Political Currency

Is Labour’s immigration blitz worth the price?

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer’s controversial reference to an “Island of strangers” as part of his immigration overhaul has sparked a furore, and inspired a comp...

EMQs: Can Reform UK fix broken councils?

12 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week on Ex Ministers’ Questions Ed Balls and George Osborne hear from listeners from the high seas, the Dubai sun, and the halls of Parliament ...

Starmer's Trump Bump? The UK-US trade deal

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been an impressive week for the Labour government, with trade deals with both India and the US. Ed Balls and George Osborne consider: what does...

EMQs: A Brit for Governor of California?

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Balls and George Osborne, fresh from a break for the Inside the Room Series: The Election that Never Was, jump straight back in with a slew of ques...

Trump’s tumultuous first 100 days, UK local elections and the end of two party politics?

01 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Local elections are taking place across England today - and they’re a major political test for Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch, and Nigel Farage. Ed Bal...

Inside The Room: The Election That Never Was (Part 3)

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

To Snap or Not to Snap?... As we turn to October 2007, election fever has taken over the UK - everyone from journalists to the opposition to Ed Balls ...

Inside The Room: The Election That Never Was (Part 2)

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Election Speculation... Labour had a substantial lead in the polls in 2007, fuelling talk of a snap general election to cement Gordon Brown’s place ...

Inside The Room: The Election That Never Was (Part 1)

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gordon Brown Takes the Crown... Ed Balls and George Osborne relive the sliding doors moment that could have changed the course of British history - th...

EMQs Easter special: Does anyone want to pay more taxes?

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this Easter special, Ed Balls and George Osborne meet a truly mythical creature: someone who wants to pay more tax, not less. And according to Geor...

EMQs: How should PMs behave after they leave No 10?

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the US-China trade war heats up, Ed Balls and George Osborne ask: what if the Trump White House took the nuclear option… defaulting on its debts ...

Trump Vs the Bond Market: Inside the President’s tariffs U-turn

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a rollercoaster few days for the world economy thanks to Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs announcement - and his dramatic U-t...

EMQs: Is toxic masculinity a government problem?

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ed Balls and George Osborne mull museums and memes via bank holidays and pennies. With listeners telling us their locations of choice, fune...

Trump’s tariffs: Is Starmer right to ‘keep calm and carry on’?

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’, Ed Balls and George Osborne break down the economic thinking – or lack thereof – behind...

EMQs: Who’s to blame for the state of the economy?

31 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A whole host of Treasury buffs have sent in their questions this week in wake of the Spring Statement, for Ed Balls and George Osborne to answer. Form...

Could Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ gamble pay off?

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Has Chancellor Rachel Reeves got it right? Ed Balls and George Osborne provide their immediate reaction to her Spring Statement, questioning whether s...

EMQs: Should frozen Russian assets fund Ukraine?

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With talk of raiding pensions, George Osborne and Ed Balls consider how to increase the incentives for working people to save. As former Treasury insi...

Is Rachel Reeves risking her reset moment?

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

They may have both been leading Brexiteers but Dominic Cummings and Nigel Farage were once fierce rivals, vying to be the top campaign of the referend...

EMQs: Political Golf Buddies

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ed Balls and George Osborne complete the chancellor triptych with current shadow Chancellor Mel Stride ringing in to ask: how much space sh...

Will welfare cuts be Labour’s undoing?

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A ceasefire in the Russian-Ukraine war is now on the table, with US and Ukrainian officials reaching a deal to stop the fighting. With US military aid...

EMQs: A post politics survival guide

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week George Osborne and Ed Balls are taking questions in person, with a select few Kitchen Cabinet members joining the first ever live audience r...

Will Rachel Reeves be forced into an emergency budget?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a week of political whiplash, including that infamous explosive meeting in the Oval office and renewed commitment from European leaders to...

EMQs: The art of parliamentary heckling

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin asks for advice on how to keep a government report from sinking without a trace. Her review - relea...

Europe’s security wake-up call

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As Keir Starmer meets with Donald Trump for the first time since the latter’s re-election, international order appears to be fragmenting around us. ...

EMQs: How to survive a cabinet reshuffle

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Ex-ministers Ed Balls and George Osborne reflect on the moments in their political careers when they went against the whip. What are the consequences ...

