Tory morale plunges

Morale within the Conservative campaign is low and was damaged further this week after the party chair became the fifth Tory MP to abandon his seat in the north to fight for a safer seat in the south of England. The FT’s Whitehall editor Lucy Fisher gets round the table with colleagues Robert Shrimsley and Jim Pickard to reflect on the damage done and on those tax claims made by Rishi Sunak during the first leaders’ TV debate. Plus, the FT’s Michael Peel joins to discuss how the rest of the world views the UK.Follow Lucy on X: @LOS_FisherWant more? Free links:‘Morale is shot’: Tory campaign mood sapped by candidate rowRishi Sunak apologises for leaving D-Day commemorations earlyKeir Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak of ‘lying’ over Labour £2,000 tax claimBehold the final casualties of Brexit More than half of British universities slip down global rankingsSign up here for 30 free days of Stephen Bush's Inside Politics newsletter, winner of the World Association of News Publishers 2023 ‘Best Newsletter’ award. Presented by Lucy Fisher. Produced by Audrey Tinline. Manuela Saragosa is the executive producer. Original music and audio mix by Breen Turner. The FT’s head of audio is Cheryl Brumley. Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.