Political Fix26 Apr 2024

Chinese spying claims in the UK – and beyond

‘In a world that is the most dangerous it has been since the end of the cold war, we cannot be complacent,’ Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said at a news briefing alongside Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg during a visit to Poland this week. The PM mentioned the threat from Russia but also from China and pledged to boost defence spending by £75bn over the next six years. Lucy Fisher is joined by colleagues George Parker and Jim Pickard to discuss whether this pledge will lead to deep spending cuts to unprotected government departments and James Kynge, the FT’s China editor, drops in to talk about allegations of Chinese espionage in the UK and beyond. Plus, will Labour’s plan to fully renationalise the UK’s passenger rail network if it wins the next general election translate into better train services for customers?

Join Lucy and colleagues for an FT subscriber webinar on May 8 to discuss what the local election results tell us about who will win the UK general election. Get your pass now at ft.com/ukwebinar

Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_Fisher, George @GeorgeWParker, Jim @PickardJE, James @JKynge

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Labour plans to retain key private sector role in nationalised railways

Sunak pledge to boost defence spending raises prospect of cuts elsewhere

Former UK parliamentary aide charged with spying for China

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Presented by Lucy Fisher. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer with production help from Leah Quinn. 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

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