Could Keir Starmer send British Troops to Ukraine?

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance have set the cat amongst the pigeons as they criticise Europe and Ukraine this week. Ed Balls and George ...

EMQs: Are personal insults fair in politics?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Valentine’s Day just gone, podcast soulmates Ed Balls and George Osborne are turning to questions of both hearts and minds this week. As Keir S...

Can Kemi Badenoch get free of Nigel Farage?

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Starmer government’s landmark Assisted Dying bill could be in danger of collapsing, with sponsor Kim Leadbeater now proposing major changes in t...

EMQs: Can we get young people back to work?

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Ed Balls and George Osborne take on some of the most difficult challenges facing society today. With millions of people of working age not ...

Will the Tories fall for Keir Starmers EU trap?

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has been in Brussels this week, meeting with European Union leaders with the view to resetting the relationship with the bloc. George Osb...

EMQs: Should we want Donald Trump to succeed?

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This week Ed Balls and George Osborne look at what makes a smart, successful opposition party. Is disagreeing with everything the government of the da...

Can extremism amongst young men be stopped?

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of the horrific Southport attack, George Osborne and Ed Balls consider the parameters of the upcoming inquiry and the intensifying concern...

EMQs: Should David Beckham be knighted?

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A somewhat sporty one this episode, as in the wake of a Davos meet, George Osborne and Ed Balls consider: Why hasn’t David Beckham been knighted yet...

Trump's tech supremacy era begins?

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has had a big week, what with an inauguration and then signing a myriad of actions in his first days in office - never mind the move t...

EMQs: Could Ed Davey’s EU plan actually work?

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With Donald Trump back in the White House as of Monday, leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey has called in to ask: In strengthening the nation's n...

Should Starmer replace Reeves?

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After a tough week, Keir Starmer’s been forced to publicly proclaim Rachel Reeves has his full support – and to hose down suggestions she won’t ...

EMQs: Time to take Trump seriously?

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

George Osborne and Ed Balls are back for their first round of questions of the year, ready to mull the big conundrums of 2025! Craig Oliver, former di...

Reeves’ bond market headache

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is Rachel Reeves starting 2025 with a bond market headache? Ed Balls and George Osborne explain how global trends and UK inflation might just mean she...

Inside No 10: David Cameron - The First Six Months (Part 3: The World Stage)

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you position yourself on the world stage? David Cameron might have been Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, but in this third episode he shar...

Inside No 10: David Cameron - The First Six Months (Part 2: The Austerity Budget)

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you prepare the country for austerity? David Cameron joins Ed Balls and George Osborne to step back to the 2010 budget. From the true relations...

Inside No 10: David Cameron - The First Six Months (Part 1: Prime Minister at last)

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What’s it really like to step through the black door of No 10 for the first time as Prime Minister? Ed Balls and George Osborne ask David Cameron ab...

EMQs: 2025, The Comeback Year?

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This Boxing Day, George Osborne and Ed Balls pop the champagne and turn their minds to the year ahead. Good Morning Britain's Kate Garraway asks: What...

EMQs: Christmas crises and cracker etiquette

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas is just days away now, so Ed Balls and George Osborne are getting into the season by reflecting on Christmas-time political emergencies that...

A lump of coal for Waspi women?

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

David Cameron is revealed as our very special guest on Inside No 10: David Cameron - The First Six Months, out 30th December.Follow us wherever you ge...

EMQs: Political Mishearings

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This week, George Osborne and Ed Balls consider: should economic decisions be confined to the Treasury and the Prime Minister? Or is the room for wide...

Starmer’s blame game

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer is working hard to shift the narrative on his government from gloomy tax raiders to optimistic change makers. Ed Balls and George Osborne...

EMQs: Can one person flip an election?

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who are the individuals who’ve influenced elections in the same way as Elon Musk? Ed Balls and George Osborne run through some of the great drivers ...

Why Starmer shouldn’t underestimate Elon Musk

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After helping to secure a victory for Donald Trump in the US election Elon Musk is seemingly setting his sights on the UK and Reform. Ed Balls and Geo...

