Share
Politics Unpacked
Ed Balls
•
Matt Chorley speaks to the former Labour cabinet minster Ed Balls about leaving politics, making documentaries, the Labour party and Strictly Come Dancing. To subscribe to the Times go to thetimes.co.uk/timesredbox
More episodes
View all episodes
Starmer's Six Milestones
22:07|Keir Starmer sets out six milestones for voters to judge his premiership, but did his speech reboot his premiership?Hugo Rifkind unpacks the speech and the politics of the day with Manveen Rana and Matthew Syed.PMQs: Conviction Politicians, Not Politicians With Convictions
41:29|Kemi Badenoch asks Keir Starmer why he appointed a "convicted fraudster" to be his transport secretary.Hugo Rifkind unpacks the action at prime minister's questions with the help of Tim Shipman, Lara Spirit and comedian Alex Kealy.Too Many Targets?
31:50|Keir Starmer is planning to set six numerical targets for the government to achieve before the next election, but do targets lead to results? And should the Louise Haigh accept thousands of pounds in severance pay?Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with Libby Purves and James Marriott.The Sickness Benefits Trap
40:34|Hugo is joined by Fraser Nelson to discuss whether the benefits system is trapping the people it's supposed to help, and unpacks the politics of the day - including Starmer's 'relaunch' - with Patrick Maguire and Emma Duncan.Starmer Loses His First Cabinet Minister
26:38|Transport Secretary Louise Haigh is the first cabinet resignation of the Starmer government, but what don't we know about the story, and how big a set back is it for the PM? Patrick Maguire unpacks the politics of the day with Tom McTague and Rachel Sylvester.Have The Tories Got It Wrong On Immigration?
29:25|As official figures show net migration hit a record 900,000 last year, the Tories have set out a "new approach" on immigration. But is it wise for Kemi Badenoch to start making policy so far away from the next election?Lara Spirit unpacks the politics of the day with Matthew Parris and Manveen Rana.PMQs: Taking The Biscuit
42:43|Kemi Badenoch says businesses such as biscuit-maker McVities are losing confidence in the UK economy, but will her biscuit puns make Keir Starmer crumble or will he bite back?Hugo Rifkind unpacks the action from the Commons chamber with the help of Tim Shipman, Lara Spirit and comedian Alistair Barrie.Have We Reached 'Peak Woke'
31:12|Has the woke movement lost confidence? Will Donald Trump bring Joe Rogan into White House press briefings? And what has Boris Johnson been saying about the obesity crisis? Hugo Rifkind unpacks the politics of the day with Libby Purves and James MarriottPetitions, Missions, And Ed Davey's TikTok
32:14|Hugo Rifkind is unpacking the politics of the day with Sunday Times columnist Hadley Freeman and politics professor and podcast host David Runciman.They discuss the merits (or otherwise) of a petition calling for a general election, reports that Keir Starmer will add more targets to the government’s five “missions”, and Ed Davey's Gen Z speak on social media.