Fresh off regaling us with his tales in a Silicon Valley robotaxi, George Osborne is asked if they’re bound for London and what risks they may pose, in this week’s EMQs. Ed Balls echoes some of our listener’s concerns, but George argues this is no different than other tech evolutions like Uber. The pair are then asked why Britain often appears reactive and not proactive for big economic shocks like the wars in Ukraine or Iran. Is this emblematic of problems within the Treasury? Problems in gover...
Mar 23, 2026•35 min•Season 1Ep. 265
The war in the middle east has entered its third week. Tensions rose overnight when Israel hit a natural gas field in Iran, and Iran retaliated by bombing gas facilities in Qatar. The result was oil prices skyrocketing. Ed Balls and George Osborne discuss what appears to be a communication breakdown between Israel and the US, and question whether they are aligned in their respective endgames. Earlier this week the Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave the Mais lecture at the Bayes Business School. She s...
Mar 19, 2026•56 min•Season 1Ep. 264
The saga of Gordon the chicken continues this week with Beatrice Gove, Michael’s daughter, sending in a question to tell us more about the incident. Ed Balls and George Osborne then answer her question about polling showing Labour and Reform out in front as the parties most trusted by business. Is this a concern for Keir Starmer? What does it mean when business starts gravitating towards opposition parties? The pair then consider the great cultural exchanges across British history, in light of t...
Mar 16, 2026•45 min•Season 1Ep. 263
After weeks of speculation we finally saw the first release of the files concerning Peter Mandelson’s appointment and sacking as US Ambassador. Ed Balls and George Osborne delve into the revelations within the files, and whether any of the new information damages the government or prime minister. Was there a smoking gun in the files? Is the worst information now out there? Or, are there more damaging revelations to come? Then, they return to the Iran conflict and reassess what Trump’s strategy i...
Mar 12, 2026•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 262
Fresh off the absolute victory for the Greens in Gorton and Denton, Ed Balls and George Osborne debate whether the betting markets - which accurately predicted the results - are reliable forecasters in elections in this week’s EMQs. George ponders if, unlike official polling, it might be possible to influence the odds in your favour? Fellow ex-MP Gyles Brandreth asks the brutally honest question: did their careers peak when they were politicians? Despite all their success in podcasting and elsew...
Mar 09, 2026•33 min•Season 1Ep. 261
After weeks of warnings from George Osborne and Ed Balls, Donald Trump has rolled the dice and launched Operation Epic Fury and Operation Rising Lion against Iran. The strikes sent shockwaves around the world, with many wondering what Trump’s real motivations were. Why did Trump act now? What is his endgame? And what could the domestic and geopolitical consequences be? Ed and George unpack the strategic calculations behind the decision, from Middle East security to access to oil, and discuss the...
Mar 05, 2026•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 260
On the heels of the AI Impact Summit, former advisor to Nick Clegg and author Verity Harding asks how Ed Balls and George Osborne’s experiences of the dot com bubble and rise of social media can inform the current government’s approach to AI. They also discuss whether AI is heading for its own Dot Com crash. And, what’s in a Department Name? More than you’d think apparently. The pair get surprisingly passionate about the joys of a government department rebrand - reminiscing on the coalitions unp...
Mar 02, 2026•34 min•Season 1Ep. 259
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Feb 26, 2026•59 min•Season 1Ep. 258
Should a government hold a referendum on tax? A civil servant messages in to pose this idea to Ed Balls and George Osborne on this week’s EMQs. The two debate the merits of holding any referendum, reminisce on how easily they become about more than their central question, and ponder whether tax policy is suited to the form of a referendum. Former MP Luke Hall asks the pair about charities funding and tax changes, and George relays the surprising difficulty he found in crafting the appropriate po...
Feb 23, 2026•34 min•Season 1Ep. 257
We’re one week from the Gorton and Denton by-election, which could prove another brutal blow to Keir Starmer’s already unstable premiership. Could Reform gain another MP or will this be the Green Party’s first by-election victory? And is a Labour hold out of the question? Ed Balls and George Osborne explore the state of play for the parties, including the U-turn on postponing 30 local elections, the Labour Together scandal, and Reform unveiling their ‘shadow cabinet’. Then, following last weeken...
