Labour braces for ballot box bloodbath

Labour braces for ballot box bloodbath

Author: Financial Times May 1, 2026 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 10 can regroup in the aftermath. 


Other talking points include the momentum behind Reform UK and the Green party — and the hurdles that threaten to trip them up.


Host Lucy Fisher is joined by deputy opinion editor Miranda Green, UK chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and political columnist Stephen Bush. 


Follow: Lucy @LOS_Fisher or @lucyfisher.ft.com; Stephen @stephenkb & @stephenkb.bsky.social; Miranda @greenmiranda & @greenmirandahere.bsky.social and Robert @robertshrimsley and @robertshrimsley.bsky.social


Want more?  

What to expect in the May local elections

What Labour’s likely meltdown means for the UK

The problematic inevitability of Andy Burnham

Reform UK and Greens hit controversy on election trail 

Golders Green stabbing suspect was previously referred to Prevent 


Plus, send in your questions for a special Political Fix Q&A episode right after the local elections, on Monday May 11. Email: politicalfix@ft.com


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 is presented by Lucy Fisher and produced by Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Mixing 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
Starmer in a spin as the ‘Dark Lord’ bites the dust [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:21
After the toe-curling revelations about Lord Peter Mandelson’s connections with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the ambassador’s departure seemed inevitable to all - with the exception of some in Downing Street…
Bonus ep: How the UK is navigating the Trump era [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:45
US President Donald Trump is coming to the UK next week. What can we expect from his visit? And where do things stand between the US and the UK? In this special bonus episode, our two FT political chat shows, Political F…
Rayner, Reeves and Reform [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:26
It wasn’t the start to the new parliamentary term that Prime Minister Keir Starmer hoped for. His insistence that his focus is now on “delivery, delivery, delivery” was eclipsed by the furore surrounding the deputy prime…
Farage, flags and the ghosts of Labour’s past [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:47
Just as Sir Keir Starmer was stealing a few days' summer holiday, Reform unveiled its immigration policy, former Labour heavyweights called for a withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights, and Tony Blair po…
The mess in the NHS [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:42
England’s NHS is in a ‘critical and deteriorating condition’ - those are the words of Lord Darzi who investigated the state of the NHS for the new Labour government last year. In response, Starmer unveiled a ten year pla…
Starmer's superpower: soft power? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:53
Maga arrived in Chipping Norton this week, heralding an intense round of British diplomacy ahead of the Trump-Putin summit in Alaska on Friday. Ukraine is top of the agenda and both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and foreig…
Introducing Swamp Notes: The real cost of gutting USAID [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:04
Political Fix is on a break this week. In its absence, we're taking the opportunity to introduce you to its sister podcast, Swamp Notes, the weekly US politics podcast from the Financial Times. Six months after the Trump…
Why Starmer changed his mind about Palestinian statehood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:31
Prime Minister Keir Starmer plans to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the UN General Assembly. The decision comes after some Labour MPs and cabinet ministers accused him of being too slow to respond to the G…
One year in opposition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:58
As MPs head back to their constituencies for the summer, the Political Fix panel reflects on the year in opposition for Kemi Badenoch and her Conservative party. Host George Parker is joined by Robert Shrimsley to discus…
The Afghan files: the inside story on the catastrophic leak [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:12
One of the gravest security lapses in UK history came to light this week after a judge lifted a superinjunction on a catastrophic data leak that could have affected 100,000 Afghans, as well as British spies and special f…