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More Americans trust Kamala Harris to handle the US economy than Donald Trump, European traders this summer are using only a fraction of Ukraine's vast natural gas storage, and boycotts of western food and drinks brands in Muslim countries are hitting the revenues of multinationals. Plus, we look into why mid-tier US accounting firms are under increasing pressure to overhaul their networks. Mentioned in this podcast:Widespread boycotts in Muslim countries hammer western brandsUS accounting firms rethink global networksBosses cut flying day trips as travel settles into permanent ‘new normal'Kamala Harris is more trusted than Donald Trump on the US economyEuropean gas traders shun Ukraine storage after Russian attacksThe FT News Briefing is produced by Fiona Symon, Sonja Hutson, Kasia Broussalian and Marc Filippino. Additional help from Molly Nugent, Siona Jenkins, Breen Turner, Sam Giovinco, Peter Barber, Michael Lello, David da Silva and Gavin Kallmann. Our engineer is Monica Lopez. Topher Forhecz is the FT's executive producer. The FT's global head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. The show's theme song is by Metaphor Music.Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Last week Boris Johnson lead the conservative party to its biggest victory in over 30 years on a promise to “get Brexit done”. What should the UK expect from its new government and how has business reacted to the election? George Parker and Adam Samson talk to Siona Jenkins about what the next five years could bring.Contributors: Siona Jenkins, editor, UK news, George Parker, political editor and Adam Samson, global head of Fast FT. Producer: Persis Love. Photo credit: Leon Neal/PA See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Britain's party leaders have made lavish promises to win favour with voters ahead of next month's election. Chris Giles, FT economics editor, discusses the main parties' pre-election pledges and their likely impact on the economy with Siona Jenkins.Contributors: Siona Jenkins, editor, UK news, and Chris Giles, economic editor. Producers: Fiona Symon and Persis Love See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
We have seen a historic day for British politics as the Supreme Court ruled that Boris Johnson’s decision to prorogue parliament for five weeks was unlawful. Siona Jenkins discusses what the ruling means for Brexit, for the prime minister, and for British democracy, with Jane Croft, law courts correspondent, and Neil Buckley, leader writer. Contributors: Siona Jenkins, news editor, Jane Croft, law courts correspondent and Neil Buckley, leader writer. Producer: Fiona Symon and Persis Love See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Britain's new prime minister Boris Johnson has set himself a 100-day deadline to achieve Brexit, with or without a deal with the European Union. Siona Jenkins discusses his chances of achieving this with Miranda Green, deputy opinion editor, and Jim Brunsden, EU correspondent.Contributors: Siona Jenkins, editor, UK news, Miranda Green, deputy opinion editor, and Jim Brunsden, EU correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Crude oil prices surge as tensions rise in the Middle East, Brussels says Russian sources mounted a “sustained” disinformation effort to influence last month’s EU parliament elections and the focus in the UK leadership stakes moves to the second round after Boris Johnson emerged well ahead in the first party vote in the contest to become Britain’s next prime minister. Plus, the FT’s Siona Jenkins explains why 2019 will be a pivotal year for women’s football. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
After ten years at the helm, Benjamin Netanyahu’s re-election hopes have taken a knock after Israel’s attorney general said he plans to indict the prime minister for bribery. Siona Jenkins discusses what impact this will have on next month's vote with Mehul Srivastava in Jerusalem.Contrbitutors: Josh Noble, weekend news editor, Siona Jenkins, news editor, and Mehul Srivastava, Tel Aviv correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Seven opposition Labour MPs, dissatisfied with the polarisation of politics around Brexit, have launched a political faction called the Independent Group. Siona Jenkins spoke to Henry Mance about whether the group can succeed in its aim of building a new politics in Britain.Contributors: Cat Rutter Pooley, FastFT reporter, Siona Jenkins, news editor and Henry Mance, political correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Theresa May’s Brexit plan has been voted down in the largest ever defeat for a UK government on a major piece of legislation. Less than a third of parliament supported the deal. So what happens next? Siona Jenkins spoke to Henry Mance about the prime minister's options.Contributors: Suzanne Blumsom, executive editor, Siona Jenkins, editor, UK news, and Henry Mance, political correspondent. Producer: Fiona Symon See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has issued a stark warning about the 'substantial costs' to the UK of leaving the EU without a deal. Siona Jenkins discusses the warning and how serious the risk of a no-deal exit is with the FT's Chris Giles and James Blitz. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Theresa May’s plan for leaving the European Union is being tested in parliament this week, with several key votes on amendments to Brexit legislation that could radically alter the outcome of her negotiations. Siona Jenkins asks the FT’s public policy editor James Blitz to preview the votes. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The network of mostly former British colonies accounts for a relatively small share of British exports compared to the EU but this means the potential for growth is great, say exponents of Brexit. Siona Jenkins examines the arguments with the FT's Alan Beattie and Emily Jones of the Blavatnik School of Government in Oxford. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
