Political Currency

As England heads to the final of Euro 2024 - are the politicians who claim to love the beautiful game faking it for political gain? We’ve seen Keir Starmer’s new ministerial appointments - but what on earth do all these snappily named secretaries, under-secretaries, and private secretaries actually do? If there’s one thing Ed Balls and George Osborne love, it’s a deep dive into the inner workings...

While Keir Starmer gets on with the business of naming ministers and settling in at Number 10, the Tories are picking up the pieces of their shattered party and considering the best person to turn the ship around. So who is the new Rishi? Is it Kemi, Suella, Priti? Whoever gets the top job needs to be a healer, George says, and not a warrior.  Meanwhile, winning a campaign is one thing, stayi...

A brand new cohort of MPs have descended on Westminster today and with them comes a flurry of policy announcements. What does Keir Starmer’s cabinet say about the kind of Prime Minister he wants to be? And might he regret some of the very ambitious changes his ministers are making? The last Labour government was defined by foreign policy. So what are the big forces which could shape the future of...

A new dawn, a new day, and a new government. Not quite Blair ‘97, Ed Balls and George give us the inside track on exactly how things are playing out inside No. 10 Downing Street right now. From cabinet appointments to civil servants, this is the guide you need.   But Keir Starmer’s landslide is just one half of the story today - the Tory and SNP downfall and the rise of Reform tell their...

They think it’s all over… it is now! No really, that’s the actual line from the Conservative party as they send out the hardest worker of this campaign, Mel Stride, to concede a full 24 hours before voters go to the polls. Ed Balls and George Osborne question whether the move will just serve to put even more potential Tory voters off. The winner might be considered a foregone conclusion at this st...

T-3 days until polls open and if England’s efforts in the Euros are anything to go by, there’s no predicting what could happen between now and then… at least, that seems to be what Rishi Sunak is hoping. Ed Balls and George Osborne aren’t so sure. As final Party Political Broadcasts go out and an ever-more-desperate message comes from Tory HQ, is it time to call Sunak’s early election a failure? A...

Is Rishi Sunak California dreamin’ of a post-PM life? Or are the rolling hills of Yorkshire calling him to stick around? Ed Balls and George Osborne ponder what the Prime Minister will do next if he loses his premiership next week. How can good polling change an election outcome? And what does the cost of living crisis actually mean? Plus, they give their best advice for making it through the elec...

The final week of election campaigning is here! Keir Starmer hasn't even measured up for curtains in Downing Street yet, but the attention is already turning to the headaches he will face in government. After a wobbly final debate performance against Rishi Sunak, Ed Balls wonders if the Labour leader can ever go for the jugular when it counts. Then there's the markets. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reev...

With the general election in sight, has Nigel Farage made a campaign misstep? His claim that the west provoked the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been met with international indignation – but will it have any on his polling? And as we enter the final 10 days of campaigning, things aren’t looking great over at Conservative HQ – has Rishi Sunak accepted his party’s dismal fate? The Tory leader appe...

Will shy Tories (or Reform UK-ers) deny Keir Starmer his landslide? If not, who should the Conservatives install as leader to provide stability – perhaps somebody with international and domestic credibility... say ... David Cameron? Plus, does your postal vote count if you die before the big day? And, who would you invite to your ultimate political party? Please make sure you’ve got your karaoke s...

Keir Starmer looks on track for a victory that could even surpass the landslide of ‘97. But how much is this a rejection of the Tories? George Osborne warns that unless the Labour leader can offer more, he may find himself turfed out after just one term. Ed suggests Starmer and Rachel Reeves should be thinking now about their first year in office, not just making it through the next fortnight...

Can Rishi Sunak do anything to rescue his flailing election campaign? Some advisors have suggested the answer may lie in ramping up negative attacks on Keir Starmer. Why does George Osborne think that approach would be a “disaster” for Sunak? And, have you noticed which MPs are missing from the airwaves? Ed Balls says it tells you more about the parties’ upcoming problems than you might first real...

What more can be done to tackle childhood obesity? George Osborne and Ed Balls answer a question from Jamie Oliver on whether a future government could further Wes Streeting’s commitment to banning energy drinks and tackle childhood obesity. Is a protest vote ever worthwhile? And, former Tory MP Margot James asks: where are all the women in the campaigns?   Plus, what is it like to be ki...

