Political Currency

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 tries to nail him down on just who...

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. 

As the battle is drawn, Ed and...

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 POLITICO’s Westminster Insider wa...

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 working hard to get himself out ther...

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 about his, ahem, selective memor...

Rishi Sunak lives to fight another day after some terrible local election results. But as he loses yet another MP to Labour, Ed Balls and George Osborne ask whether it might be time to play a new strategy and try acting the underdog.

Meanwhile, whilst Labour had a markedly better weekend, it didn’t quite indicate the 1997-style landslide they might be hoping for in the next general election. Is Keir Starmer on track for a small ...

It’s polling day. Ed Balls and George Osborne give their expert analysis on the importance of local elections: what contests do you need to look out for? And what do they reveal about Rishi Sunak’s political fortunes?

Across the border, the Scottish National Party is in turmoil after First Minister Humza Yousaf resigned. Could this open the door to a Labour resurgence in Scotland?

Speaking of, the person hoping to lead that r...

It’s the most auspicious day of the year: Ed Balls Day. To celebrate, George has got his Ed Balls mask out (not a euphemism), and is ready to go Inside the Room. Just kidding. But he has in fact organised some questions from Ed’s nearest and not-so dearest. 

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves asks about Ed’s favourite Gregg’s order. Bandmate and Political Journalist Robert Peston wants to know why regulation of public services...

After two years, Rishi Sunak can finally celebrate a Rwanda victory as his bill passes in parliament - but Ed Balls and George Osborne can’t help noticing it’s been somewhat overshadowed by an announcement on defence spending. Is the government playing with fudged figures? And is it even worthwhile as far as voters are concerned?

St George’s Day saw an unexpected new poster boy this week - and no, it’s not George, much to his ch...

Is the role of a PPS more than just a ‘bag carrier’ and when has it gone wrong? If Ed and George could have a cardboard cut out of any politician who would it be? And BBC Radio 4’s Amol Rajan asks Ed about Joe Biden’s stammer. Should the American President talk more openly about his speech impediment? 

Plus, is the rise of the smartphone to blame for us all being less productive? And should 16 and 17 year olds have been all...

It should have finally been a bumper week for Rishi Sunak - with inflation down, a win for his smoking ban and with success on his Rwanda legislation within sight.

But instead, would-be Tory leaders have been hogging the limelight. Liz Truss is back with a vengeance. Could her ‘Trump-style’ return to form see her reinstated as head of the party?

Or is it Kemi Badenoch’s time to shine? Why has her stance on the smoking ban be...

Ed Balls and George Osborne were Inside the Room with Michael Gove last week to deep dive into the Brexit plots - and now they’re facing your questions on the moment that changed British politics forever. 

What happened to all the voters the EU referendum coaxed out of the woodwork? Are women ignored in the retelling of those tumultuous days of 2016? And what can historical parallels tell us about the inevitability of rejoi...

Another week, another scandal surrounding the Conservatives. But this time of the honey trapping variety. Ed and George discuss the dating app scam that has ensnared at least one MP. 

Meanwhile, Labour is having a difficult time stamping out persistent claims the party’s Deputy Leader Angela Rayner dodged tax on a house sale. George says if she stumbles, all the Conservatives want to see her fall. He predicts there will be ...

The result is in, and in the words of David Dimbleby, ‘we’re out’. But whilst the Brexit referendum draws a line under the campaign period, it sets the stage for chaos in the lives of our insiders. In this final episode of 'Inside the Room: The Brexit Plots', Ed Balls and George Osborne grill Michael Gove on the Conservative leadership contest that followed David Cameron’s resignation, and what (or who) persuaded him to commit one ...

As the Leave and Remain campaigns get underway, it seems that the Remain camp has a clear lead. That is, until it doesn’t. 

In this second instalment of Inside the Room: The Brexit Plot, Michael Gove, Ed Balls and George Osborne take us behind the scenes of the ever-more-panicked campaign HQs as polling day draws in.

Part 3 of 'Inside The Room: The Brexit Plots' is exclusively available to listen to now for subscribers to PO...

Brexit was the issue that splintered British politics: Friendships were broken, political parties split, and a nation polarised by the EU referendum. We all know what the outcome was, but in this special miniseries, Ed Balls and George Osborne are joined by Michael Gove - the ultimate Leave campaign insider - to discover what really went on behind the scenes of the biggest political shakeup of the 21st century.

In this first par...

Parliament may be heading into recess, but there’s little time for holidaying as the political parties are heading straight into local election campaigning after Easter. Ed Balls and George Osborne take stock of how those campaigns are shaping up, who and what to watch out for, and how the results might change the Westminster mood.

Is the BBC in danger again? And this time it’s from inside. After Tim Davie’s remarks this week, E...

The latest polling predicts Conservative armageddon in the next election. But do these polls matter? George reveals why the Tories are still banking on winning over those ‘don’t know’ voters. 

They’ll have a mountain to climb, with growing fears of coordinated tactical voting. Will it work as a strategy, and have Ed and George ever dared to vote for another party? 

And when Taylor Swift comes roaring into town, does...

Rishi Sunak is on a mission to prove his political fortunes are turning round… despite a long list of headaches. How can he get out of the political spiral he’s in? George and Ed pick over some lessons from Prime Ministers past… 

He’d do well to heed their words. On the Labour side, Rachel Reeves had made another big play for the role of chancellor, giving the Mais lecture. Is ‘securonomics’ the future of Britain? And does ...