Farage against the machine On Political Fix this week, @annasophiegross.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social & @stephenkb.bsky.social discuss whether Reform can broaden its appeal Plus: local elxn delay u-turn, fresh Chagos drama, & battles ahead on SEND podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/p...

EXC: Four people with knowledge of the 2017 investigation into alleged bullying by Dame Antonia Romeo raised concerns about her with govt this month, ahead of her appointment as cabinet secretary today www.ft.com/content/bee4...

Mandarin mayhem! Latest episode of Political Fix has just dropped Feat @stephenkb.bsky.social @greenmirandahere.bsky.social & @chris-smyth.bsky.social This week we discuss the Whitehall briefing wars, gender politics in No 10, & if govt will lurch leftward podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/p...

Exc: Ministers and civil servants have been told to report any future conversations with Global Counsel, the lobbying firm co-founded by Mandelson, in latest fallout from his ties to Epstein From @pickardje.bsky.social, @aarmstrongsays.bsky.social & me

The battle of the mandarins rumbles on Starmer is facing pressure to conduct a full process to appoint next cab sec, amid warnings a rush job will undermine winner - even from supporters of Antonia Romeo Former cab sec Lord Wilson, and raft of ex-perm secs speak to FT www.ft.com/content/43e9...

EXC: Starmer is set to call for new multinational defence initiative, which could finance & oversee joint weapons procurement, driving down cost of rearmament PM will use Munich Security Conference to make the case for the new mechanism w/ Sam Fleming www.ft.com/content/28e1...

Latest episode of POLITICAL FIX has just dropped... Mandelson, money - and the risk to the prime minister Feat @PickardJE, @stephenkb & @AArmstrong_says Available here, or wherever you get your podcasts 📻🎧 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

EXC: Residents living next to China’s proposed “mega” embassy in London have taken the first formal step in pursuit of a judicial review of govt’s approval for the diplomatic complex www.ft.com/content/c5ca...

EXC: US State dept is set to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities in UK/ Europe to amplify Washington’s policy stances and challenge perceived threats to free speech W/ @annasophiegross.bsky.social, @oilsheppard.bsky.social & Amy McKinnon as.ft.com/r/98452b33-5...

EXC: Mandelson sought advice from Epstein on setting up his advisory firm, Global Counsel, including how to target potential new clients such as the Chinese government w/ @ashleyarmstrong.bsky.social & @pickardje.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/13d2...

Keir Starmer is convening advisers today to try and break the deadlock on delayed Defence Investment Plan, with other crucial convos lined up by PM Govt officials are examining ‘creative solutions’ to override defence funding gap of up to £28bn over 10 years www.ft.com/content/4458...

Apart from everything else, a reminder why you should invest in quality journalism. Buy a paper.

The brilliant @pickardje.bsky.social and @pmdfoster.bsky.social have been on to the extraordinary story about Epstein paying Mandelson’s husband thousands of pounds in 2009-10 since September Their account is a must-read, with details you won’t get anywhere else www.ft.com/content/608a...

Chinese whispers — at home and abroad 🇨🇳 On Political Fix this week, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social, @pickardje.bsky.social & @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social examine whether Starmer will last the year + @georgewparker.bsky.social beams in w/ top analysis from Shanghai podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/p...

Ha! Looks like DSIT was forced to take down a training module about intellectual property rights on its new £4mn 'AI Skills Hub' straight after launch this week… in a bungle involving an intellectual property breach 🤦‍♂️ Uncovered by Graham Lovelace 👇 grahamlovelace.substack.com/p/exclusive-...

So thrilled we won ‘story of the year’ for the Afghan Files at the Political Podcast Awards last night! 🏆 Congrats to all the FT Political Fix team!! @manuelasaragosa.bsky.social, @lulusmyth.bsky.social, @georgewparker.bsky.social, Flo and the rest of the gang

John Healey launches new fund to accelerate contracts for UK military start-ups, as MoD seeks to diversify away from the industry giants Def sec says govt must ‘reward risk-takers’ & ‘jump start’ entrepreneurialism in the homegrown defence tech sector as.ft.com/r/3dd3fb02-f...

