Lucy Fisher
@lucyfisher.ft.com
26K followers 340 following 140 posts
Whitehall editor at the Financial Times 🗞️ Host of the FT’s award-winning ‘Political Fix’ podcast🎙️Author 📚
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lucyfisher.ft.com
A note to say I'm now on maternity leave until the end of the year, after my baby son arrived last week

Until then, @georgewparker.bsky.social has hopped into the hot seat hosting Political Fix🎙️📻

And @oilsheppard.bsky.social is acting Whitehall Editor at FT

Huge thanks to both!

See you in 2026 👋
lucyfisher.ft.com
Looking forward to Sketchy Politics later!

None too swampy actually - block heels a breeze… Sun cream required
lucyfisher.ft.com
Great fun appearing at the #ftweekendfestival for a Political Fix / Swamp Notes mash up today

@georgewparker.bsky.social, Brooke Masters, Marc Filippino & I chatted Anglo-American politics and podcasts

(And away from a snotty 3 month old & a sticky-fingered 3 year old, I dared to wear cream…)
Reposted by Lucy Fisher
pickardje.bsky.social
in this week’s FT Political Fix podcast our Whitehall editor @lucyfisher.ft.com explains how she was one of the journalists to find out about the Afghan files, only to get hit with the government’s unprecedented super-injunction

www.ft.com/content/46bf...
The Afghan Files: the inside story on the catastrophic leak
Plus: is Reeves’ pro-risk stance the right one?
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
Says Natalie Moore, a senior MoD official, in Jan 2024, giving evidence to the judge overseeing the superinjunction proceedings.

I was subject to the superinjunction and the FT was a defendant in the proceedings challenging it, so I've seen the relevant court papers
lucyfisher.ft.com
Senior MoD official told High Court in Jan 2024 (in superinjunction proceedings) that James Heappey had briefed Healey on leak in Dec 2023

“Shadow Def Sec shared that he did not believe the LOTO needed briefing at that time and would advise if this view changes at a later date,” official told court
lucyfisher.ft.com
🤔 Curious that No 10 briefed today that Kemi Badenoch, as leader of opposition, turned down a briefing on the Afghan data leak

When Labour were in opposition, a briefing on the same data breach was offered to Keir Starmer in December 2023... and John Healey turned it down on his behalf
lucyfisher.ft.com
NEW: ‘Confusion’ reigns over cost of UK’s Afghan rescue scheme, warns chair of parliament’s spending watchdog

Alongside muddle between £850mn and £7bn figures, govt has failed to give costings for a cohort of 1,000 Afghans relocated to UK due to data leak

www.ft.com/content/03f5...
‘Confusion’ reigns over cost of UK’s Afghan rescue scheme, says spending watchdog
Head of public accounts committee calls on ministers to disclose detailed bill for resettlement programme
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
NAO has spoken out after a senior mandarin claimed – to High Court in Jan – that the MoD and NAO had come to an agreement about how the data breach should be dealt with in MoD annual report last year

(Mandarin also said MoD then failed to include allegedly agreed formulation 🙄)
lucyfisher.ft.com
EXC: Official govt auditor has questioned MoD’s handling of Afghan data leak

NAO told me the MoD did not inform it about data breach in “the established way for sensitive defence matters”

MoD did not give NAO full information about leak & implications

www.ft.com/content/00b8...
UK government auditor questions MoD disclosures of Afghan data leak
Ministry accused of not telling National Audit Office about leak in ‘the established way for sensitive defence matters’
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
How one of the gravest security lapses in history was kept secret

The story of the super-injunction: the global gagging order sought by successive UK govts to silence media over leak that put thousands at risk of Taliban reprisals

By Alistair Gray & me 👇 #AfghanFiles

www.ft.com/content/dbba...
How one of the gravest security lapses in history was kept secret
Successive UK governments gagged the media over a leak that put thousands at risk of Taliban reprisals
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
The British state’s battle to contain the fallout from catastrophic Afghan data leak

The full story of how the crisis unfolded over several years by
@nyalistair and me 👇 #AfghanFiles

www.ft.com/content/ac73...
The British state’s battle to contain the fallout from catastrophic Afghan data leak
Significant decisions affecting immigration and the UK’s fiscal deficit were hidden in effort to protect Afghans
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
🚨 🚨 🚨 UK govt set up a secret multibillion-pound scheme to relocate thousands of Afghans to Britain after a data leak put them at risk of murder and torture by the Taliban...

Then gagged the media with a super-injunction for almost two years

www.ft.com/content/f6b4...
UK set up secret Afghan immigration scheme after data leak and gagged media
‘Super-injunction’ lifted two years after 25,000 were placed at risk of Taliban reprisals
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
These awards recognise the razor-sharp political analysis and unrivalled insight of the panel each week: @georgewparker.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social, @pickardje.bsky.social, , @greenmirandahere.bsky.social, @annasophiegross.bsky.social, @stephenkb.bsky.social & more 💪
lucyfisher.ft.com
Beyond thrilled that Political Fix has won both ‘political podcast of the year’ AND ‘podcast of the year’ at Publisher Podcast Awards tonight!🏆

Alongside amazing FT panel you hear each week, big props to incredible team @manuelasaragosa.bsky.social @lulusmyth.bsky.social, Flo Phillips, Breen Turner
lucyfisher.ft.com
Beyond thrilled that Political Fix has won both ‘political podcast of the year’ AND ‘podcast of the year’ at Publisher Podcast Awards tonight!🏆

Alongside amazing FT panel you hear each week, big props to incredible team @manuelasaragosa.bsky.social @lulusmyth.bsky.social, Flo Phillips, Breen Turner
lucyfisher.ft.com
A note to say I'm now on maternity leave until the end of the year, after my baby son arrived last week

Until then, @georgewparker.bsky.social has hopped into the hot seat hosting Political Fix🎙️📻

And @oilsheppard.bsky.social is acting Whitehall Editor at FT

Huge thanks to both!

See you in 2026 👋
Reposted by Lucy Fisher
journofletcher.bsky.social
I've met some incredible people during my 25 year+ career, but these four top the lot. A butcher, a machinist, a tour guide, a botany lecturer...oh, and all WW2 veterans alive today and each with an amazing story. With @lucyfisher.ft.com via @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/f7e8... #WW2 #VEDay
‘I don’t think anybody went to bed that night’: VE veterans share their stories
Eighty years after Victory in Europe, servicemen and women look back on the conflict
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
Excl: Lower US tariffs on UK exports unlikely to take effect for weeks, say British officials

UK companies complain about continued uncertainty around levies despite the bilateral trade deal

Via me, @aimewilliams.bsky.social & colleagues

www.ft.com/content/1b71...
Lower US tariffs on UK exports unlikely to take effect for weeks, say British officials
Companies complain of uncertainty around trade deal and plan to reduce levies on metals and cars
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
Kemi Badenoch pivots to economy, amid signs her attempt to fight Reform UK on immigration and “woke” issues is floundering

Via George Parker and me 👇

www.ft.com/content/05bc...
Badenoch pivots towards economy in bid to fend off Reform threat
Conservative leader seeks to exploit Nigel Farage’s ‘weak spot’ on fiscal discipline
www.ft.com
lucyfisher.ft.com
Great thank you !
lucyfisher.ft.com
You asked and we delivered... ‘Ask Political Fix‘, a new semi-regular Q&A format for the podcast!

Of course I had the easy job filleting your fiendish questions... This week @greenmirandahere.bsky.social, @robertshrimsley.bsky.social & @stephenkb.bsky.social answered them

Tell us what you think!