Is the shine coming off Saint Starmer?

Is the shine coming off Saint Starmer?

Author: Financial Times September 20, 2024 Duration: 27:31

A growing controversy around Lord Waheed Alli’s donations to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria risks tarnishing the new government, while propelling the normally discreet Labour donor into the public eye. Lucy Fisher discusses the saga with Political Fix regulars Stephen Bush and Jim Pickard. Plus, the panel is joined by chief business correspondent Michael O’Dwyer as business leaders warn that the UK government’s tax-raising plans and negativity about its economic inheritance risk undermining its efforts to boost private sector investment.


Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, Stephen @stephenkb, Jim @PickardJE, Michael @_MODwyer


Want more?  


Labour denies ‘transparency’ issue after clothing donation to Keir Starmer’s wife


Waheed Alli: How Labour donor’s largesse tarnished government’s squeaky clean image


UK government borrowing overshoots in blow to Rachel Reeves


Why has Sue Gray’s salary stoked unease and vicious briefings?


Lib Dems to press Rachel Reeves to raise taxes on banks and wealthy


Sign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 “Best Newsletter” award. 


Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Tamara Kormornick with help from Leah Quinn. The broadcast engineers were Rod Fitzgerald and Andrew Georgiadis. 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


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
The Nowak murder: when tragedy meets politics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:48
What began as a local tragedy in Southampton has quickly become a national flashpoint. Questions about policing and trust in UK institutions are dominating the debate, as party leaders compete to shape the public respons…
Should Labour heed Tony Blair? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:57
Tony Blair’s lengthy – and excoriating – 5,600-word essay on the future of the Labour Party and Britain has set Westminster alight this week. The former prime minister's critique has sparked a lively debate, and triggere…
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…