Starmer v Streeting: Is it curtains for Keir?
Political Currency
Persephonica
4.1 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 13 November 2025
⏱️ 72 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
A bizarre briefing war has exploded in Westminster, with Wes Streeting accused of plotting a coup against Keir Starmer. Ed Balls and George Osborne analyse the ‘toxic culture’ in Number 10: who was really behind the briefing, and has this ‘self-destructive’ move inadvertently strengthened Streeting while fatally weakening the Prime Minister?
Meanwhile, the BBC is in turmoil, with its Director General and Head of News resigning over the Donald Trump Panorama controversy. With George himself now tipped for the top job, the pair unpack the corporate governance collapse. And, can Donald Trump really win his $1 billion lawsuit against the British broadcaster?
Finally, Ed and George turn to Donald Trump snubbing the G20 over his claims of a "genocide" in South Africa. They explore the deepening divisions in the MAGA movement over controversial figures like Nick Fuentes, and ask if this identity politics of the "woke right" is a brand that Nigel Farage is about to import to the UK.
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Credits:
Assistant Producer: Caillin McDaid
Senior Producer: Silvia Maresca
Video Editor: Maha Albadrawi
Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is Political Coency with Ed Bulls and George Osborne. |
| 0:31.0 | So we are back, we are recording remotely today. |
| 0:33.8 | And, you know, there's quite a lot going on in the world. |
| 0:39.9 | The British politics in turmoil, international relations in turmoil. We're going to be talking about all these things this week, the BBC in turmoil, but in the financial times today, |
| 0:44.2 | hot seat BBC seeks boss with talent and political savvy, and who is in the list of runners |
| 0:50.6 | and rises second after Charlotte Moore, the former BBC boss, George Osborne, |
| 0:56.1 | with a picture of you, you are being tipped to run BBC. |
| 0:59.7 | Well, of course, I'm flattered every time one of these kind of establishment jobs comes up. |
| 1:04.9 | Can you fit it in? |
| 1:06.0 | Well, you know, I guess, first of all, I could commission this podcast, couldn't I? |
| 1:09.7 | That would be an early step I could take us, DG. And I've got a very good candidate, if I was Director General, for the real job that needs filling at the BBC, which is who's going to host Strictly Come Dancing. I thought, Mr. Edward Balls could be my first appointment. Look, we'll have to get my people to talk to your people about that. We'll have to get the agents involved. Look, George Osborne, former Chancellor, run a major media organisation, |
| 1:33.7 | the Evening Standard, runs a major cultural organisation, the British Museum, international reach, |
| 1:40.4 | banker, experience in fundraising, clearly politically independent, knows all about the tough |
| 1:46.0 | decisions. And let's be honest, given that as Chancellor, you managed to completely shaft the BBC |
| 1:51.5 | in the license fee negotiations, poacher turned gamekeeper, you totally know what the Treasury |
| 1:56.7 | would be up to, totally outmaneuver them. I also think the other thing which we should say to number 10, that, you know, if they |
| 2:03.7 | want to end this podcast and maybe they do, what better way to get political currency off |
| 2:10.3 | the air than to make you director general? |
| 2:12.4 | It is true that when I was interviewing for being chair of the British Museum, quite understandably, actually, |
| 2:19.1 | the board at the time were concerned, you know, hold on, you know, you're a former politician, |
| 2:23.6 | would you be independent enough and independent at the time? It was like a Tory government. |
| 2:29.6 | And the British Museum was very kind of protective of its independent. And my basic pitch for the job was |
... |
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