Feb 19, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 256
Is it in the best interest of opposition leaders to see weak Prime Ministers resign? In this week’s EMQs Ed and George debate whether it benefits the opposition to depose a vulnerable Prime Minister. What are the consequences if their successor is a better leader? What comes first for the Leader of the Opposition - the country, or the party? And - can just anyone become Prime Minister? Do party leaders need to be MPs or might Britain see its own Mark Carney emerge? The pair discuss historical ex...
Feb 16, 2026•38 min•Season 1Ep. 255
Keir Starmer’s standing has gone from bad to worse this week, with the Peter Mandelson scandal giving way to a series of resignations in No. 10 and the Scottish Labour leader openly calling for Starmer to go. Ed Balls and George Osborne look at what might be Starmer’s worst week yet, and assess if he can survive or if we’re reliving the final days of Boris Johnson, and Theresa May. Away from Westminster, the Munich Security Conference begins this weekend, which means we’re one year on from JD Va...
Feb 12, 2026•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 254
What would happen if Keir Starmer were incapacitated? Who would be acting prime minister - David Lammy, Lucy Powell, or someone else entirely? And how does scandals and replacing cabinet ministers work with no clear line of succession? Ed and George debate the uncertainties of the parliamentary system in this week’s EMQs. They also look at the burgeoning crisis around student loan repayments, reflecting on their own roles in governments that helped get us here, and and on the consequences of suc...
Feb 09, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 253
In this episode we discuss details from the Epstein files, with references to sexual exploitation and some strong language. We begin this week with the growing political fallout from the Epstein files, following the release of thousands of emails by the US Department of Justice detailing Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The revelations have prompted comparisons with the Profumo affair and raised serious questions about judgment, power, and trust at the heart of British politi...
Feb 05, 2026•58 min•Season 1Ep. 252
Are Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman’s defections a blessing in disguise for Kemi Badenoch? In this week’s EMQs, Ed Balls and George Osborne explain the pros and cons of the Tories losing MPs from the right of the party, and how Badenoch can take advantage of Labour’s unpopularity. Then, the pair consider whether the UK could adopt a US style primary system for candidates and explain how they got selected for their seats in parliament. They also confront the surprising fact that no prime mini...
Feb 02, 2026•42 min•Season 1Ep. 251
It’s official: we are the champions. Fresh from two wins at last night’s Political Podcast Awards, a victorious Ed Balls and George Osborne look at two fairly drastic political recalibrations at home and abroad. Keir Starmer flew to China this week, amidst renewed tensions over his leadership, marking the first prime minister to visit the country in 8 years. Ed and George question why Number 10 played down this significant geopolitical moment, and how it reflects the tension surrounding Starmer ...
Jan 29, 2026•54 min•Season 1Ep. 250
Why didn’t Nick Clegg become Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2010 coalition government? Ed Balls and George Osborne take you inside the negotiations that formed the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in this week’s EMQs. They also discuss why Gordon Brown didn’t make Ed chancellor, and whether it was the original sin of his premiership. They also discuss the role of academics in policy making, and why American scholars end up more favored than their British counterparts. And, how many U-turns can...
Jan 26, 2026•36 min•Season 1Ep. 249
Fresh off a week of anxiety and uncertainty, George Osborne reports to Ed Balls from Davos to give the inside track on what it was like to see Trump’s address in person and the murmurs from the Alps about what the President really wants. The pair also look at the reactions from Keir Starmer, European allies, and the Mark Carney speech that got everyone talking. The pair then reflect on Robert Jenrick’s sacking and defection to Reform one week on. Has he truly put national interest above personal...
Jan 22, 2026•58 min•Season 1Ep. 248
Fellow ex-minister Edward Timpson sends in a question this week, asking Ed Balls and George Osborne how they stayed mentally and physically healthy during their time in government. The pair share their guide for what all ministers should do to remain fit in and out of office. Shevaun Haviland, Director General for the British Chambers of Commerce, then asks how the ongoing issues with business rates are solved permanently. George explains why this tax is one that causes issues for every governme...
Jan 19, 2026•38 min•Season 1Ep. 247
The dramatic news of Robert Jenrick’s sacking and rumoured plot to defect to Reform broke mid-record this week, meaning Ed Balls and George Osborne give a live reaction to the news. Has Kemi Badenoch secured her leadership or is this the next Tory psychodrama? And, could Nigel Farage be inviting the biggest threat to his leadership by accepting Jenrick? The pair look at the ongoing protests in Iran, and Donald Trump’s changing stance on whether American forces will be deployed in the region. The...
