Deals, donations and damage limitation

Deals, donations and damage limitation

Author: Financial Times December 5, 2025 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 nation’s finances. Was his sell convincing? The prime minister also brought up Brexit, but as panellist Robert Shrimsley points out, Starmer was characteristically unclear as to whether the Labour party was ultimately leaning into or out of the EU.


Plus, host George Parker and the rest of the panel, Miranda Green and Jim Pickard, discuss the FT report that Nigel Farage told Reform UK donors he expects his party to do some sort of deal with the Tories in the run-up to the next general election — potentially helped by the single biggest donation any UK political party has had from a living donor.  


Follow on Bluesky: George, Miranda, Jim, Robert


Want more? Free links:

Farage tells donors he expects Reform UK will do an election deal with the Tories

Head of UK fiscal watchdog quits after Budget leak 

UK government orders review into rising diagnoses of mental health conditions

Janan Ganesh: The rise of unpopular populism 

UK envoy to Moscow enters race to be next ambassador 


Political Fix will go live next week on 10 December at 1.15pm. If you don’t want to wait for it to drop in this feed on Friday, register here.


Sign up to Stephen Bush's morning newsletter Inside Politics for straight-talking insight into the stories that matter. Get 30 days free at https://www.ft.com/InsidePoliticsOffer. For details about the FT’s Financial Literacy and Inclusion Campaign, read more about it here or click here and to donate, click here.


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


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


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
Bonus: What does the 2025 Budget mean for your money? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:33
It’s been a rollercoaster week for both UK politics and our personal finances, with chancellor Rachel Reeves setting out tens of billions of pounds of tax rises in the Budget. But how will these new taxes be applied and…
Budget bonanza: tax highs and growth lows [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:53
After months of speculation, predictions and U-turns, Rachel Reeves finally announced her Budget this week. And, symptomatic of the chaos this Budget has wrought, there was one final twist: the entire Budget appeared on…
Coming soon from Tech Tonic: Defying death [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:30
Investors are spending billions of dollars on novel ways to extend human life through inventive treatments, therapies, and even manipulating our genes. And increasingly, it seems as though anti-ageing efforts have moved…
Boats and the Budget: the battlelines are drawn [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 ag…
Is Starmer’s leadership on the line? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:09
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 cult…
To tax, but who to tax, that is the question [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:49
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…
Reeves’ £30bn treasure hunt [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:44
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 deal…
Budget, boats and a by-election [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:43
Chancellor Rachel Reeves received a rare bit of good news from lower inflation statistics this week, which could reduce government borrowing ahead of the November Budget. But the uphill struggle to improve Labour’s stand…
Britain: a beacon of economic stability? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:12
The countdown is on: Chancellor Rachel Reeves has just six weeks to finalise her Autumn Budget before the November 26 deadline. This week, she was in Washington DC for the annual meeting of the IMF, where she hinted at t…
Introducing Untold: Toxic Legacy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:16
Introducing Toxic Legacy, a new season of Untold from the Financial Times. Host Laura Hughes uncovers a lead poisoning epidemic across the UK. You might be living with lead and not know it: the toxin is often invisible t…