EMQs: Keir Starmer’s problem with ministers

Al Carns revealed in the wake of his resignation he only met Keir Starmer in an official capacity once. On this week’s EMQs, Ed Balls and George Osborne break down how unusual this is for a PM and why it may explain the problem at the heart of the Starmer operation. Baroness Jan Royall, Chair of the Jo Cox Foundation asks what lessons have been learned in the decade since her tragic murder and what more needs to be done to protect MPs. The pair then tackle the big political debate: is ‘white van man’ always right? Ed recalls a near disaster for the treasury with ‘white man van’, while George offers politicians advice on how to balance their personal views with meeting the public where they are. Ed and George also answer ‘Emily’s’ question on free childcare benefits and whether it should be stopped completely when you earn over £100,000. Ed and George bring their experience to the question and discuss the pros and cons of benefits tapering rather than ending on a salary cliff edge. Plus a Canadian listener hits back at George’s recent derogatory comments on Ottawa and asks George and Ed for their predictions if significant election results had gone another way. Don’t forget if you’re a Kitchen Cabinet member and want to win a chance to see Centrist Dad live at the Water Rats on the 2nd July make sure to send in an EMQ to [email protected] with the subject ‘CENTRIST DAD’. If you have any other burning questions send them to [email protected] and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles: 👉 X 👉 Instagram 👉 TikTok 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 & Nasreen Arain Video Editor: Sam Gruet Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford & Henrietta Harrison Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.