Jan 15, 2026•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 246
In the first EMQs of 2026 Ed Balls and George Osborne answer the most important question for any politician: what was your snakiest move? The pair share each of their proudest (and least proud) moments of cunning, as well as some hard-won advice on when being snakey can pay off. They then turn to a question missed from our last ‘What If’ episode from Australian cabinet member Chris Bowen, who wonders what would happen if John Smith had lived. What would have become of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, a...
Jan 12, 2026•33 min•Season 1Ep. 245
2026 has begun dramatically, with Donald Trump ordering an attack on Venezuela, plus has had aggressive rhetoric against Greenland and other parts of Latin America. Ed Balls and George Osborne discuss how leaders in Europe should respond. Why has the US set their sights on securing Greenland? Is Keir Starmer’s careful response the right approach? And just how much is Trump being motivated by oil? As Donald Trump sets the tone internationally, Keir Starmer is under pressure to make his latest dom...
Jan 08, 2026•52 min•Season 1Ep. 244
What if the Brexit vote was flipped? Would George Osborne actually be our… former Prime Minister? And what would have happened during the Covid-19 outbreak in that case? George Osborne and Ed Balls are back with another ‘What if’ episode, thinking about some of the most consequential sliding doors moments in modern politics. Looking further back, what if it was actually Neil Kinnock who had won the 1992 election? How might Black Wednesday have played out under a Labour government? Finally, they ...
Jan 05, 2026•39 min•Season 1Ep. 243
Education secretary Bridget Phillipson joins George Osborne on the podcast this week for a special conversation, giving him another sit down with a rising cabinet member after his interview with Wes Streeting in the summer. The pair talk about the challenges of entering government and whether Labour (or any party) still prioritises education, education, education. They debate the effectiveness of scrapping the two-child benefit cap versus reviving plans like Sure Start, and what to expect from t...
Dec 31, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 242
Pop the champagne, Ed and George are feeling Christmassy in the Political Currency studio, answering some very special questions. Claudia Winkleman asks who the ultimate political traitor is? Who do they pick for 2025… and of all time? Plus, our listeners ask Ed and George about the gifts they have bought for their loved ones - did George ever get David and Sam Cam any wallpaper… and also what books they’d recommend as stocking fillers. Rob Rinder asks George whether he really thinks he could ha...
Dec 29, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 241
Can Sir Ed Davey really take the fight to the right when it comes to the next election? In this special episode of Political Currency, Ed Balls speaks to the Liberal Democrat leader - and his politician of the year from 2024. In this wide-ranging conversation, the two Eds talk about Ed Davey’s passion for care provision and his deeply personal connection to the issue. Ed Balls also asks Ed about his time in the Coalition government with George Osborne and they reflect on their shared school days...
Dec 24, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 240
What’s the most embarrassing moment you’ve ever had caught on camera? Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid asks George and Ed to walk down an excruciating memory lane. And she puts a question from ChatGPT to them, in light of George’s new gig. But which question is better? George reveals William Hague’s incredible method for making sure meetings run on time and Ed helps a Gold listener finally understand the joke at the front of the show? Why on earth would George think he was on the Titanic? A l...
Dec 22, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 239
How has 2025 changed the outlook for Britain’s political parties? George Osborne and Ed Balls reflect on the events that have defined public opinion and led to unprecedented changes in the polls. What went wrong for Keir Starmer’s government? Why does Kemi Badenoch’s leadership now look more stable? They also name what could potentially be the four most influential moments of 2026. Are losses in the Scottish, Welsh and local elections inevitable for Labour? Will the US mid-terms signal a resurge...
Dec 18, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 238
George Osborne and Ed Balls reminisce on their most challenging interviewers…school children. George recalls being asked what seven times eight was, while Ed recounts misfires over school lunches. They also speculate on which Tory MP was glad to be sacked by Rishi Sunak… Elsewhere, they look at the peculiar case of the Canadian Conservatives where election loser Pierre Poilievre has continued on as leader, and wonder if there are any British equivalents. This allows George to show off his unexpe...
Dec 15, 2025•35 min•Season 1Ep. 237
What does the White House really think about Europe? George Osborne and Ed Balls take a look at President Trump’s new national strategy. George plays devil’s advocate for the plan, while Ed suggests that it could reveal JD Vance’s big strategy for 2028… They then turn to the US domestic agenda, and weigh up whether the Trump economy really is A+++. They look at the impact of the tariffs, the upcoming appointment of a new Federal Reserve chair, and how rising prices could cost the Republicans in ...
Dec 11, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 236
