Accessibility helpSkip to navigationSkip to contentSkip to footer

Cookies on FT Sites

We use cookies and other data for a number of reasons, such as keeping FT Sites reliable and secure, personalising content and ads, providing social media features and to analyse how our Sites are used.

Accept cookies
Manage cookies
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
Open side navigation menuOpen search bar
Financial Times
SubscribeSign InmyFT
  • Home
  • World
    Sections
    • World Home
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • War in Ukraine
    • Americas
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • Australia & NZ
    Most Read
    • Kevin McCarthy ousted as House Speaker by Republican rebels
    • ‘Now what?’: Kevin McCarthy’s historic downfall stuns Washington
    • EU estimates Ukraine entitled to €186bn after accession
    • Germany becomes scapegoat in Poland’s bitter election campaign
    • Germany seeks ‘grand bargain’ with France over energy
  • UK
    Sections
    • UK Home
    • UK Economy
    • UK Politics
    • Brexit
    • UK Companies
    • Personal Finance
    Most Read
    • Rishi Sunak axes northern leg of HS2 in flurry of ‘radical’ decisions
    • Jeremy Hunt pushed for HS2 rail line to end in central London
    • The ‘rabidly anti-HS2’ aide who has Rishi Sunak’s ear
    • Northern leg of HS2 will be cancelled, Grant Shapps confirms
    • Spain, Portugal and Morocco to host 2030 football World Cup
  • Companies
    Sections
    • Companies Home
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
    Most Read
    • Blackstone funds legal action over soured Bain Capital deal
    • Revolut strikes share deal with SoftBank to remove barrier to UK licence
    • The London office market is becoming harder work
    • Hedge funds Millennium and Schonfeld in advanced partnership talks
    • Sam Bankman-Fried sues US insurer over legal bills
  • Tech
  • Markets
    Sections
    • Markets Home
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Cryptofinance
    • Capital Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Fund Management
    • Trading
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
    Most Read
    • Live news: US sends 1mn rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine
    • Revolut strikes share deal with SoftBank to remove barrier to UK licence
    • Treasury yields fall back from 16-year high after weak US jobs data
    • Hedge funds Millennium and Schonfeld in advanced partnership talks
    • Sam Bankman-Fried sues US insurer over legal bills
  • Climate
  • Opinion
    Sections
    • Opinion Home
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
    Most Read
    • Italians have embraced ‘fake English’
    • The return of American isolationism
    • Sunak’s strategy makes Starmer the real election issue
    • Chief executives really need to lengthen their attention spans
    • Can China overcome its demographic deficit?
  • Work & Careers
    Sections
    • Work & Careers Home
    • Business School Rankings
    • Business Education
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Recruitment
    • Business Books
    • Business Travel
    Most Read
    • Why personal conduct is a growing risk for business
    • The ghastly modern office needs a reboot
    • ‘Talk to everyone you can’: Plaid’s Zach Perret on navigating a failed sale and Covid upheaval
    • Labour conference will be so full of execs it will look like Davos, only in Liverpool
  • Life & Arts
    Sections
    • Life & Arts Home
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
    Most Read
    • How to look rich
    • Climate change leads homebuyers to seek a place not in the sun
    • At home with Frankel, the racehorse turned super-stud
    • David Bowie — six songs that shook the world of music
    • So long — and thanks for the comments!
  • HTSI
MenuSearch
  • Home
  • World
  • UK
  • Companies
  • Tech
  • Markets
  • Climate
  • Opinion
  • Work & Careers
  • Life & Arts
  • HTSI
Financial Times
SubscribeSign In

Stephen Bush

Columnist and Associate Editor

Stephen Bush is an associate editor and columnist at the Financial Times. He writes a daily newsletter, Inside Politics, charting the course of politics and policy in the United Kingdom, and a wide-ranging weekly column. You can subscribe to Inside Politics here.

