EMQs: Are robotaxis coming for London?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 23 March 2026
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Fresh off regaling us with his tales in a Silicon Valley robotaxi, George Osborne is asked if they’re bound for London and what risks they may pose, in this week’s EMQs. Ed Balls echoes some of our listener’s concerns, but George argues this is no different than other tech evolutions like Uber.
The pair are then asked why Britain often appears reactive and not proactive for big economic shocks like the wars in Ukraine or Iran. Is this emblematic of problems within the Treasury? Problems in government? Or, an uncharitable read of tough political circumstances.
Finally, an anonymous police officer asks if the Home Office should focus more on retaining experienced officers, rather than recruitments and mergers, to improve services. He also poses a possible solution to this problem - should the police be permitted to take industrial action? Ed and George debate the merits of recruitment drives and what endemic issues need solving to help improve the police.
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.
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Research: Sam Burton
Production: Caillin McDaid & Henrietta Harrison
Video Editor: Avi Asher
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Chancellor of the Exchequer. |
| 0:02.0 | Getting a lesson from the Shadow Chancellor in how to balance the books, |
| 0:05.0 | it's like getting a lesson from Dracula and how to look after a blood pack. |
| 0:08.0 | Ed Balls. |
| 0:10.0 | As steady as she goes, budget. |
| 0:13.0 | What kind of ship does he think he's on, the Titanic? |
| 0:16.0 | Themary Celeste. |
| 0:17.0 | Welcome to EMQs from Political Currency. |
| 0:20.0 | With Ed Balls and George Osborne. |
| 0:27.5 | So hello and welcome to ex-minister's questions, EMQs. |
| 0:32.6 | I'm sitting opposite George Osborne. |
| 0:33.9 | We are remote recording this. |
| 0:35.4 | I think he's not currently in California. But you are spending a lot of time on airplanes in this new job, racking up the air miles, but it must be exhausting. It is quite tiring, and obviously I miss my family. It's also, I think, a new job, just making sure I'm, you know, across it. It's a combination, you know, it's a company based in California, and my remit is a global remit. |
| 0:54.7 | So a combination of those, two things means that, yes, the air miles are definitely clocking up. |
| 0:59.6 | Do you have to do space? |
| 1:01.2 | Or go to space. |
| 1:02.4 | Exactly. |
| 1:03.0 | I mean, where does your remit stop? |
| 1:05.5 | I mean, you know, in your global footprint, are you thinking about kind of spacecrafts or other planets, or are you confining yourself to this world? |
| 1:15.3 | Well, there is an argument about data centers in space, actually. |
| 1:18.4 | That is exactly what I was referring to. |
| 1:20.2 | No, I think it's quite terrestrial, rather than extraterrestrial. |
... |
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