A big appeal of Brexit for fishing communities around the UK was the promise that Britain would take back control of the seas around its coast and restore fishing rights perceived as being ‘stolen’ by European neighbours. However, the exit negotiations may result in a rather messier outcome, as fisheries are used as a bargaining chip in the broader UK-EU trade talks. Siona Jenkins discusses the future of the fishing industry with the FT's Mure Dickie, Chris Tighe and James Blitz See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Northern Ireland is proving to be the single biggest risk to Brexit talks as negotiators struggle to reconcile competing demands for the UK to leave the customs union while keeping an open border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland. Siona Jenkins discusses possible solutions to the Irish border question with the FT's James Blitz and Arthur Beesley, and with Michael Dougan, professor of European law at the University of Liverpool See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Theresa May promised to put financial services at the heart of a trade deal with the EU, but her government has postponed a position paper on the topic indefinitely. Siona Jenkins discusses the implications of this decision with Patrick Jenkins, Robert Armstrong and Caroline Binham. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins catches up with the progress of the exit talks and discusses the likely next steps in the trade negotiations with the FT's George Parker, Alex Barker and Gemma Tetlow See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins and guests how collaboration between health researchers and specialists will be affected by Brexit, as well as whether reciprocal rights to access treatment for EU and UK citizens will continue. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Sarah Gordon, FT business editor, Allie Renison, head of EU and trade policy at the Institute of Directors, and Peter Campbell, FT motor industry correspondent, join Siona Jenkins to discuss the future of Britain's exporters outside the EU. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The EU's Common Agricultural Policy has been held responsible for destroying much of Britain's natural landscape and wildlife. Is now the time to reset policy on farming and the environment? Siona Jenkins discusses the question with economist Dieter Helm, conservation scientist Lynn Dicks, and the FT's Scheherazade Daneshkhu. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Britons are about to become poorer, according to the latest forecasts by the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility. Siona Jenkins asks Chris Giles, FT economics editor, to explain why, and whether the policies announced by Philip Hammond, the chancellor, in his Budget are the right ones. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
How much food does the UK import from Europe and how dependent are UK farmers on European subsidies? Will the price of food in supermarkets go up, or down? And will food safety standards change? Siona Jenkins discusses these and other questions with Scheherazade Daneshkhu, FT consumer industries correspondent, and Tim Lang of City, University of London See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins discusses the future of employment, growing workforce gaps and what will happen to wages with the FT's Sarah O’Connor and Helen Warrell, and Heather Rolfe, an employment expert at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Brexit has thrown the life plans of vast numbers of people into disarray and has caused headaches to employers worried that they may not be able to retain or recruit the best staff. Siona Jenkins asks Helen Warrell, the FT’s public policy correspondent, and Katie Newbury, an immigration lawyer at Kingsley Napley, how far the exit talks have succeeded in allaying some of these fears. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Saudi Arabia has shocked the world with a wave of arrests of princes, tycoons and former ministers as part of an anti-corruption drive initiated by the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Siona Jenkins discusses the lightning crackdown with Simeon Kerr, Anjli Raval and Arash Massoudi See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Uncertainty about the outcome of the exit negotiations has hit some companies hard, while others are examining options for relocating out of the UK. Siona Jenkins discusses the outlook for UK business with Sarah Gordon, FT business editor, Patrick Jenkins, financial editor, and Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins examines questions of the legitimacy of the Brexit process and the impact on our democracy of the bill currently going through parliament with Sionaidh Douglas-Scott, director of the Queen Mary University school of law in London and the FT's James Blitz and Mure Dickie See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What progress has been made in the exit negotiations so far and what should Britain’s strategy be to get the best deal? Siona Jenkins puts the question to Alex Barker, FT Brussels bureau chief, James Blitz, FT Whitehall editor, and Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The idea that Britain would have to pay an exit bill came as a surprise to many who voted to leave the European Union. They'd been promised a financial windfall that would help the government support public services. Siona Jenkins asks Alex Barker and James Blitz what the bill represents and how much leverage the UK has in the negotiations. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Iraq has Isis on the run in Mosul after eight months of brutal street-to-street battles. Siona Jenkins asks the FT's Erika Solomon whether this spells the end for the Islamist group's hopes of creating an Islamist state in the region. Music by David Sappa See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Does Britain risk becoming a 'backwater' for scientific research, as some scientists have warned? And what risk is there of a Brexit brain drain? Siona Jenkins discusses these and other questions with Clive Cookson and Helen Warrell See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Despite clearing a way for the move, Chancellor Angela Merkel actually voted against same-sex marriage, which reflects a lack of popular support for gay rights in Germany, Hugo Greenhalgh tells Siona Jenkins See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The latest hacking appears smaller in scale than WannaCry but has companies asking themselves whether they did enough to upgrade their security after the first breach, the FT's Sam Jones and Aliya Ram tell Siona Jenkins. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins discusses the impact of Brexit on the National Health Service with the FT's James Blitz and Sarah Neville. Will there be more money? How will it affect staffing, the cost of drugs and medical research? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The elevation of Mohammed bin Salman to crown prince of Saudi Arabia has come during the worst crisis facing the Gulf region in decades. Siona Jenkins spoke to the FT’s deputy editor Roula Khalaf and energy correspondent Anjli Raval to understand how the heir apparent is likely to influence domestic and regional policies. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