Inside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum (Part 3: The result)

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A decade ago, the Scottish people went to the polls for a referendum vote to make a choice: should the country break free of the United Kingdom? Ultim...

Inside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum (Part 2: The unanswerable question)

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A decade ago, the Scottish people went to the polls for a referendum vote to make a choice: should the country break free of the United Kingdom? Ultim...

Trump the peacemaker?

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden's White House days are numbered, and he appears to be scrambling to secure his legacy. With a ceasefire just brokered between Israel and Leb...

Inside The Room: The Scottish Independence Referendum (Part 1: The vote is granted)

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A decade ago, the Scottish people went to the polls for a referendum vote to make a choice: should the country break free of the United Kingdom? Ultim...

John Prescott: The punchy political powerhouse we knew

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott died yesterday at the age of 86. Often described as a ‘political bruiser’, Ed Balls and George Osborne ...

EMQs: Will the government support British farmers?

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

With incensed British farmers set to descend on London in protest to the government’s new rules on inheritance tax for agricultural property, Ed Bal...

Who should be the UK’s ambassador to Trumpworld?

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The second era of Trump is a little over a week old, and the president-elect is making waves with his cabinet appointments. An attorney general who ha...

EMQs: Is there a silver lining in Trump?

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump’s return has provoked days of soul searching among Democratic voters. But the pollster with one of the most accurate predictions of the...

Trump 2.0: The economic fallout

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s beginning to sink in: Donald Trump 2.0 is now upon us. George Osborne and Ed Balls think seismic shifts in the global economy could be ahead. C...

HOT TAKE: Donald Trump is President

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is set to make his return to the White House after a stunning overnight victory against Kamala Harris in the US election, just as George ...

EMQs: Can you revamp a political image?

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rishi Sunak spoke at his last PMQs. But George Osborne reveals why it may not be the last time we see him in No 10... He and Ed Balls discuss whether ...

What did Rachel Reeves’ Budget miss?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The dust has settled on Rachel Reeves’ budget, and despite a strong performance from the Chancellor, George Osborne and Ed Balls have noticed a few ...

Budget Hot Take: Rachel Reeves’ Tax Raid

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Has Rachel Reeves done enough to get away with announcing £40 billion of new taxes? In a special YouTube LIVE episode, Ed Balls and George Osborne gi...

EMQs: Budget traditions, Briefings and Brits for Trump

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Has the reaction to the Winter Fuel Payment cut scared Labour from making more big budget moves on welfare? And what ever happened to the tradition of...

Who is George Osborne backing for Tory leader?

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Drumroll, please. After keeping his cards pretty close to his chest throughout the Tory leadership campaign, George Osborne is ready to name who he th...

EMQs: Can you have friends in politics?

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Frenemies George Osborne and Ed Balls talk about great political friendships and rivalries. What was the unspoken understanding between former Prime M...

How to plug a £40bn black hole

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can Rachel Reeves solve her £40 billion budget gap without breaking Labour’s manifesto promise? Ed Balls and George Osborne take a deep dive in...

EMQs: Can HS2 be revived from the dead?

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The killing of HS2 was one of the defining features of the former government’s final days but there’s now talk the high speed rail line to Manches...

Cleverly: What went wrong?!

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

James Cleverly has made a stunning exit from the Tory leadership race, leaving Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick as the final two to duke it out. Georg...

EMQs: Political regrets? We have a few

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Balls and George Osborne consider their biggest political mistakes and their proudest moments in office with a question from former Deputy Prime Mi...

How Labour made a political scandal worse

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Keir Starmer has caved and returned thousands of pounds in freebies given to him by a Labour donor, in an attempt to close a rather embarrassing chapt...

HOT TAKE: James Cleverly: Next Tory leader?

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Has the Tory leadership contest just been decided? Our man on the ground George Osborne is reporting directly back to Ed Balls from today’s Conserva...

EMQs: What’s your unpopular opinion?

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Balls and George Osborne open up this week on their most ardent, contrarian views. Is reincarnation real? Political reincarnation, perhaps. George ...

Which Tory will get the Boris blessing?

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Who’s hungry enough to seize the Tory crown? As the Conservative Party Conference nears, the leadership contest is heating up. Of the four hopefuls,...

