EMQs: What do the public think of Ed and George?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 27 April 2026
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Off the back of last week’s EMQs, Tamara Finkelstein sends in a correction to the idea that UK schools don’t prepare for attacks like those in the US. She highlights that Jewish schools have to prepare and feel threatened in this current environment. Ed Balls and George Osborne highlight the worrying trend of antisemitism in the UK and the need for public figures to actively combat it.
Aldershot MP Alex Baker then chimes in with a proposal to adopt a multilateral defence, security and resilience bank, much like Mark Carney is championing in Canada. This poses a challenge for the pair, who recognise the necessity of improving defensive relations with our allies but see the economic challenges
How do prime ministers prepare for PMQs? Is it usual for the opposition to send questions in advance, as Kemi Badenoch did last week? George explains the procedure and conventions in the chamber, and how the opposition aims to catch out PMs.
And finally, pollsters from More in Common reached out following the discussion of ex-PMs, on the main show, with some fascinating insight into who the public most wants to hear from. Ed and George are included for good measure, and even rival podcasters get a mention…
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Research: Sam Burton
Production: Caillin McDaid & Nasreen Arain
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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. |
| 0:27.4 | Hello and welcome to EMQ's ex-minister's questions. |
| 0:31.1 | We are remote, although George is in London rather than California or Tokyo or South Africa or Dubai, the Straits for Moose, Pakistan. |
| 0:42.0 | Have you had a good week. |
| 0:42.9 | Do you know, I have had a nice week and, you know, I was taken to lunch at someone I think you would love. |
| 0:50.2 | And I'm proposing to take you out on a date, Ed. |
| 0:53.9 | I'm going to take you to Simpsons in the Strand. |
| 0:58.4 | Oh, the new Simpsons. |
| 0:59.7 | Yes. |
| 1:01.1 | So I was taking that by a wonderful guy called You Inventors. |
| 1:04.1 | You might have come across, now running the Paul Smith Empire, but used to run, Fortland |
| 1:10.1 | the Mason's. |
| 1:10.7 | And Simpsons in the Strand has been |
| 1:12.8 | renovated. It's a really old kind of classic restaurant, isn't it, in London? Did you go there |
... |
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