Budget blues

With borrowing costs and inflation rising, are the UK’s finances worse than Burnham and Healey thought? Host Lucy Fisher is joined by FT colleagues George Parker, political editor, and Stephen Bush, columnist, to discuss the tightening fiscal outlook ahead of the October Budget, and whether scrapping the triple lock on pensions would cost the government more politically than it would save in cash terms.

Plus, Reform’s week of mega-donations — and the Labour government’s response, and the leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland begin a new push for independence from the UK.

Follow Lucy: @LOS_Fisher; George: @georgewparker.bsky.social, @GeorgeWParker; Stephen @stephenkb

Want more?

Britain, Burnham and tax: the walls close in

Healey prepares UK for ‘really challenging’ budget

Nigel Farage refuses to say if Reform UK’s £72mn gifts would comply with new cap

UK state pension will surpass income tax threshold next year

Bank of England says rates likely to rise as it overhauls gilts sales

It’s time to scrap the triple lock

Scrapping triple lock on pensions need not wreak political damage

A ‘lucky’ chancellor must also be a resolute one

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. Get 30 days free.

Our email address is politicalfix@ft.com

Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Persis Love. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Audio mix and original music by Breen Turner. Broadcast engineers are Andrew Georgiades and Petros Gioumpasis. The FT’s head of audio is Flo Phillips.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(614)

AI: Is Britain prepared?

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, fea...

11 Syys 41min

Reform in hot water … again

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 illi...

4 Syys 29min

Burnham vs Badenoch: Commons showdown

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, Conservati...

4 Syys 34min

What Burnham told the FT

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 unde...

28 Elo 36min

Burnham: To drill or not to drill?

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 N...

21 Elo 41min

Farage wins… and donation probe resumes

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 l...

14 Elo 39min

Will Farage’s gamble pay off?

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’...

7 Elo 42min