Welcome to political currency. Now, do you want to become a member of our special kitchen cabinet?

A kitchen cabinet to Ed and me. Well, this is your chance.

Subscribe to our extra special new subscription tier and receive access to live recordings,

political currency merchandise, briefings from the team, and a chat room just for members.

Plus, of course, early and ad-free listening, bonus content and the chance to support our work on political currency.

To find out how to subscribe, check out the details in the show notes.

Thank you to our sponsors today, The Economist.

If you're looking for the perfect gift this holiday season, give the gift

of clarity with an Economist subscription. Yes, whether it's through their in-depth global reporting

or their timely opinions on current issues, the Economist definitely keeps you connected to the

world. I don't always agree with everything I read in The Economist, but it always makes

me think. And in particular, really interesting editorial, very challenging, quite optimistic,

saying Donald Trump should be doing a Nixon to China, miraculous reconciliation between America

and Iran. Now, that would be quite a turnaround, but as they say,

Iran is weak and it's an opportunity for America. The economist says to Donald Trump,

seize the moment. But it's that kind of original thinking, which is great to read. And a

subscription to the economist also includes full access to subscriber-only

events, podcasts. We're definitely in favour of those. Newsletters, the Economist app and more.

For a limited time, you can give a subscription for free when you buy one for yourself. Perfect

for those who think big, just like you. So head over to Economist.com forward slash currency to take advantage of this limited time gifting offer.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Getting a lesson from the Shadow Chancellor in how to balance the books, it's like getting a lesson from Dracula and how to look after a blood back.

...