations ahead of Trump’s possible return to the White House. But does the Republican candidate’s appointment of JD Vance as his running mate throw a spanner in the works? Lucy Fisher considers the question with FT colleagues Anna Gross, Jim Pickard and Miranda Green. The panel also examines the new strategic defence review, and discusses the demoted Labour MPs who are licking their wounds – and plotting revenge.
To take part in the audience survey mentioned by Lucy, and to be in with the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, click here. Click here to find T&Cs for the prize draw.
Follow Lucy on X @LOS_Fisher
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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Edwin Lane with Leah Quinn. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley.
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18:50|Democrats from across the US gathered in Chicago for their presidential convention this week, promising to move past the Donald Trump-era of American politics. But if their newly-minted nominee, vice-president Kamala Harris, wins November’s election, she’ll have her work cut out to keep her party together. The FT’s deputy Washington bureau chief, Lauren Fedor, and US political news editor, Derek Brower, join the FT's US politics podcast, Swamp Notes, to explain what the future of the party might look like.Mentioned in this podcast:Five key points from Kamala Harris’s acceptance speechKamala Harris vows to ‘strengthen, not abdicate’ US global leadershipKamala Harris’s underwhelming economic agendaListen to Swamp Notes every Saturday on the feed of the FT News BriefingSwamp Notes is produced by Ethan Plotkin, Sonja Hutson, Lauren Fedor and Marc Filippino. Topher Forhecz is the FT’s executive producer. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Special thanks to Pierre Nicholson. CREDIT: PBS NewsHourRegister now for the FT Weekend Festival, and claim £24 off your pass using promo code FTPodcast at: ft.com/festivalHow do you solve a problem like Elon Musk?
35:13|The billionaire owner of X, Elon Musk, has launched attacks on the UK government following the riots. So, how should Keir Starmer’s government deal with the self-declared “free speech absolutist” and his social media platform? The FT’s political editor George Parker is joined by Political Fix regulars Miranda Green and Stephen Bush, as well as political correspondent Anna Gross. Plus, the team considers how Rachel Reeves will be able to promote growth in the UK while balancing the books. And, as Keir Starmer cancels his holidays - should politicians always take their vacations?Follow George on X: @GeorgeWParker, Stephen @stephenkb, Miranda @greenmiranda, Anna @AnnaSophieGrossWant more? Brussels slaps down Thierry Breton over ‘harmful content’ letter to Elon MuskFalse information cases in wake of riots test UK’s online safety lawAstraZeneca vaccine project in doubt as UK Treasury seeks to cut state aid UK government plans fresh investment in supercomputing despite axing aid How taking a holiday went globalSign up for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://ft.com/insidepoliticsofferPresented by George Parker. Produced by Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix by Sean McGarrity and original music by Breen Turner. Studio engineer: Petros Gioumpasis. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com‘A fractious and divided country’
32:38|Sir Keir Starmer has told police to stay on ‘high alert’ for more disorder, as rafts of rioters receive lengthy jail sentences in Britain’s courts. Has the unrest petered out, or could it yet flare up again? And how will the government get a grip on the longer-term challenges the recent violence has thrown up – from illegal immigration to community cohesion? The FT’s Lucy Fisher is joined by northern England correspondent Jennifer Williams and UK correspondent William Wallis to assess the fallout. Plus Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think-tank specialising in integration, joins with his analysis of how Starmer should start to heal the ‘fractious, divided and anxious country’.Follow Lucy on Twitter @LOS_Fisher, Jen @JenWilliamsMEN, William @WWFTUK, Sunder @sundersaysWant more? Keir Starmer tells police to stay on ‘high alert’ as UK rioters jailedFar-right riots centred on England’s deprivation hotspotsThe volatile far right on UK streets is becoming more difficult to labelHuge UK anti-racist rallies held as far-right protests fail to materialiseTo take part in an audience survey, and to be in with the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, click here. Click here to find T&Cs for the prize draw.Sign up for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://ft.com/insidepoliticsofferPresented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Leah Quinn and Audrey Tinline. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix by Sean McGarrity and original music by Breen Turner. Studio engineers: Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comIs Labour facing a summer of unrest?
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34:40|The chancellor Rachel Reeves is about to confront the British public with the size of the black hole in the country’s finances. A funding shortfall of about £20bn is likely to lead to tax rises at the Budget later this year. So — how to fix the problem? The FT’s political editor George Parker sits down with colleagues Stephen Bush and Robert Shrimsley to consider the government’s options. Plus, the FT’s infrastructure correspondent Gill Plimmer outlines the scale of the debacle that is the cancellation of the high-speed rail link between Birmingham and Manchester. Want more? Free links:Rachel Reeves to pave way for UK Budget tax rises in ‘spending audit’Expect a Tory leadership race mired in bitter and personal fightsThames Water’s credit rating slashed to ‘junk’Britons may need to be put off taking trains due to HS2 curtailment, watchdog says Follow George on X @GeorgeWParker, Stephen @stephenkb. Robert @robertshrimsley, Gill @gillplimmer1Sign up for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://ft.com/insidepoliticsofferPresented by George Parker. Produced by Audrey Tinline.The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.comThe ‘bin fires’ setting Labour’s in-tray alight
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41:09|Keir Starmer’s quest for closer EU ties received a tacit nod from US President Joe Biden as the UK prime minister made his global debut at the Nato summit in Washington. Biden told Starmer that Britain was ‘the knot tying the transatlantic alliance together’. The FT’s George Parker, Robert Shrimsley and Stephen Bush sit down in London to discuss the government’s foreign policy agenda, with Lucy Fisher dialling in from Washington with her take. Plus, the FT’s William Wallis lays out the stark truth behind the UK’s prisons crisis, and what the government might be able to do about it. To take part in the audience survey mentioned by Lucy, and to be in with the chance to win a pair of Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Headphones, click here. Click here to find T&Cs for the prize draw.Follow George on X @GeorgeWParker, Lucy on X @LOS_Fisher, Robert on X @robertshrimsley, Stephen on X @stephenkbWant more? Joe Biden tells Keir Starmer UK is ‘knot tying transatlantic alliance together’Labour to free prisoners early as Keir Starmer warns ‘simply not enough’ spacesJames Timpson: the key-cutter taking on England’s prisons crisisUK economy grows at double forecast pace How will Rachel Reeves run the UK’s finances?The very resistible rise of Nigel FarageSign up for 90 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://ft.com/insidepoliticsofferPresented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Audrey Tinline with Leah Quinn. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. 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