EMQs: From Beatlemania to... K-pop?

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 the Bayeux Tapestry coming to the British Museum this year. The examples range from Beatlemania all the way to K-Pop. Do these moments help strengthen bonds between countries? What impact do shared cultural experiences have on our diplomatic relations around the world?They then debate the fairness of Shaban Mahmood’s proposed changes to indefinite leave to remain, and the potential consequences of being less stringent on high-earning workers as compared to low-earners. Finally, a listener stuck in Dubai enquires about what goes on behind the scenes during crises and whether negative comments from the likes of Ed Davey in response to the ex-pats was misjudged. They cite past examples from Afghanistan to Libya, how governments handled those situations behind the scenes, and when the right time to make large scale interventions like that are necessary. We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.This podcast is sponsored by Chip. Join 400,000 customers building long term wealth. Also Chip have agreed that just for our listeners, for your first £10,000 deposited into Chip before midnight 20 March 2026, they’ll give you a Fortnum & Mason hamper after holding it for 90 days - just head to getchip.uk/politicalcurrency.T&Cs apply, you must be a new Chip customer, over 18, a UK tax resident, and it’s app only. Chip is a trading name of Chip Financial Limited. Savings products are provided by Clearbank and are protected up to the FSCS limit. When investing, your capital is at risk.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Hanrahan & Eve Jones Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 is. Can he declare victory now and avoid risking his reputation? Or has this war created problems he can’t outrun? They also discuss the emerging energy crisis, and whether central banks should cut, hold, or raise interest rates in light of the conflict. Finally, with Tony Blair saying the government should have followed America into Iran, Gordon Brown weighing in on Mandelson, and Boris Johnson pushing for boots on the ground in Ukraine, we’ve seen an increasing number of interventions by ex-PMs. Is this a new trend? If so, what are these ex-PMs hoping to achieve? How effective are their interventions in shifting government policy?We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.This podcast is sponsored by Chip. Join 400,000 customers building long term wealth. Also Chip have agreed that just for our listeners, for your first £10,000 deposited into Chip before midnight 20 March 2026, they’ll give you a Fortnum & Mason hamper after holding it for 90 days - just head to getchip.uk/politicalcurrency.T&Cs apply, you must be a new Chip customer, over 18, a UK tax resident, and it’s app only. Chip is a trading name of Chip Financial Limited. Savings products are provided by Clearbank and are protected up to the FSCS limit. When investing, your capital is at risk.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid & Richard Attley  Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 elsewhere, was being in government the best days of their lives? The pair debate the idea which ends up causing them to reminisce about Michael Gove’s dog and a chicken named Gordon.Finally, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith asks the best way a mayor can promote growth in their region, particularly one as rural as his. After offering David some useful ideas, the pair wander down a Wuthering Heights tangent and Ed gifts listeners with his slightly dubious Kate Bush impression. David also asks Ed for some personal advice on being a public figure with a stammer. We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.This podcast is sponsored by Chip. Join 400,000 customers building long term wealth. Also Chip have agreed that just for our listeners, for your first £10,000 deposited into Chip before midnight 20 March 2026, they’ll give you a Fortnum & Mason hamper after holding it for 90 days - just head to getchip.uk/politicalcurrency.T&Cs apply, you must be a new Chip customer, over 18, a UK tax resident, and it’s app only. Chip is a trading name of Chip Financial Limited. Savings products are provided by Clearbank and are protected up to the FSCS limit. When investing, your capital is at risk.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Hanrahan & Eve Jones Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 geopolitical fallout that may follow.The conflict in Iran has also brought about the starkest moment of disagreement between UK and US since the Vietnam war. Keir Starmer refused to follow the US and Israel, but how much was that position based on internal disagreements within Labour and the long political shadow of the Iraq War?Finally, the pair turn to Rachel Reeves’ Spring Statement. Did the Chancellor miss the mark? With defence spending pressures rising and unresolved questions around student loans, they ask if the statement was unusually partisan despite delivering few major policy changes.We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid & Caitlin Caitlin Hanrahan  Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 unpicking of the Whitehall reorganisation done by New Labour. Ed is still bitterly disappointed at the abandonment of the DCSF.And, turning to the appointment of Antonia Romeo as Cabinet Secretary - and the wave of misogynistic commentary that followed - Ed and George ask, given her obvious qualifications, why didn’t Keir Starmer appoint her sooner? Finally, former civil servant Tamara Finkelstein asks why investment into UK deep tech startups is so lacking, and what can be done to close the gap with the US? Ed and George pose a challenge to the government to address this issue sooner rather than later.We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Hanrahan & Eve Jones Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 policy for this sector whilst Chancellor. And, is Peter Mandelson leaking information to Jeffrey Epstein a betrayal to the Labour party on the scale of the SDP forming in ‘81 or Ramsay MacDonald’s National government? Or, is it something even greater? Ed explains the ways that the Mandelson scandal is uniquely perfidious.Finally, is the shelf life for a British politician shorter than the rest of the world? Why is it so rare to see someone re-enter the Commons after leaving? Ed and George weigh up the reasons for greater churn in British political life than in other democracies. We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Hanrahan & Eve Jones Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 weekend’s Munich Security Conference, the pair turn their attention to further calls for Europe to increase defence spending. The question for the UK is: can the Treasury afford the proposed 3% defence spending by the end of the parliament? And would the British public accept spending cuts needed to hit that target? Finally, George gives the inside scoop on the AI Impact Summit in India. He explains what opportunities and concerns are being addressed by world leaders, as well as why it represents an achievement for Britain.We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid & Caitlin Caitlin Hanrahan  Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 examples in favour of and against this notion and how it could happen again. They then weigh up an even bigger question: has the podcast turned them into influencers? With so many high profile people in the political world tuning in, are they taking notes on what Ed and George say?Finally, Sky News political reporter Ben Bloch chimes in with a response to our question last week about what would happen in the event a PM was incapacitated. He consulted the Labour Party rule book, and it got him wondering if Britain should adopt a US style line of succession for government. Is it time to codify the unwritten rules?We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Hanrahan & Eve Jones Video Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.

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 Vance’s consequential address in which he claimed the greatest threat to the continent came from within. Has that speech set the tone for the Trump administration’s relationship with Europe? What reverberations has that had for the UK? How will European leaders manage in a world without America as a reliable ally? Finally, they tackle one of the great debates in British politics: what do you do about the Palace of Westminster? The British parliament has been crumbling for decades and the dilemma of how to fix a working government building has been a live issue since Ed and George first left the Commons. As the issue is delayed, the costs continue to rise. They ponder the solution to this while reminiscing about crumbling offices, leaks and mice running across their feet. Is it in the British public’s interest to spend billions refurbishing the Palace of Westminster? We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.  Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency👉 Apple PodcastsPlease note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.Credits:Research: Sam BurtonProduction: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Caitlin Hanrahan, & Eve JonesVideo Editor: Avi AsherExecutive 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.