Political Currency

Rachel Reeves has finally delivered her much-anticipated Spending Review, but has it done anything to shift Labour’s story? George Osborne calls it “continuity Sunak,” arguing that the big spending pledges are less a break from the past and more a continuation of Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s economic path. Ed Balls says Reeves is taking ‘a real gamble’ without ‘any insurance’, boxing herself in with big promises, uncertain growth, and no room to manoeuvre.With defence and the NHS coming out on top, and departments like the Foreign Office facing deep cuts, what does this Review tell us about Labour’s true priorities? And can the party really keep these pledges without raising taxes or breaking its own fiscal rules?Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Donald Trump is making headlines once again, this time for turning on his old ally Elon Musk and deploying troops into LA over immigration protests. Ed and George assess what it all means for the UK’s relationship with Trump, the future of US-UK diplomacy, and Starmer’s carefully built transatlantic strategy.To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Danny Pape Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Two Members of Parliament (and a former too!) are seeking Ed Balls’ and George Osborne’s counsel this week. The pair consider the impact of AI, courtesy of a question from Alan Mak, the MP for Havant and the Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology - who has rung in to ask how emerging technologies can help governments run better. Meanwhile, Jake Richards, a newly elected Labour member, wants their views on immigration policy.And Ed and George are live, unscripted, and face-to-face for the first time - answering questions at the SXSW festival. The pair consider how best to handle a political sacking - would a couple of sherries help? Or should one invest in a coffee machine so you never have to leave the house? They also mull the value of a Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) degree. Plus, they share their favourite political jokes, and the role of humor and satire in the current environment … To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Danny Pape Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

With just days to go before Rachel Reeves delivers her first Spending Review, Labour is facing an uncomfortable squeeze. NATO wants defence spending ramped up to 3.5% of GDP, but Reeves is sticking to her strict fiscal rules. Can Starmer keep both Washington and voters at home on side - or will the sums simply stop adding up?Meanwhile, Donald Trump is reigniting the trade war - with a 25% steel tariff sending markets wobbling. The UK may have a temporary exemption, but there are warning signs everywhere: surging bond yields, a weakening pound, and talk of a “crack” in the market from Wall Street’s biggest voices. What does it all mean for the UK - and could global turbulence derail Labour’s investment plans before they’ve begun?And Boris Johnson’s back in the headlines. Could he really be planning a political comeback? With Reform UK on the rise and Conservative nerves showing, some see him as a vote-winner. But under Kemi Badenoch’s leadership, would his return solve more problems than it creates?To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Danny PapeExecutive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

When things go wrong - very badly wrong, as with the case of the infected blood and the sub-postmasters scandals - why can’t the state act quickly to compensate victims? Ed Balls and George Osborne consider how the government should best respond, and balance the interests of innocent people as well as taxpayers. Harvard is the latest American university to feel the full force of Donald Trump’s ire, with the US president trying to stop the storied institution from bringing on international students. Could there be benefits for Britain? George thinks the government should act now, without delay, to see if some of the best and brightest could abandon the USA for the UK.And the pair lift the lid on their own political memorabilia collection. Can you guess which former US president George has got a special connection to - thanks to some surprising collectors items?Don’t forget we’re doing our first Political Currency live show - we’ll be taking to the stage on Thursday 5th June 2025 at SXSW London. Want a chance to grab a FREE ticket and a pass to the WHOLE six day business conference, worth £600?! Sign up to be a Kitchen Cabinet member to hear how you can get your hands on a ticket! To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

