The Starmer government’s landmark Assisted Dying bill could be in danger of collapsing, with sponsor Kim Leadbeater now proposing major changes in the final moments. Will this signal the end once and for all? Ed Balls and George Osborne clash over how Keir Starmer should best proceed. Should he pull the bill entirely? Or is it time to press on?

Meanwhile, Kemi Badeoch is marking 100 days in what is arguably one of the worst jobs going in politics: Leading the opposition. She's working hard to hose down the idea of a pact with Nigel Farage and Reform that just keeps coming up. Why is she having such a hard time getting out from his shadow?

And JD Vance (George’s mate, remember?) has made his first trip as Vice President across the Atlantic to join a global artificial intelligence summit in Paris. The US refused to sign the international AI declaration, and the UK followed suit - so what on earth has prompted the UK to abandon a cause that they got going in the first place?

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Producers: Miriam Hall and Rosie Stopher

Technical Producer: Danny Pape

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford

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

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This week, Ed Balls and George Osborne take on some of the most difficult challenges facing society today. With millions of people of working age not in a job - officially called economically inactive - the pair consider the current costs to society and how to fix them. Columnist for the Times and former MP Matthew Parris asks George directly: Didn’t he see this coming with the introduction of personal independence payments?

And the Office of Budget Responsibility is meant to be apolitical – but does the government of the day at least have a little sway on its forecast? And considering the size of public spending in the UK, is the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, referred to as DOGE, even more relevant in this country?

Plus, how can psychology play a greater role in politics and policy …

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Production support: Caillin McDaid

Technical Producer: Danny Pape

Producer: Rosie Stopher and Miriam Hall

Executive Producers: 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.

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

Keir Starmer has been in Brussels this week, meeting with European Union leaders with the view to resetting the relationship with the bloc. George Osborne and Ed Balls ask, is it making good on a campaign promise? Is it to shore up UK-EU relations as President Donald Trump runs wild with tariffs? Or, is it a perfect opportunity to lay the perfect trap for the Conservatives …

Trump’s decision to slap tariffs on major US trading partners sent shock waves across the globe and sent the stockmarket into a tail spin. But he managed to outdo himself with his plans for Gaza, telling the world the US was taking it over. Ed and George look at how the first two weeks of this extraordinary Presidency is going, and how other world leaders are handling this new Trump era.

And plans for a football regulator has widespread political support - so why does the Premier League remain so hostile to the idea?

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Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency

Producers: Caillin McDaid, Miriam Hall and Rosie Stopher

Technical Producer: Danny Pape

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.