Email Stephen Bush @stephenkb  on Twitter (link opens in a new browser window)

Add to myFT Digest

Add this topic to your myFT Digest for news straight to your inbox

  • Wednesday, 4 October, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Sunak’s ‘tough’ decisions are not all that tough

    For prime minister to pitch himself as a change candidate, he needs to align political message with policy reality

    Rishi Sunak holds a meeting with staff in his hotel room ahead of his keynote speech to the Conservative party conference
  • Tuesday, 3 October, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Hunt’s bet on a cheaper reformed state won’t cut taxes anytime soon

    Tory party’s sharp divides on taxes and spending constrain chancellor’s moves to slim down public services

    Jeremy Hunt on stage at the Conservative party conference
  • Tuesday, 3 October, 2023
    UK society
    Rishi Sunak is right: multiculturalism works

    British politicians would do well to reflect on the country’s relative success in integrating minorities

    Illustration of two rows of paper chain people. On the top row, the people’s hands and feet are joined with sticky tape and each person has a country flag - left to right: India, Portugal, Britain and Canada. The bottom row is seemlessly joined with each figure a different colour
  • Monday, 2 October, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Jeremy Hunt’s risky ‘carrot and stick’ policies could help revive Tory fortunes

    ‘Shirkers versus strivers’ narrative recalls George Osborne’s measures, which are uncertain to gel with public today

    Jeremy Hunt
  • Friday, 29 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Will Sunak’s ‘plan for motorists’ cut through to local votes?

    While polling shows ‘anti-car’ schemes split opinion, Tory councillors tend to oppose them, occasionally reaping rewards

    A sign which says ‘no to 20’
  • Thursday, 28 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Sunak’s attempted reset is all pain, no gain

    PM wants to show willingness to confront tough decisions, but his announcements are so far unhelpful to his falling ratings

    Rishi Sunak stands at a podium featuring the words: ‘Long-term decisions for a brighter future’
  • Wednesday, 27 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Will Lib Dems capitalise on spotlight come election time?

    Bruised leader Ed Davey tells personal tale in conference speech, while in US Braverman winks to Tory right flank

    Ed Davey raises his right hand on stage at the gathering
  • Tuesday, 26 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Davey’s defeat on conference floor crushes Lib Dem hopes of abandoning housing target

    Also in this newsletter, what this means for the future of a Labour-Liberal Democrat arrangement, and Sunak’s possible inheritance tax overhaul

    Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey
  • Monday, 25 September, 2023
    Social affairs
    The problem with power parents

    The FTX saga illustrates why you should not expect objectivity from a family member

    Illustration of a woman seen from behind looking through a magnifying glass at her child’s artworks. The art is very childlike but the bit showing in the magnifying glass looks like Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night’
  • Monday, 25 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Why the Liberal Democrats are worth watching

    Also in this newsletter, controversy after Chris Kaba shooting investigation has provoked questionable responses from Scotland Yard and Home Office

    Ed Davey gestures to a clock which says ‘time’s up for Rishi Sunak’
  • Friday, 22 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Sunak’s worthy A-level reforms held back by fantasies on tax

    While there is cross-party support for a ‘British baccalaureate’, PM is yet to get ball rolling in any meaningful way

    Rishi Sunak being interviewed in a school
  • Thursday, 21 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Tories are stuck in a short- and long-term crisis

    Periods of infighting can be a damaging but necessary step in the timeline of political parties

    Rishi Sunak leaves after a speech
  • Wednesday, 20 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Sunak’s net zero motives are ideological, not electoral

    Retreating from 2019 pledge takes Tories away from election-winning territory — and towards the wrecking yard

    Rishi Sunak
  • Tuesday, 19 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Truss ducks her thorniest problem in bid to stay relevant

    Blaming external forces becomes especially attractive in opposition and sidesteps confronting internal divisions

    Liz Truss gives a speech
  • Tuesday, 19 September, 2023
    Social affairs
    What Bradley Cooper’s fake nose can teach us

    An unflappable attitude in the face of online pile-ons can be a winning tactic

  • Monday, 18 September, 2023
    Labour Party UK
    Labour’s fudging on HS2 tells us a lot about its election priorities

    Starmer’s time as leader of the opposition offers the template he wants to follow in securing a mandate

    Keir Starmer at a press conference at the Labour party headquarters in March 2023
  • Friday, 15 September, 2023
    UK immigration
    Starmer prioritises control over unrealistic aim of ‘stopping the boats’

    Also in this newsletter, Rishi Sunak needs to rely on opposition party votes occasionally if he wants to make his mark

    A border force boat assists people travelling by small boat at sea
  • Thursday, 14 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    The post-Sunak Tory party belongs to the right

    Centre-right leadership contenders who claim they can win elections will seem less convincing after a painful defeat

    Deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, prime minister Rishi Sunak, trade secretary Kemi Badenoch and home secretary Suella Braverman during Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons
  • Wednesday, 13 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Sunak must not avoid arguing with his party as his star plummets

