EMQs: Should MPs drink in parliament?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 4 May 2026
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Before getting into questions this week, Ed Balls and George Osborne take on the big talk around Westminster: should MPs be allowed to drink? They respond to the criticism by new Green MP Hannah Spencer, who said MPs smelling of alcohol while voting made her uneasy. Ed and George offer the pros and cons of this, and even how drinking in parliament getting out of hand may have led to Jeremy Corbyn…
Is it in Kemi Badenoch’s best interest for Keir Starmer to stay on? The pair explain why this mindset is too clever by half, and how opposition leaders should always focus on their message and expose a PM’s weak points, rather than hope to gain by keeping a flawed leader in place.
They then receive a pair of questions on AI, looking at the lack of training among certain industry leaders and the idea of British sovereignty on AI. George brings his expertise to explain why training is important and the limits for any country on sovereignty, while Ed illuminates us on some of his own musical AI discoveries.
Finally, they answer just why cabinet ministers seem reluctant to lay out their own vision for government even when Starmer appears so weak. Is this a sign of No. 10 clamping down on ministers? The rise of soundbite social media? Or, does it demonstrate how no cabinet member is confident enough in their leadership ambitions to make a move?
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Credits:
Research: Sam Burton
Production: Caillin McDaid & Nasreen Arain
Video Editor: Carla Mercer & Ryan Finnigan
Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford & Henrietta Harrison
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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 and 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. |
| 0:27.6 | Hello and welcome to EMQ's, ex-minister's questions. |
| 0:31.4 | While we're recording, it's had a very nice message from a very esteemed journalist. |
| 0:36.5 | So I'm not going to name her because I need to check first, |
| 0:39.5 | but she says, I've been hiding for political podcast for a long time after stopping reporting on |
| 0:44.3 | Westminster, but political currency has enticed me back. It's excellent. There we are. A tribute. |
| 0:49.9 | Another satisfied customer. In fact, when I was flying out to San Francisco, we were recording this on the day I've |
| 0:55.7 | got back, but when I was flying out, I was flying on Virgin and they have a little |
| 1:02.3 | kind of bar area if you get to fly business class, as I was, lucky me. |
| 1:07.3 | And there was a guy sitting there with his laptop and he says, oh my God, I'm actually |
| 1:12.5 | listening to your podcast right now. So I'm all passed on my way to the Lou. I said, oh yeah, |
| 1:17.4 | well, that's all part of the service. You know, I knew you'd be on this plane. So I've come on |
| 1:20.6 | especially to say thank you. He's a gold subscriber. So I said, thank you very much. |
| 1:25.0 | Well, look, I hope he wasn't sitting at the bar working. I hope you |
... |
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