HOT TAKE: Is it over for Starmer?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The fallout of the local elections was as many had predicted, but the chaotic aftermath demanded a reaction. Ed Balls and George Osborne went live on YouTube earlier today to give their thoughts on just how bad things are for Keir Starmer.
They reflect on the heavy defeat Labour suffered on Thursday, and the prime minister’s fightback. Why did he bring back Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman? Why did he stake things on today’s speech with a King’s Speech in only two days?
The biggest question mark of all though, is Catherine West. The little known MP created an earthquake over the weekend by announcing she would challenge the PM if no one else would. She has now pivoted to calling for a timetable, but still has damaged Starmer, and placed all eyes on what Andy Burnham, Wes Streeting, and Angela Rayner do next…
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Credits:
Research: Sam Burton
Production: Caillin McDaid & Nasreen Arain
Video Editor: Oliver Geraghty and Ryan Finnigan
Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford & Henrietta Harrison
Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello podcast listener. |
| 0:01.6 | Hello, you. |
| 0:02.4 | It's me, Greg James. |
| 0:03.8 | And me, Alice Levine. |
| 0:05.3 | Now, look, I know that you're very much enjoying this podcast that you're listening to. |
| 0:10.1 | And we're sorry to interrupt. We really are. |
| 0:12.4 | And it genuinely might not be our place to say, but is it time to try something new? |
| 0:17.9 | We would like to steal you for our new podcast. It's called Bad Chat. And it sounds a bit |
| 0:22.4 | like this. This one goes out to the walkers and the talkers and the late night. Stalkers. |
| 0:27.7 | Maybe not that one. Alice is my best friend. I am not Alice's best friend. Do you know that |
| 0:32.4 | horses' legs are their fingers? That is a bit of bad chat. From me, Greg James. |
| 0:38.6 | And me, famously, Alice Levine. |
| 0:40.6 | Listen, wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 1:03.0 | Hello, and welcome to this special edition of political currency with George Osborne and me, Ed Balls. |
| 1:08.4 | Now, we are live on YouTube doing this extra special podcast. |
| 1:11.3 | And then if you are a regular listener, you'll be getting it on your normal platform very shortly. Now, we normally do our podcast every Thursday evening, but we |
| 1:18.4 | felt that the political events of the weekend, Kirstarmer's political speech in Downing Street |
| 1:24.8 | this morning, his make or break moment was so significant that it |
| 1:31.2 | justified us doing something extra special. That's what we're doing today. Yeah, no, it's great |
| 1:36.6 | to be live on YouTube and covering the weekend's events. I was actually at a nice wedding |
| 1:42.5 | thinking I've been through all these leadership |
| 1:44.9 | crises in my life and I'm, thank God I'm not having to deal with things this weekend as |
... |
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