Boats and the Budget: the battlelines are drawn

Boats and the Budget: the battlelines are drawn

Author: Financial Times November 21, 2025 Duration: 34:28

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 Labour party?

And, just days away from the Budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves is under huge pressure after a series of U-turns and leaks on taxation policy. 

Host George Parker discusses whether anything can be done to reverse the fortunes of the government with the FT’s deputy opinion editor Miranda Green, political columnist and writer of the Inside Politics newsletter Stephen Bush, and Whitehall correspondent David Sheppard. 


Follow George on Bluesky @georgewparker.bsky.social; Stephen @stephenkb.bsky.social; Miranda @greenmirandahere.bsky.social; David @oilsheppard.bsky.social 

What did you think of this episode? Let us know at politicalfix@ft.com  

Want more? Free links:    

Labour needs a way out of the infernal circle of immigration policy 

Why the small boats won’t stop

High earners to be eligible for UK settlement within 3 years of arrival

UK asylum seekers face seizure of jewellery to pay for accommodation

Rachel Reeves’ gambit 

Covid response of ‘toxic’ UK government was ‘too little, too late’, inquiry finds

To sign up for free to the new FT Alphaville newsletter on Substack, go to ftav.substack.com

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.

Sign up to Stephen'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 at https://www.ft.com/InsidePoliticsOffer.

To sign up for free to the new FT Alphaville newsletter on substack, go to ftav.substack.com

Presented by George Parker, and produced by Lulu Smyth and Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Original music by Breen Turner, mix by Odinn Inigbergsson. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Manuela Saragosa. 

Clips from 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
Farage against the machine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:59
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled his ‘shadow cabinet’ at a glitzy event in London this week, with a newly bespectacled Robert Jenrick announced as ‘shadow chancellor’. The event was a hit with Reform’s supporters i…
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…