CONFERENCE HOT TAKE: Protestors disrupt Rachel Reeves’ speech

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves took to the stage at the Labour Party Conference in a wet and gloomy Liverpool, hoping to brighten her party’s fortunes. After a tumul...

EMQs: How to give a GREAT conference speech

22 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rachel Reeves takes to the Labour party conference stage today, but hopefully not before she has chance to listen to Ed Balls and George Osborne’s s...

Starmer’s big Sue Gray problem

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Labour feels the heat over Keir Starmer’s freebies scandal, there's a sense of glee in Tory party circles now the "holier-than-thou" party has so...

EMQs: Media spin, middle classes and memories of conferences past

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are eloquent middle class people hogging valuable public service resources? Ed Balls and George Osborne debate the case for co-payments to ease the bu...

Can Starmer really fix the NHS?

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The NHS must “reform or die”, says Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Is he channelling his “inner Tony Blair” in a gutsy move on our health service...

EMQs: Should you pay if you miss an NHS appointment?

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Booking an appointment with your GP can feel harder than getting your hands on Oasis tickets. So should those who miss their slots be made to pay? Wou...

Will Rachel Reeves be forced to U-turn on winter fuel payments?

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed and George are reunited to mull over whether Rachel Reeves should make a U-turn on the winter fuel payment furore. Is there an "escape route" she c...

Summer EMQs: Where are all the great parliamentary orators?

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Where are all the great parliamentary speakers like Gordon Brown, Robin Cook, and William Hague? Ed Balls and George Osborne reflect on fond memories ...

Osbornomics, Oasis, and Opposition

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The summer holidays are over, if Keir Starmer’s speech this week was anything to go by. Is he stepping into Osbornomics strike two? Whilst Ed Balls ...

Summer EMQs: Who really runs the country?

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are the civil service the real brains behind the government? What role does a Chief of Staff play? And what on earth do government ministers do all da...

Are the Democrats celebrating too soon?

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Democratic National Convention is underway in Chicago with jubilant scenes. Fortunately for us - while Ed Balls is on holiday - George Osborne has...

Summer EMQs: Was Austerity a Mistake?

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should Labour have defended themselves better against the Tory claim that they’d caused the 2010 UK financial position? Ed Balls and George Osborne ...

The secret to launching a political career

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s results day and while students across the country celebrate their A-levels, BTEC and T-levels, university funding has come back into the limeli...

Summer EMQs: The Political Currency constituency

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Balls and George Osborne answer questions from the EMQs archive - this week, an insider’s guide to a life political. Is a u-turn ever the right t...

Should the Tories stop chasing Reform voters?

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Britain braced itself for widespread rioting and anti-immigration demonstrations, with shops boarding up their storefronts and commuters told to take ...

EMQs: Summer Recess Buddies

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ed and George are going on a summer holiday… and Ed’s GMB co-host Ranvir Singh wonders, if they had to take a trip with a member of the opposition...

Rachel Reeves: The next austerity chancellor?

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the wake of the tragic events this week in Southport, and the eruption of riots that followed, Ed Balls and George Osborne consider how MPs should ...

EMQs: Celebs go politicking

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Could we see celebrities swapping the silver screen, football pitch or concert stage for the hallowed halls of Westminster? Ed Balls and George Osborn...

Starmer, Strictly and Summer of Brat

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world is braced for a brat summer as Kamala Harris steps in for Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate - George Osborne and Ed Balls c...

EMQs: Are you ready for ID cards?

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How important is it to have a leader who ‘turns you on”? Are ID cards essential in a new world of AI and deep fakes, or are they a waste of govern...

Meet JD Vance, Trump’s VP and George Osborne’s friend

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It was a bonkers week for American politics, on both sides. Team Trump went from an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania to a fiery convention in Wis...

EMQs: Political Football

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 S...

Inside the race to lead the Tory party

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Will Starmer’s 'GOAT' cabinet succeed?

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Inside Starmer’s No. 10

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

What REALLY happens on polling day?

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 c...

Can Starmer work with Trump and Le Pen?

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 the...

EMQs: Is Rishi California Dreamin’?

30 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Is Labour's honeymoon already over?

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...