EXC: UK govt planning to tighten scrutiny of China in its Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) this year Officials are crafting bespoke option to put some Chinese entities into ‘enhanced tier’, without lumping Beijing wholesale in same tier as Russia/Iran as.ft.com/r/24301366-1...

EXC: The multibillion-pound contract to build ‘Skynet 6’ next-gen military satellites is shaping up as key flashpoint in UK govt, as Trump’s threats to western allies are fuelling concern about London’s reliance on Washington for defence giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

NEW: Govt defeated on amendment for an under-16s social media ban in House of Lords by 111 votes Peers voted by 261 to 150 to approve a Tory-led, cross-party amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill, heaping pressure on Starmer to take tougher action than consultation unveiled this week

Well this is nice… Political Fix nominated for two awards at the @inhousecomms.bsky.social Political Podcast awards — ‘story of the year’ and ‘producer of the year’ @manuelasaragosa.bsky.social really is the best in the biz - thrilled to see her on the shortlist! 💪

Lovely weekend at Cheltenham Literature Festival — thanks for having me #CheltLitFest 📚🎙️

Great fun appearing at the #ftweekendfestival for a Political Fix / Swamp Notes mash up today @georgewparker.bsky.social, Brooke Masters, Marc Filippino & I chatted Anglo-American politics and podcasts (And away from a snotty 3 month old & a sticky-fingered 3 year old, I dared to wear cream…)

🎧The Afghan data breach, super-injunctions, scandal, scrutiny... With @lucyfisher.ft.com dialling up to the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk podcast studio to join @cathhaddon.bsky.social @alexgathomas.bsky.social & @gemmatetlow.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

in this week’s FT Political Fix podcast our Whitehall editor @lucyfisher.ft.com explains how she was one of the journalists to find out about the Afghan files, only to get hit with the government’s unprecedented super-injunction www.ft.com/content/46bf...

🤔 Curious that No 10 briefed today that Kemi Badenoch, as leader of opposition, turned down a briefing on the Afghan data leak When Labour were in opposition, a briefing on the same data breach was offered to Keir Starmer in December 2023... and John Healey turned it down on his behalf

NEW: ‘Confusion’ reigns over cost of UK’s Afghan rescue scheme, warns chair of parliament’s spending watchdog Alongside muddle between £850mn and £7bn figures, govt has failed to give costings for a cohort of 1,000 Afghans relocated to UK due to data leak www.ft.com/content/03f5...

EXC: Official govt auditor has questioned MoD’s handling of Afghan data leak NAO told me the MoD did not inform it about data breach in “the established way for sensitive defence matters” MoD did not give NAO full information about leak & implications www.ft.com/content/00b8...

How one of the gravest security lapses in history was kept secret The story of the super-injunction: the global gagging order sought by successive UK govts to silence media over leak that put thousands at risk of Taliban reprisals By Alistair Gray & me 👇 #AfghanFiles www.ft.com/content/dbba...

The British state’s battle to contain the fallout from catastrophic Afghan data leak The full story of how the crisis unfolded over several years by @nyalistair and me 👇 #AfghanFiles www.ft.com/content/ac73...

🚨 🚨 🚨 UK govt set up a secret multibillion-pound scheme to relocate thousands of Afghans to Britain after a data leak put them at risk of murder and torture by the Taliban... Then gagged the media with a super-injunction for almost two years www.ft.com/content/f6b4...

These awards recognise the razor-sharp political analysis and unrivalled insight of the panel each week: @georgewparker.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social, @pickardje.bsky.social, , @greenmirandahere.bsky.social, @annasophiegross.bsky.social, @stephenkb.bsky.social & more 💪

Beyond thrilled that Political Fix has won both ‘political podcast of the year’ AND ‘podcast of the year’ at Publisher Podcast Awards tonight!🏆 Alongside amazing FT panel you hear each week, big props to incredible team @manuelasaragosa.bsky.social @lulusmyth.bsky.social, Flo Phillips, Breen Turner

