Political Currency
Hosted by Political Currency
Two former rival UK political heavyweights, Labour's Ed Balls and Conservative's George Osborne, dissect current events with insider anecdotes.
A weekly conversation between a former Chancellor and his one-time Shadow Chancellor, who now apply their deep institutional knowledge to the political headlines of the day. They start with light-hearted banter before using news clips and their own experiences to explain the mechanics of government decisions. The show's premise is to reveal what happens 'behind closed doors' in the rooms where power is wielded.
“The show's unique feature is the dynamic between its hosts: the very people who were once direct political and economic opponents now collaborate to provide bipartisan analysis. Their shared history as Chancellor and Shadow Chancellor provides an unmatched depth of context on economic and political strategy.”
Who hosts this show
Political Currency is hosted by Ed Balls and George Osborne, former political rivals who once battled across the despatch box. Ed Balls, a Labour politician, served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (2011-2015) and Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007-2010). George Osborne, a Conservative politician, was the UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016. Now, the self-described "frenemies" provide joint analysis on politics and economics, drawing from their extensive experience at the heart of British government.
Credentials & credits
- Ed Balls: UK Shadow Chancellor (2011-2015)
- George Osborne: UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (2010-2016)
- Ed Balls: UK Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (2007-2010)
- George Osborne: UK First Secretary of State (2015-2016)
- Ed Balls: Professor of Political Economy, King's College London
- George Osborne: Chair of the British Museum
Other ventures
- Ed Balls: Presenter, Good Morning Britain
- George Osborne: Chair, Northern Powerhouse Partnership
- Ed Balls: Author, "Speaking Out" and "Appetite"
- George Osborne: Former Editor, London Evening Standard
- Ed Balls: Co-Chair, UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation
- George Osborne: Advisor, OpenAI
What kind of podcast
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Region
- uk
When new episodes drop
- 01Burnham on the pitchJun 25, 2026 · 1 min
- 02The Real Andy Burnham (We've Known Him for 25 Years) | Political CurrencyJun 25, 2026 · 1h 07m
- 03Starmer's poor resignation speechJun 23, 2026 · 37s
- 04Starmer resigns, what comes next? | Political Currency LiveJun 22, 2026 · 28 min
- 05Britain’s Brexit Decade, What Comes Next? | Political CurrencyJun 18, 2026 · 1h 15m
- 06Endgame for Starmer?Jun 11, 2026 · 1h 18m
- 07Did Farage go too far or score political points this week?Jun 4, 2026 · 1h 06m
- 08Is Tony Blair the Logan Roy of Britain?May 28, 2026 · 1h 21m
Notable episodes
- 01Starmer resigns, what comes next? | Political Currency Live
A live, breaking news episode providing immediate analysis of a prime minister's resignation, showcasing the hosts' ability to react in real-time.
- 02The Real Andy Burnham (We've Known Him for 25 Years)
Highlights the hosts' unique value proposition: using their long personal histories with political figures to offer character analysis beyond the headlines.
- 03Britain’s Brexit Decade, What Comes Next?
A significant retrospective on a defining event in modern British history, analyzed by Osborne, a key figure in the 'Remain' campaign.
- 04Interview with Michael Gove
This interview from their 'Inside The Room' series won 'Interview of the Year' at the 2025 Political Podcast Awards.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is not a guest-interview show. The main format is a conversation between the two co-hosts, Ed Balls and George Osborne. A separate series on the channel, 'Inside The Room', features interviews.
This is a co-hosted conversational analysis show, not an interview podcast. Episodes typically begin with personal anecdotes and friendly banter before transitioning to the week's political news. The hosts often use news or social media clips to frame their discussions, drawing heavily on their personal experiences in government to provide insider context.
Signature segments
- · Inside The Room (Interview series)
- · Ex Ministers' Questions (Bonus Q&A episodes)
- · Opening banter
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
The primary format does not feature guests. However, the channel has a separate series called 'Inside The Room' which conducts long-form interviews with major political figures like David Cameron, Michael Gove, and Nicola Sturgeon.
- David Cameronon Inside The Room series
- Michael Goveon Inside The Room series
- Nicola Sturgeonon Inside The Room series
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
The podcast is part of the Acast Creator Network and offers early, ad-free access through subscription services like Patreon and Apple Podcasts.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
Pitch Political Currency
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts of Political Currency?
- The hosts are Ed Balls, a former Labour Shadow Chancellor, and George Osborne, a former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer.
- What is the format of the podcast?
- It is a co-hosted conversational show where the two hosts analyze current political and economic events. It is not a guest interview show, though they have a separate interview series called 'Inside The Room'.
- Is Political Currency still being produced?
- Yes, the podcast releases new episodes weekly on Thursdays, with additional bonus episodes.
- Has the podcast won any awards?
- Yes, it was named 'Political Podcast of the Year' at the 2026 UK Political Podcast Awards and won 'Interview of the Year' and the 'People's Choice' award in 2025.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- You can watch full episodes on YouTube and listen on all major podcast platforms.
- How can I ask the hosts a question?
- Listeners can send questions via email or voice note to [email — gated].
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]Political Currency - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [02]Ed Balls - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [03]George Osborne - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- [04]Professor Ed Balls - King's College Londonkcl.ac.uk
- [05]The Rt Hon George Osborne - GOV.UKgov.uk
- [06]Political Podcast Awards - the winners, 2026podnews.net
- [07]Political Currency picks up two Political Podcast Awards - Persephonicapersephonica.com
- [08]Political Currency - Persephonica (Official Site)persephonica.com
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