Trump trouble: Starmer's tricky start to 2026

Trump trouble: Starmer's tricky start to 2026

Author: Financial Times January 9, 2026 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 firefighting on the international front, trying to navigate Donald Trump’s foreign policy frenzy.


How will Starmer manage his ‘special relationship’ with the US president in light of recent events? Where do Trump’s latest actions leave Nato, especially with regard to Ukraine? And what does all this global uncertainty mean for the Labour leader’s agenda at home?


Host George Parker discusses the balancing act facing the government with the FT’s deputy opinion editor Miranda Green, chief political commentator Robert Shrimsley and acting Whitehall correspondent David Sheppard.


Follow George, Miranda, Robert & David 


Want more? 

Strategic supplication is Europe’s only Trump policy

France and UK commit to deploying troops under proposed Ukraine peace deal

UK armed forces warn of £28bn defence funding shortfall

Greenland’s future must be decided by island and Denmark, Starmer warns Trump

‘Not in my name’: Labour’s new towns battle


And 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 analysis. 

Get 30 days free.


Political Fix was presented by George Parker, and produced by Lulu Smyth and Julia Webster. Flo Phillips is the executive producer. Sound engineering by Simon Panayi. Manuela Saragosa is the FT’s acting co-head of audio.


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


Clip from UK Parliament

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
AI: Is Britain prepared? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:21
AI promises major opportunities, but also significant risks – for the economy, employment, security and perhaps even human civilisation. But in Westminster, AI is far from a priority. In addition, fears that the UK’s AI…
Reform in hot water … again [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:17
Reform’s conference in Birmingham was soured by a Channel 4 News broadcast showing the party's leader Nigel Farage and some of his closest allies in conversations with a man purporting to arrange illicit political donati…
Burnham vs Badenoch: Commons showdown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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 Baden…
What Burnham told the FT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:18
In his first interview with the FT since becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham tells political editor and host George Parker that he is pro-business and understands the pressures that business is under — but wants someth…
Burnham: To drill or not to drill? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:20
Andy Burnham has been on a regional tour of the UK, delivering a steady stream of policies aimed at tackling social issues. But now comes the hard part: should he push ahead with new drilling in the North Sea? After a su…
Farage wins… and donation probe resumes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:51
Nigel Farage has comfortably won back his Clacton seat but with the investigation into his finances now back on, what, if anything, has been gained by this by-election gamble? And with the Reform UK leader absenting hims…
Will Farage’s gamble pay off? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:56
Political Fix hit the Essex seaside this week to hear directly from Clacton voters ahead of the by-election next Thursday, which Nigel Farage has triggered in the wake of scrutiny of his finances. He’s framing it as a “p…
Burnham’s policy bonanza [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:00
Successive prime ministers have pledged to tackle some of the biggest crises affecting old and young: the UK’s lack of vocational training and the chaos of social care. Now it’s the turn of the latest PM Andy Burnham. In…
Burnham’s economic vision [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:24
Andy Burnham’s new cabinet is in place and he’s dropped a raft of policy announcements on the cost of living this week, filling in some of the gaps about the kind of administration he will lead. On the show, host Lucy Fi…
Andy Burnham’s cabinet: who’s in, who’s out? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:08
It’s all change at the top of Andy Burnham’s new Labour government and there have been some surprise appointments. The biggest of them was the elevation of the former defence minister John Healey to chancellor of the exc…