At popular request, we’re intro-ing a semi-regular Political Fix Q&A episode from next month💪 So pls get in touch! Send a voicenote with your name & Q to [email protected] Will field them to robert shrimsley Stephen Bush Miranda Green @Georgewparker @pickardje @annasophiegross

When you jump the gun with an announcement 3 months ahead of schedule to deflect from cuts only to have your numbers further questioned. The £2bn boost to affordable homes is short £400m on the avg annual spend but with another announcement due in June, hopes are pinned on

ministers have hailed a “landmark” announcement of £2bn of government funding to build new social and affordable homes in the 2026-27 financial year but the figure is lower than the average state spending for the sector over the past five years (£2.4bn)

🎙️ Trump’s trade war: trouble ahead for Britain robert shrimsley, Jim Pickard 🐋 & Peter Foster are on Political Fix this week, discussing what Starmer can – & should – do in response to US tariffs Plus, we ask on the pod if govt’s pro-growth measures are gimmicks or good tactics

Unite the Union poised to write down its assets by £60mn - in its first accounts for four years - amid two ongoing scandals at one of Britain’s biggest unions My FT long read ft.com/content/9e1774…

New - Indian officials say Badenoch talking "rubbish" over "two tier tax" attack on UK/India FTA. Say she agreed principle of exempting Indian workers from NICs when she was trade sec. Team Badenoch: "The Indians put it on the table and Kemi said No." ft.com/content/7f1337…

Thames Water’s senior executives will receive new lavish “retention incentives” as part of a £3bn emergency loan agreed by the utility that is seeking to stave off renationalisation. ft.com/content/1f6d15… via @ft

big media scoop via Dan

You can agree with Starmer's deal, or you can disagree with Starmer's deal. But the reality is none of the concessions to the EU - and they are there - come close to the concessions granted by Theresa May, Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak.

Starmer claimed breakthrough allowing Britons to use electronic passport gates across the EU as part of Monday's deal But broader reform of European border checks (planned for years) will allow everyone from around the world to use “e-gates” at airports across the bloc

Bonuses for failure? We won’t stand for it. ft.com/content/db1e05…

yet another painful interview with Kemi Badenoch, this time on the BBC

How AI lied and gaslit me: 🤯💣🔥 Won’t lie: what happened to me this week made my jaw drop Do watch:

These awards recognise the razor-sharp political analysis and unrivalled insight of George Parker robert shrimsley Stephen Bush Miranda Green Jim Pickard 🐋 Anna Gross, and the myriad other top Financial Times folk who join the podcast panel from week to week

you will have read that Labour is doubling investment in social housing in long term it’s true if 1) you compare it to the Tories and 2) if Labour win the next two general elections but new allocations for next 3 years are *lower* than this year ft.com/content/92a18f…

"STARMER YIELDS TO AVERT LABOUR 'CIVIL WAR' OVER CUTS TO WELFARE" Full Story: t.ly/IB-IX Jim Pickard 🐋 / David Sheppard / Sam Fleming (FT) for Financial Times. ​ #KeirStarmer was forced to respond to rebel #LabourParty MPs. #FinancialTimes #TomorrowsPapersToday #IBPAPERS

if the pound has dropped 1.2% against the dollar and 0.8% against the euro that suggests that markets *really* don't want Rachel Reeves to leave the Treasury ft.com/content/b323d3…

Boston Consulting Group modelled the costs of “relocating” Palestinians from Gaza and entered into a multimillion-dollar contract to help launch an aid scheme for the shattered enclave, a Financial Times investigation has found. ft.com/content/c0e661…

Exclusive: The Tony Blair Institute participated in a project to develop a postwar Gaza plan that envisaged kick-starting the enclave’s economy with a “Trump Riviera” and an “Elon Musk Smart Manufacturing Zone” ft.com/content/0b1bc7…