Angela’s ambitions

Angela’s ambitions

Author: Financial Times March 20, 2026 Duration: 40:13

Angela Rayner heaped scorn on Sir Keir Starmer’s administration this week, fuelling fresh scrutiny of her ambitions. Does she want to return to cabinet or seize the reins? The former deputy prime minister issued a stark warning that the government is running out of time to change direction under Starmer, while also attempting to court the City. At the same time, the Greens continue to beat Labour in the polls with an unabashedly socialist platform.

Does all this signal the government will shift left?

Host Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT’s political editor George Parker, political correspondent Anna Gross, and Inside Politics columnist Stephen Bush to unpack what it all means. Plus FT US national editor Ed Luce shares insights on how he caught up with Donald Trump on his mobile this week.

Follow: Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, and Bluesky: @lucyfisher.ft.com George: @GeorgeWParker and @georgewparker.bsky.social; Stephen: @stephenkb and @stephenkb.bsky.social and Anna: @AnnaSophieGross and @annasophiegross.bsky.social


Want more? 


Is the Green Party too radical for Britain?


Labour’s leftward shift and the bond vigilante threat


British right must not allow prejudice to be masked as principle


Starmer calls on Badenoch to sack shadow minister over Muslim prayer comments 


Donald Trump warns Nato faces ‘very bad future’ if allies fail to help US in Iran 


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. Get 30 days free.


Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. 


Our email address is politicalfix@ft.com


Clip: BBC


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com


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


Every Friday, the team behind Political Fix gathers to make sense of the week's political turbulence. This isn't just a recap of headlines; it's a deep, often lively conversation that pulls back the curtain on how decisions are really made in Westminster and beyond. You'll hear from the Financial Times journalists who are actually there, in the corridors and committee rooms, paired with expert voices who provide crucial context. Together, they untangle complex policy debates, analyse the shifting alliances, and question the strategies defining Britain's future. The result is a clear-eyed, authoritative look at the forces shaping the nation, delivered with the FT's signature rigor and insight. Tuning into this podcast feels like gaining access to a private briefing, one that prioritizes substance over noise. It’s for anyone who wants to move past the soundbites and understand the real stories and personalities driving the political agenda. New episodes arrive weekly, offering a consistent and essential perspective on a landscape that never stops moving.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Political Fix
Podcast Episodes
Mandarin mayhem [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:19
After another torrid week for the prime minister, the focus has shifted from No 10 to Whitehall as the UK’s top civil servant is shown the door. Cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald had been in the job for less than 14 mo…
Mandelson, money - and the risk to the prime minister [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:16
Fresh revelations about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have sparked a political explosion in Westminster, reopening questions about Keir Starmer’s decision to return him to…
Chinese whispers — at home and abroad [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:40
Sir Keir Starmer is 5,000 miles away in China, meeting President Xi Jinping to drum up investment and deepen relations, but back on the home front the PM’s leadership looks increasingly beset. Manchester mayor Andy Burnh…
When the ‘special relationship’ isn’t so special [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:22
From ‘brilliant ally’ to ‘weak and stupid’ within the same paragraph, it’s hard to know how to handle the impulsive outbursts from America’s 47th President. And yet, this is the position in which the British prime minist…
Disloyalty and defection: the Tory-Reform psychodrama [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:33
First he was pushed and then he jumped: high drama at Westminster after Kemi Badenoch sacked her rival for the Tory leadership Robert Jenrick - his crime was plotting a defection to Reform UK. Hours later, Jenrick appear…
Trump trouble: Starmer's tricky start to 2026 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:12
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had wanted to kick off the new year with a strong domestic start, tackling the cost of living crisis head on, in the hopes of improving his dire poll ratings. Instead, he has found himself…
Swamp Notes: Is the US economy really K-shaped? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:04
Imagine a graph with one line going up over time. Below it, another line does just the opposite. It kind of looks like the letter K. On the FT's Swamp Notes podcast, Claire Jones and Rob Armstrong break down why people a…
Quizmas special: Political Fix’s 2025 nerd-out! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:05
Can you name all the Labour frontbenchers who resigned or were sacked during the past year? Why was Peter Mandelson delayed from returning to the UK after being sacked as US ambassador? And who will be crowned Political…
Political Fix Live: Labour’s year in review [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:01
It’s been another turbulent year in politics. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced down rebellions from within his own party, overseen scandals and sackings, and delivered a constant barrage of bad news from health and…
Deals, donations and damage limitation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:34
Sir Keir Starmer started the week with not one but two speeches defending his party’s Budget decisions in the wake of claims that chancellor Rachel Reeves had misled the public and fellow MPs about the state of the natio…