Financial Times - Editorial Stance

Editorial Stance

The FT advocates free markets and is in favour of globalisation. During the 1980s it supported Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan's monetarist policies. It showed support with the Labour Party in the UK, starting with the 1992 general election, when Neil Kinnock was attempting for the second time to return Labour to government for the first time since they had been ousted from power in 1979. It was also supportive of Gordon Brown, the former British Prime Minister.

In the 2010 general election, the FT was receptive towards Liberal Democrat positions on civil liberties and political reform and praised the then Labour leader, Gordon Brown, for his response to the global financial crisis but on balance, backed the Conservatives, though questioning their Euroscepticism.

FT editorials tend to be pro-European Union.

In the 2008 United States presidential election, the Financial Times endorsed Barack Obama, although raising concerns over tones of protectionism, the FT praised his ability to 'engage the country’s attention', his calls for a bipartisan politics, as well as his plans for 'comprehensive health-care reform'. In the 2010 UK General Election the paper criticised the Conservative Party, but stated that on balance it would support them. In the 2012 US election, just like in 2008, over John McCain, the FT favoured Barack Obama over Mitt Romney.

In 2010, the Wall Street Journal dubbed the FT an "orthodox Keynesian company". An article in the FT in November 2011 referred to the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal as "the conservative bible".