If Europeans no longer take up jobs in the UK, will those jobs go to British workers or be lost for good, and will workers rights be eroded when protections enshrined in EU legislation are removed? Siona Jenkins puts these questions to Sarah Gordon and Sarah O’Connor. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Fears about immigration were a prime reason why many Britons voted to leave the European Union. Were these fears justified, and if so, will Brexit solve the problem? Siona Jenkins puts these questions to the FT's Helen Warrell and James Blitz. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
What’s the greatest risk to the smooth operation of cross border trade and which sectors are likely to be most affected? Siona Jenkins discusses the impact of Brexit on UK trade with Sarah Gordon, FT business editor, and Patrick Jenkins, financial editor. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins asks the FT's Helen Warrell and Sam Jones how Britain's defence and security services will be affected by Brexit See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Will Britain's departure from the EU be good or bad for the economy, or will it in fact have no great impact at all? Siona Jenkins puts the question to Sarah O’Connor, employment editor, and Chris Giles, economics editor. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins is joined by Sarah Gordon, FT business editor, and James Blitz, Whitehall editor, to discuss the timetable for Britain’s exit negotiations. Is Theresa May right that a strong mandate in next month's elections will strengthen her hand and how will other elections in Europe affect the timetable? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
US-backed forces this week launched an attack on Raqqa in Syria, close to the de facto capital of the Islamic State, as the Iraqi government launched its own attack on Fallujah. Siona Jenkins asks the FT's Middle East correspondent Erika Solomon if the two assaults on Isis-held territory were related. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Iraq has announced the beginning of a long-awaited campaign to recapture Mosul from Islamic State forces. It is hoping to push the Islamists out of the city by the end of the year. Siona Jenkins asks Erika Solomon, the FT's Middle East correspondent, what are the chances of success. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The lifting of UN sanctions on Iran reconnects a potentially vibrant emerging economy to world markets. Siona Jenkins asks Najmeh Bozorgmehr, Tehran correspondent, Martin Arnold, banking editor, and Anjli Raval, oil correspondent, how soon the country is likely to see results. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Saudi Arabia's execution of a Shia cleric earlier this month led to a diplomatic rupture with Iran after hardliners in the Shia country set fire to the Saudi embassy in Tehran. Siona Jenkins discusses how Iranians view the dispute ahead of next month's elections with the FT's Tehran correspondent Najmeh Bozorgmehr. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
For years after the 2003 invasion, Americans relied on Iraqis to navigate a country whose terrain and sectarian loyalties were little understood. But many Iraqis who risked their lives to help the Americans now feel abandoned. Siona Jenkins talks to the FT's Christine Spolar and two of her former Iraqi colleagues whose hopes of resettlement in the US have recently been dashed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Benjamin Netanyahu is on a lightning visit to Moscow to discuss Russia's military deployments in Syria in a sign of Israel's growing unease over arms transfers in the region. Siona Jenkins talks to John Reed, Financial Times Jerusalem correspondent, about the Israeli prime minister's concerns. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nato allies have welcomed Turkey's decision to step up its fight against Isis. But its decision to include Kurdish opponents as the target of its air attacks is causing some concern. Siona Jenkins discusses Turkey's strategy with Daniel Dombey and Alex Barker. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Nato allies have welcomed Turkey's decision to step up its fight against Isis. But its decision to include Kurdish opponents as the target of its attacks is causing some to question Ankara's true motives. Siona Jenkins discusses Turkey's strategy with Daniel Dombey and Alex Barker. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Last week saw the second deadly attack on Western tourists in Tunisia in four months, dealing a severe blow to the industry that is the country's economic mainstay. Siona Jenkins is joined by Erika Soloman and Roula Khalaf to discuss what the government can do to tackle the jihadi threat. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Siona Jenkins, Gideon Rachman and Lindsay Whipp discuss the Japanese prime minister's visit to Washington as the US seeks to cement defence and trade ties with Japan, a key ally in its bid to push back against growing Chinese influence in Asia. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
As bombing reaches its ninth consecutive day, Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is facing criticism abroad for causing unnecessary bloodshed, and at home for not sending troops into Gaza. Gideon Rachman is joined by Siona Jenkins, Middle east news editor, and from Gaza by John Reed, Jerusalem bureau chief to look deeper at the broader Israeli/Palestinian conflict and how Hamas has been able to use the current crisis to drum up support as chaos in the middle east reaches levels unparalleled in recent decades See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
The United States and European Union are clearly delighted with the historic nuclear deal struck with Iran in Geneva last week, but some key US allies in the region, notably Israel and Saudi Arabia are not happy. John Reed, Jerusalem correspondent, James Blitz, defence and security editor and Siona Jenkins, Middle East news editor, join Gideon Rachman to discuss how the agreement will affect the balance of power in the region See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.