After a rocky moment over his support of Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer was determined to get his campaign back on track with the launch of his manifesto. George Osborne asks what it tells us about a potential incoming Labour government and Ed Balls warns it could be a financial straitjacket, making life for the party ‘very difficult’.  Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak suffered a series of embarrassing me...

Have the wheels well and truly fallen off the Conservative election campaign? After a dismal D-Day debacle and news that social media campaigning is suspended, Ed Balls and George Osborne question whether Rishi Sunak is just giving up. Regardless, it’s manifesto launch week for the Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems, and an opportunity for each party to commit to their election promises. But d...

Labour and the Tories can’t stop arguing about whether things are getting better, or if they’ve never been worse: So what’s the truth? Ed Balls and George Osborne weigh up whether the two are mutually exclusive. Rob Burley wants to know if we’re seeing the consequences of the demise of the long-form interview in this election campaign, and we take a look at Labour’s candidates.   Plus, i...

The first election TV debate might be over, but the ripples of Rishi Sunak’s £2000 tax claim are still being felt around Westminster and beyond. Ed Balls and George Osborne wonder whether this could become the defining issue of this election - and question how on earth Keir Starmer was so underprepared for it.  As the party leaders continue on their tours of constituency hotspots, what’s the...

Rishi Sunak is facing dismal polling and Nigel Farage out on manouevers. In our first Election Hot Take, George Osborne reveals the sense of resignation that has set in among Tory MPs. Is the only thing that can save the Tories now a massive policy play? George thinks they may be working something up on inheritance tax. Meanwhile in Labourland, the fall out from the Diane Abbott saga continues. An...

Gimmicks and gaffes have been a feature of the first week of the election campaign. Inspired by Ed Davey’s attempt to raise awareness of river pollution by falling off a paddleboard – multiple times – George and Ed reflect on the nation’s (and their own) cringiest political stunts. And George  finally  reveals all –  how did he end up doing the ultimate Tory power stance? It’s not j...

After a faltering start in the rain, Rishi Sunak’s campaign seems to be gaining momentum. Is it enough to prove he was right to gamble on a snap election?  While it might not all be plain sailing for the Conservatives, things have certainly been looking up as trouble brews in the Labour Party. Ed Balls thinks Keir Starmer's handling of Diane’s Abbott’s candidacy has been a “terrible mess”. Co...

Ed Balls and George Osborne have election fever and won’t be stopped from answering your EMQs. How did George get the election date so wrong? Is the public too despondent with the state of politics to bother voting at all? And could the Liberal Democrats stun us all to become a credible opposition?  Plus, George reveals what he thinks the Tories’ attack line on Keir Starmer will be, and Ed tr...

A snap election! Not quite George Osborne’s prediction of 14th November, Ed Balls is struggling to understand the logic that led Rishi Sunak to surprise, well, literally everybody with 4th July as the date of the next general election. Are good inflation numbers really enough to see the Conservatives to a better result than the formerly predicted disaster? George reveals Number 10’s thinking.&nbsp...

Why doesn’t Bristol have a mayor anymore? What do treasury officials actually do? And is there a reason we’re losing so many bright young tech experts to the West Coast of America? Plus, author Will Hutton wants to know if Ed Balls and George Osborne will take responsibility for their involvement in the economic crises of the twenty-first century, and in a podcast crossover, Sascha O’Sullivan of P...

Keir Starmer, poster boy. The Labour leader’s new pledge card is here, with six key policies and a black and white photoshoot to woo the public. Is it all a bit retro? Well that depends who you ask: George Osborne would prefer a new approach, whereas Ed Balls reckons some solid Labour '97 nostalgia might just be what the party needs. Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy is work...

Ed Balls and George Osborne are pleased to have been asked for book recommendations. Is this the start of a book club to compete with the likes of Richard and Judy? If so, George is bagsying his role in the duo now - and no, it’s not Richard.  MP Greg Clark asks about the future of local mayoralties, and Sunday Times interviewer Decca Aitkenhead wants to know whether George is doing anything...