Peter Mandelson OUT. George Osborne… IN?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 11 September 2025
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Peter Mandelson, the so-called “Prince of Darkness” got sacked this morning, thanks to fresh revelations of his lengthy friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Now all eyes are turning to his replacement … Could George Osborne himself be getting the call up for US Ambassador?
He and Ed Balls consider what this sudden, inglorious end for Mandelson’s diplomatic career means for the government. How could this affect the all-important upcoming state visit from US President Donald Trump, who himself is facing questions around his links to Epstein?
It’s not the only tumult for Keir Starmer’s government, that was hoping to reset its way into a calmer period. The deputy leadership contest in the wake of Angela Rayner’s resignation is underway. Ed and George consider if this may be a bigger problem for Starmer than was bargained for? Could Bridget Phillipson vs. Lucy Powell in fact be a proxy for Keir Starmer vs. Andy Burnham?
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Credits:
Producer: Miriam Hall
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey, it's Adam Grant from Worklife, a podcast from TED. |
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| 0:40.5 | This episode of political currency is sponsored by Indeed. |
| 0:44.2 | Okay, so Ed, Indeed is a trusted platform which connects people with jobs that are right for them. |
| 0:49.9 | What they do is interesting to me as we get so many questions in from listeners of the podcast about the challenges of finding a job that's right for you, whether it's in politics, business or whatever else you're passionate about. I know. And speaking to people about the hiring process, one thing I've always found really quite bizarre is the lack of transparency around salary. Often the salary is never listed. You're sat in the interview and almost feel rude having to |
| 1:11.0 | ask what the job pays. It's a crazy situation to put candidates in and there's got to be a better way. |
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| 1:49.8 | fits both the role and the team culture. So for those of you who listen to the show and want to know |
... |
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