The drama rages on, one week after Chancellor Rachel Reeves stood at the dispatch box to deliver her second Budget. Richard Hughes has resigned as OBR chair following the catastrophic budget leak and calls for Rachel Reeves to do the same have not let up. Ed Balls and George Osborne look at the “shambolic” fallout of the budget, and how Labour have once again grasped defeat from the jaws of victory in yet another communications disaster for the party.

Then, the pair discuss David Lammy’s drastic measures to scrap juries for the majority of cases in England and Wales. Is this the biggest change to our justice system since the Magna Carta or a necessary step to solve the mounting backlog of cases, bringing the courts to the brink? And why on earth didn't anybody prepare the ground for it?

Finally, Ed and George look across the channel to the rise of the far right in Germany and France. With the AfD and National Rally looking on the cusp of electoral victory and Reform’s path to power looking inevitable, what lessons can Keir Starmer learn from his European allies to stop Nigel Farage securing the keys to No 10?

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Credits:

Research: Sam Burton

Production: Caillin McDaid & Jack Boswell

Video Editor: Maha Al-Badrawi

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

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

How many times did Gordon Brown save Tony Blair from a calamitous decision? Ed Balls and George Osborne recount the times chancellors stepped in to save their PM from disaster. Does George wish he'd done it a bit more with David Cameron?

And why does the Opposition leader respond to the budget and not the shadow chancellor? Ed and George try to work it out, but are not quite sure themselves - please write in! They also delve into the minimum wage rise from the budget, and signal pressing issues Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves must tackle down the line.

Finally, the pair share their dream jobs - other than Prime Minister, of course - with Ed’s being a suitably political answer and George’s being typically wide-ranging from his previous roles.

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. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:

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Please note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.

Credits:

Research: Sam Burton

Production: Caillin McDaid and Paige Reynolds

Video Editor: Maha Al-Badrawi

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

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

Does Rachel Reeves have a credible plan for growth? One day on from her Budget Statement, George Osborne and Ed Balls debate her headline measures and ask if she’s built enough of a narrative to save her job. Health Secretary Wes Streeting asks about two Osbornian policies: the sugar tax and two-child limit. How can Labour win the argument?

They also talk about the disastrous OBR leak, whether anyone will be sacked, and ask how it stacks up to some of the biggest leaks in budget history… Is it worse than Ken Clarke in 1996? Or the Evening Standard beating George to the punch in 2013?

Finally, they briefly turn to the war in Ukraine and debate the peace negotiations. The big question now is whether Putin has been strong-armed into signing a peace treaty, and if that means a lasting cease-fire is in sight.

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 Podcasts

Please note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.

Credits:

Research: Sam Burton

Production: Caillin McDaid and Paige Reynolds

Video Editor: Maha Al-Badrawi

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

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