Boats and the Budget: the battlelines are drawn
Political Fix21 Nov 2025

Boats and the Budget: the battlelines are drawn

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood announced a tough set of measures overhauling immigration policy this week, in a bid to deter illegal boat crossings and tackle the thorny issue of asylum seekers that dominates the news agenda. But how did the announcement go down with a divided Labour party?

And, just days away from the Budget, chancellor Rachel Reeves is under huge pressure after a series of U-turns and leaks on taxation policy.

Host George Parker discusses whether anything can be done to reverse the fortunes of the government with the FT’s deputy opinion editor Miranda Green, political columnist and writer of the Inside Politics newsletter Stephen Bush, and Whitehall correspondent David Sheppard.


Follow George on Bluesky @georgewparker.bsky.social; Stephen @stephenkb.bsky.social; Miranda @greenmirandahere.bsky.social; David @oilsheppard.bsky.social

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

Want more? Free links:

Labour needs a way out of the infernal circle of immigration policy

Why the small boats won’t stop

High earners to be eligible for UK settlement within 3 years of arrival

UK asylum seekers face seizure of jewellery to pay for accommodation

Rachel Reeves’ gambit

Covid response of ‘toxic’ UK government was ‘too little, too late’, inquiry finds

To sign up for free to the new FT Alphaville newsletter on Substack, go to ftav.substack.com

The FT is hosting a live webinar on November 28 on what the UK Budget will mean for your money. You can put questions to FT journalists Claer Barrett, Stuart Kirk, Tej Parikh and special guest, tax expert Dan Neidle. Get your pass now at ft.com/budgetwebinar.

Sign up to Stephen'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 at https://www.ft.com/InsidePoliticsOffer.

To sign up for free to the new FT Alphaville newsletter on substack, go to ftav.substack.com

Presented by George Parker, and produced by Lulu Smyth and Clare Williamson. The executive producer is Flo Phillips. Original music by Breen Turner, mix by Odinn Inigbergsson. The FT’s acting co-head of audio is Manuela Saragosa.

Clips from BBC


Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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

Avsnitt(575)

Weighing the cost of a historic recession

Weighing the cost of a historic recession

The UK is in its deepest recession on record, official data showed this week. Not only does Britain have the worst coronavirus death toll in Europe, but the economy has been harder hit than any other ...

15 Aug 202024min

Tracking the virus before schools return

Tracking the virus before schools return

Boris Johnson’s government has been warned by the opposition that it has less than a month to fix the test, track and trace system to get pupils back into schools, while avoiding another coronavirus o...

8 Aug 202032min

Sajid Javid’s verdict on the Johnson government

Sajid Javid’s verdict on the Johnson government

In the latest from our summer interview series, former UK chancellor Sajid Javid joins Sebastian Payne for a discussion on whether the government has the right approach to getting the country's econom...

5 Aug 202033min

Lockdown tightens in the north

Lockdown tightens in the north

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put a brake on the reopening of parts of the UK, as cases of coronavirus began to surge again. Will these localised lockdowns work? Plus, we discuss the chaos over the int...

1 Aug 202030min

Russian meddling and Scottish independence

Russian meddling and Scottish independence

The long-awaited report on Russian interference in British politics was finally released this week. Although it is no smoking gun, what should Westminster do about this real threat? We also discuss th...

25 Juli 202032min

Amber Rudd on why PM is getting it wrong on equality and Brexit

Amber Rudd on why PM is getting it wrong on equality and Brexit

Former home secretary Amber Rudd finds the state of the Conservative party "devastating” and "embarrassing". In the second episode of a special interview series, she tells Sebastian Payne that Boris J...

22 Juli 202031min

Downing Street vs the Conservative party

Downing Street vs the Conservative party

Number 10 found itself at odds with its own MPs this week, as its plan to install former minister Chris Grayling as chair of the intelligence committee backfired. With serious questions also raised ab...

18 Juli 202031min

Sunak's snacks to save the economy

Sunak's snacks to save the economy

Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out a £30bn plan to save British jobs this week, with a big boost for pubs and restaurants, but will it be enough to stem the tide of unemployment? We delve into his summer ...

11 Juli 202031min

Populärt inom Politik & nyheter

aftonbladet-krim
motiv
p3-krim
blenda-2
rss-krimstad
fordomspodden
flashback-forever
rss-viva-fotboll
svenska-fall
rss-sanning-konsekvens
spar
aftonbladet-daily
svd-dokumentara-berattelser-2
rss-vad-fan-hande
rss-krimreportrarna
rss-frandfors-horna
rss-flodet
olyckan-inifran
kungligt
svd-ledarredaktionen