Burnham vs Badenoch: Commons showdown

Burnham vs Badenoch: Commons showdown

Author: Financial Times September 4, 2026 Duration: 34:28

There’s big "new term" energy this week in parliament with MPs returning from summer recess for Andy Burnham’s first Prime Minister's Questions. After Burnham answered a mega 125 questions, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch lambasted the prime minister for being a “people pleaser” and a “spendthrift”. What did Burnham’s first appearance in the Commons tell us about his leadership style? And can Badenoch’s shadow cabinet reshuffle help the Tory party win back popularity? Plus, why is Green Party leader Zack Polanski standing in Keir Starmer’s old seat? Host Lucy Fisher is joined by the FT's chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and deputy political editor Jim Pickard. 


Follow Lucy @LOS_Fisher ; Robert @robertshrimsley; Jim @PickardJE



Want more?


Andy Burnham tries to calm bond markets as public spending fears mount


Burnham seeks to protect UK farming and steel in EU reset talks


Andy Burnham and Emmanuel Macron meet as Bayeux tapestry unveiled


How UK-Israel relations reached their worst point in decades


PMQs cannot change Andy Burnham’s political reality


Andy Burnham’s summer of quietly backing away from radical pledges


James Orr and the gospel of the new British right


Greens leader Zach Polanski to stand in seat vacated by Keir Starmer


Come and join the FT and Political Fix panelists at the FT Weekend Festival on Saturday September 5 at Kenwood House Gardens in London. To save 10 per cent on tickets, visit ft.com/festival and use the discount code FTPODCAST.


You can also 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 views. Get 30 days free.


Political Fix was presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Persis Love. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Original music and audio mix by Breen Turner. Our broadcast engineers were Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. Flo Phillips is the FT’s head of audio.


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: 50

Political Fix
Podcast Episodes
Game on: All eyes on Makerfield by-election [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:24
Andy Burnham running for the Makerfield by-election has become far more than a contest for a safe Labour seat. It is being seen as a proxy battle over Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, Labour’s direction after its bruising…
Burnham eyes Labour crown as Starmer clings on [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:44
In a dramatic week at Westminster, Wes Streeting has quit as health secretary and ex-deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has said her wrangling with HMRC is finally over – but neither has launched a leadership challenge.…
Ask Political Fix: Starmer’s fightback, election turmoil and defence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:16
You sent in your burning questions, now our panel answers them. Will Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘relaunch’ work? Has Britain become ungovernable? Will the UK’s voting system be reformed, is the student loans system punishing you…
Election special: snap analysis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:15
It’s been a dreadful night for Labour as council seats across the country have turned from red to turquoise. The Conservatives have not fared much better with Reform UK the big winner so far. With results still coming in…
Labour braces for ballot box bloodbath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:25
With just one week to go before voters across the UK deliver their verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s government – our panel discusses another agonising week for the PM, Labour’s forecast devastation at the polls, and how No…
Introducing: The Story of Money [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17
The economist John Kenneth Galbraith once quipped that “there can be few fields of human endeavour in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance.” This show sets out to prove the opposite. Each week, F…
The Mandelson-Starmer saga stumbles on [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:26
The rolling drama over the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador is eating the government alive, with more committee hearings coming next week and crucial elections for Labour on May 7. This week’s host Mi…
Labour lambasted over defence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:04
It’s not just the Trump administration attacking the UK’s defence capabilities. Now a Labour grandee and former head of Nato, Lord George Robertson, has accused Sir Keir Starmer of ‘corrosive complacency’ over delays to…
Squeezed Britain: student loans, salaries and strikes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:16
Sir Keir Starmer had promised 2026 would be the year the UK economy and household finances would finally “turn the corner”. But the Iran war has nixed those hopes. Now the pressure from unions to increase public sector p…
Trump taunts drive Starmer into EU’s arms [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:03
Donald Trump has heaped insults on Sir Keir Starmer in recent weeks over his stance on the Iran war. The US president labelled the UK prime minister “no Winston Churchill”, said Britain’s aircraft carriers were mere “toy…