If Labour was hoping for one of those quick and easy policy U-turns, they certainly haven’t got it. With Rachel Reeves’ spending review a scant two weeks away, the government is still having trouble explaining the details - or providing any detail, really - on how winter fuel payments are now going to work. Now that cutting the two-child benefit cap is in the mix, who is going to explain what is playing out to the general public, and when? Ed Balls thinks it’s all pretty messy, while George Osborne has got a different word for it: baffling.Meanwhile, King Charles has just been in Canada to open up the parliamentary session. An interesting piece of soft diplomacy as Prime Minister Mark Carney navigates a tense relationship with US President Donald Trump. The pair consider - with an unprecedented second state visit to the UK for Trump on the horizon and a chaotic on-again off-again US trade war underway - how should the government best handle it?And they turn their attention to the US tech giants dominance of the UK app store. Is the Apple-Google duology stifling UK growth?A reminder that we’re doing our first Political Currency live show - we’ll be taking to the stage on Thursday 5th June 2025 at SXSW London. Want a chance to grab a FREE ticket and a pass to the WHOLE six day business conference, worth £600?! Sign up to be a Kitchen Cabinet member to hear how you can get your hands on a ticket! To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Can a quick political win keep the public on side while the hard work happens behind the scenes? This week on Ex-Ministers’ Questions, Ed Balls and George Osborne debate whether Labour's lack of early symbolic moves has cost them public goodwill - and whether a bit of political theatre can actually make or break a government.They also tackle questions from across the UK and the US: how can Kemi Badenoch rebuild morale in a bruised Conservative Party? What’s the right way to pitch bold economic ideas in a divided world? And who really decides where government contracts go - ministers or mandarins?Plus: a look back at Keynes’s legacy with HM Treasury's Mario Pisani, a tip of the hat to Mr Bates vs the Post Office, and Ed’s run-in with a very enthusiastic listener at Harvard.And a reminder, we’re doing our first Political Currency live show - we’ll be taking to the stage on Thursday 5th June 2025 at SXSW London. Want a chance to grab a FREE ticket and a pass to the WHOLE six day business conference, worth £600?! Sign up to be a Kitchen Cabinet member to hear how you can get your hands on a ticket! To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Did someone say U-turn? Ed Balls and George Osborne have been saying it for a while, actually, when it comes to the matter of the controversial winter fuel tax cut. Now that the government has walked it back, will it do the trick and soothe voters and ease tensions with Labour MPs? Ed thinks the approach is “politically and technically messy”. George, for his part, thinks it’s nothing short of a damaging “fiasco” for Labour. Meanwhile, David Lammy announced this week the suspension of trade talks with Israel, in light of the escalating violence in Gaza. Does this signal a shift in the UK-Israel relations? And will it make much difference to the crisis if it does? George isn’t so sure… Plus, the pair discuss the newly-minted, post-Brexit deal with the EU - did Britain make the right calls and the right concessions? And a trip down banking regulation memory lane: is it time to wind back bank ringfencing, an ongoing legacy from the Osborne era?And a reminder, we’re doing our first Political Currency live show - we’ll be taking to the stage on Thursday 5th June 2025 at SXSW London. Want a chance to grab a FREE ticket and a pass to the WHOLE six day business conference, worth £600?! Sign up to be a Kitchen Cabinet member to hear how you can get your hands on a ticket! To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency 👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network. 

California Governor hopeful Steve Hilton has a question for Ed Balls and George Osborne this week: which American state would they choose to live in, and would they rather be a senator or a governor? A trip down fantasy lane has the pair questioning the best path to political glory, based on previous presidents’ CVs. Ed Balls for 2032? Seems… far fetched.Back in the real world, the pair debate whether cutting Employer National Insurance Contributions could help get people back into work - and whether Trump’s approach to tariffs has, unintentionally, made him a little bit green.Plus, they reflect on their time facing PMQs in Parliament - and what was really driving their biggest moments at the despatch box.Some exciting news from us! We’re doing our first Political Currency live show - we’ll be taking to the stage on Thursday 5th June 2025 at SXSW London. Want a chance to grab a FREE ticket and a pass to the WHOLE six day business conference, worth £600?! Sign up to be a Kitchen Cabinet member to hear how you can get your hands on a ticket! To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency 👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network. 

Keir Starmer’s controversial reference to an “Island of strangers” as part of his immigration overhaul has sparked a furore, and inspired a comparison to his previous stance on migration. Ed Balls thinks while there’s no doubt it will cause some consternation, it will be a price worth paying. George Osborne, meanwhile, is getting Tory vibes … it all sounds a bit like it could’ve come from a Conservative government to him. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is on a glitzy tour of the Middle East, shaking off any suggestion the gift of a plane from Qatar might be running afoul of a little thing called the US constitutional emoluments clause. What’s the foreign policy impact of this trip? And speaking of the president, the pair consider Trump’s tariff on film production outside the US. It’s a bid to restore the American film industry to its former glory, but at what cost? And what kind of fallout will there be in the UK’s industry?Plus, some exciting news from us! We’re doing our first Political Currency live show - we’ll be taking to the stage on Thursday 5th June 2025 at SXSW London. Want a chance to grab a FREE ticket and a pass to the WHOLE six day business conference, worth £600?! Sign up to be a Kitchen Cabinet member to hear how you can get your hands on a ticket! To get episodes early and ad-free, join Political Currency Gold or the Kitchen Cabinet: 👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Producer: Miriam HallSenior Producer: Silvia MarescaVideo Editor: Oliver Geraghty Executive Producer: Ellie CliffordPolitical Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.