EMQs: Is Makerfield the UK’s presidential election?
6/1/202645 min
Was George Osborne about to abandon David Cameron in the 2005 Tory leadership race? That’s the first question on this week’s EMQs, where George recounts the mistakes made by the David Davis campaign that allowed Cameron to ascend. Ed Balls shares similar mistakes of David Miliband’s 2010 campaign, and the pair offer their own advice to all backbench MPs assessing the current Labour leadership contest.
Then they turn to the man who may win said contest: Andy Burnham. They ponder if Makerfield is the closest thing the UK has seen to a presidential election, with the voters knowing they may well elect our next PM.
From one political giant to another they then debate why the £5M donation to Nigel Farage hasn’t blown up, and how he could end up on the path of Boris Johnson should this go poorly for him.
Finally, George unveils an underdiscussed power of the chancellor that could see the government expel any of their political rivals. They also get into religion and culture…
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
The Chancellor of the Exchequer. [crowd cheering] Getting a lesson from the Shadow Chancellor on how to balance the books is like getting a lesson from Dracula on how to look after a blood bank. [crowd cheering] Ed Balls. A steady as she goes budget. What kind of ship does he think he's on? The Titanic? [crowd cheering] The Mary Celeste?
Ed Balls· Host0:16
Welcome to EMQ's From Political Currency.
George Osborne· Host0:20
With Ed Balls and George Osborne.
Ed Balls· Host0:21
[upbeat music] So hello and welcome to EMQ's Ex-Ministers Questions. Now, on our main podcast, um, George kind of went on about being at the White House, um, with Donald Trump and Kevin Warsh, and, um, I felt as though Helvellyn didn't quite compete in terms of, um, fancy environs.
George Osborne· Host0:46
That's the hillock in the Lake District that you're- It's not.
Ed Balls· Host0:49
It's, it's a mountain ...
George Osborne· Host0:49
about to scale, or have scaled.
Ed Balls· Host0:50
It's a mountain. But I- Yeah ... was at a film premiere last night.
George Osborne· Host0:55
Ooh.
Ed Balls· Host0:56
I was.
George Osborne· Host0:57
Get you.
Ed Balls· Host0:57
At, um, in, uh, just above Piccadilly in a hotel. It's a new film. Um, it's the directorial debut of Kristen Scott Thomas, um- Mm ... of Four Weddings and a Funeral and Slow Horses, um- Mm ... fame. Uh, and she has, uh, not only directed in it and starred in it- Mm ... but, um, it's co-written with her husband, who we both know really well- Mm.
George Osborne· Host1:20
Yes ...
Ed Balls· Host1:20
John Micklethwait, who runs, um, Bloomberg. They wrote it together. It's called My Mother's Wedding. Stars, listen to this, Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller- Mm ...