A note to say I'm now on maternity leave until the end of the year, after my baby son arrived last week Until then, @georgewparker.bsky.social has hopped into the hot seat hosting Political Fix🎙️📻 And @oilsheppard.bsky.social is acting Whitehall Editor at FT Huge thanks to both! See you in 2026 👋

I've met some incredible people during my 25 year+ career, but these four top the lot. A butcher, a machinist, a tour guide, a botany lecturer...oh, and all WW2 veterans alive today and each with an amazing story. With @lucyfisher.ft.com via @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/f7e8... #WW2 #VEDay

Excl: Lower US tariffs on UK exports unlikely to take effect for weeks, say British officials UK companies complain about continued uncertainty around levies despite the bilateral trade deal Via me, @aimewilliams.bsky.social & colleagues www.ft.com/content/1b71...

Kemi Badenoch pivots to economy, amid signs her attempt to fight Reform UK on immigration and “woke” issues is floundering Via George Parker and me 👇 www.ft.com/content/05bc...

You asked and we delivered... ‘Ask Political Fix‘, a new semi-regular Q&A format for the podcast! Of course I had the easy job filleting your fiendish questions... This week @greenmirandahere.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social & @stephenkb.bsky.social answered them Tell us what you think!

The new intl development minister is taking a strikingly tough line on aid cuts, amid Labour’s wider rightward tack Bns Jenny Chapman will tell MPs later that the days of British govt being “a global charity are over”, as she mulls ending cash for projects supporting education & feminist orgs

EXCL: Head of Royal Navy stepped back from his role after MoD launched an investigation into his conduct relating to a relationship with female subordinate, acc to people familiar with matter MoD probe is ongoing into First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Ben Key www.ft.com/content/95a4...

EXC: Pentagon wants UK military to focus more on Europe and less on Asia, in a major policy shift from Biden administration, which pushed European allies to boost Indo-Pac activity to send a strong signal to China From Demetri Sevastopulo & me 👇 on.ft.com/4iTeDRi

EXC: Head of Royal Navy has stepped down and his deputy is in charge of service Adm Sir Ben Key notified CDS & def sec last autumn that he would leave this summer for personal reasons, acc to ppl familiar w/ matter Not related to govt strategic defence review, they said www.ft.com/content/0582...

Looking forward to joining the BBCR4 Week in Westminster panel from 11am 🎙️ @pronouncedalva.bsky.social, Henry Hill and I will be discussing what happens next for Reform, Lab & the Tories after these dramatic local election results 📻

Apocalypse now. Analysis with @lucyfisher.ft.com on what Farage’s advance means for Starmer and Badenoch on.ft.com/42Zq6ZA

It is, of course, a local election results special on Political Fix this week 🎙️ @stephenkb.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social & @georgewparker.bsky.social join me to discuss the ‘reformquake’ and whether it’s the end of the two-party duopoly… Out now, wherever you get your podcasts! 📻🎧

UK military is shrinking by 200-300 personnel a month, says chief of defence staff It will take up to 3 years for British armed forces to start growing in size, acc to Adm Radakin enterprise-sharing.ft.com/redeem/bf2a2...

🎙️ Political Fix has recorded a handy local elections guide this week 🗳️ I'm joined by @greenmirandahere.bsky.social, @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social & Anna Gross to discuss Reform’s momentum, the races to watch, and the stakes at play for the main parties Available wherever you get your podcasts! 📻🎧

Scotland stands to gain from Trump’s clean energy rollback, says Scottish secretary Ian Murray tells FT that investors spooked by Trump’s unpredictability are looking favourably at UK as an alt destination for their cash - especially Scotland for its renewables sector www.ft.com/content/ae0d...

NEW: Veteran NHS manager with private health sector experience is to be the next perm sec at Dept of Health, as civil service prepares for extensive churn at top of Whitehall Samantha Jones in at DHSC, as MoJ, DfT & DSIT seek new perm secs Story from me & Sarah Neville www.ft.com/content/e062...

EXC: Britain must expand its military footprint in Arctic and High North as region becomes increasingly contested due to melting sea ice, govt’s strategic defence review set to advise Story from me, @sylviapfeifer.bsky.social & Charles Clover on.ft.com/4jhnrBp