For Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the results were ‘disappointing’, Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer claimed his party was heading for power and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey wore a ‘Cheshire cat’ grin. What do this week’s local elections in England show about the likely direction of the next general election? Host George Parker discusses with columnist Stephen Bush, Northern England correspondent Jennifer Williams and the FT’s new Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher.
Presented by George Parker. Produced by Anna Dedhar and Josh Gabert-Doyon. The executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. The sound engineer is Breen Turner and the FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley
News clips: Sky, BBC, GB News
Sign up for 90 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award: https://www.ft.com/newsletter-signup/inside-politics
Follow @GeorgeWParker on Twitter
Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com
View our accessibility guide
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Live special: Who will win the UK general election?
Election special — local poll results roll in
Chinese spying claims in the UK – and beyond
Prime ministers’ legacies: Sunak, Truss and Brown
The great stink of England’s sewage crisis
Tory ‘red wall’ seats under threat
Britain’s China conundrum
Will the economy save Sunak?
Who’s an extremist in the UK?
Jeremy Hunt: tax-cutting wizard or fiscal drag queen?
Labour’s worst nightmare?
Why would anyone want to become an MP?
Tories reel from by-election blows
Will Labour’s green U-turn weaken Starmer?
Introducing: Swamp Notes from The FT News Briefing
Who still votes Conservative?
Who’s behind the Tory plots?
Introducing Untold: The Retreat
Destination Rwanda?
The Post Office scandal: who foots the bill?
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
FT News Briefing
Money Clinic with Claer Barrett
FT World Weekly
FT News in Focus
FT Banking Weekly