    Also in this newsletter, Britain’s botched hosting of two Soviet dignitaries in 1956

    Rishi Sunak and James Cleverly
  • Tuesday, 12 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    What the spy saga reveals about UK-China relations

    The inevitable consequence of events will mean further demands for greater distance

    An FT montage of the Houses of Parliament, a Chinese flag in the background and the shadow of a person in the foreground
  • Monday, 11 September, 2023
    Populism
    The history wars have a big casualty — the past

    Sins of omission and distortion from politicians are complicating the real point of the discipline

    Illustration of Narendra Modi from behind using a roller to paint the Indian flag over the Union Jack
  • Monday, 11 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Sunak’s foreign policy reset overshadowed by espionage

    A parliamentary researcher’s arrest on suspicion of spying for Beijing is damaging the PM’s agenda

    The shadow of a person in front of parliament buildings in Westminster, London
  • Friday, 8 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    London’s tightening mayoral race offers window into future of road charges

    Opposing schemes such as Ulez will become more popular, though the politics of it in the capital are not straightforward

    Some cars on a road with a green Ulez sign
  • Thursday, 7 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Understatement is getting Sunak nowhere

    Ahead of G20 India trip PM squanders chance to show how he embodies change, though trumpeting Horizon deal isn’t the answer

    Rishi Sunak
  • Wednesday, 6 September, 2023
    Inside Politics
    Not all English councils will survive government’s long funding squeeze

    Once hailed as an exemplary authority, Birmingham’s history of poor governance has left it facing big bills

    Statue of Queen Victoria with the Council House behind it in Birmingham, England
Previous page You are on page 1 Next page

Useful links

Support

View Site TipsHelp CentreContact UsAbout UsAccessibilitymyFT TourCareers

Legal & Privacy

Terms & ConditionsPrivacy PolicyCookiesCopyrightSlavery Statement & Policies

Services

Share News Tips SecurelyIndividual SubscriptionsProfessional SubscriptionsRepublishingExecutive Job SearchAdvertise with the FTFollow the FT on XFT ChannelsFT Schools

Tools

PortfolioToday’s Newspaper (FT Digital Edition)Alerts HubBusiness School RankingsEnterprise ToolsNews feedNewslettersCurrency Converter

Community & Events

FT CommunityFT Live EventsFT ForumsFT Board DirectorBoard Director Programme

More from the FT Group

Markets data delayed by at least 15 minutes. © THE FINANCIAL TIMES LTD 2023. FT and ‘Financial Times’ are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.
The Financial Times and its journalism are subject to a self-regulation regime under the FT Editorial Code of Practice.
Financial Times

UK Edition

Subscribe for full access
  • Switch to International Edition

Top sections

  • Home
  • World
    • Global Economy
    • UK
    • US
    • China
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Emerging Markets
    • Europe
    • War in Ukraine
    • Americas
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • Australia & NZ
  • UK
    • UK Economy
    • UK Politics
    • Brexit
    • UK Companies
    • Personal Finance
  • Companies
    • Energy
    • Financials
    • Health
    • Industrials
    • Media
    • Professional Services
    • Retail & Consumer
    • Tech Sector
    • Telecoms
    • Transport
  • Tech
  • Markets
    • Alphaville
    • Markets Data
    • Cryptofinance
    • Capital Markets
    • Commodities
    • Currencies
    • Equities
    • Fund Management
    • Trading
    • Moral Money
    • ETF Hub
  • Climate
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • The FT View
    • Lex
    • Obituaries
    • Letters
  • Work & Careers
    • Business School Rankings
    • Business Education
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Recruitment
    • Business Books
    • Business Travel
  • Life & Arts
    • Arts
    • Books
    • Food & Drink
    • FT Magazine
    • House & Home
    • Style
    • Travel
    • FT Globetrotter
  • Personal Finance
    • Property & Mortgages
    • Investments
    • Pensions
    • Tax
    • Banking & Savings
    • Advice & Comment
    • Next Act
  • HTSI
  • Special Reports

FT recommends

  • Lex
  • Alphaville
  • Lunch with the FT
  • FT Globetrotter
  • #techAsia
  • Moral Money
  • Visual and data journalism
  • Newsletters
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • News feed
  • FT Live Events
  • FT Forums
  • Board Director Programme
  • myFT
  • Portfolio
  • Today’s Newspaper (FT Digital Edition)
  • Crossword
  • Our Apps
  • Help Centre
  • Subscribe
  • Sign In