Election Speculation... Labour had a substantial lead in the polls in 2007, fuelling talk of a snap general election to cement Gordon Brown’s place in Number 10. And things only got better as the party arrived in Bournemouth for their party conference. By the end of it, election fever was well and truly in the air.

To listen to episode 3 straight away, sign up to Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. Head to Apple Podcasts or www.patreon.com/PoliticalCurrency to find out more. Subscribers will also get exclusive access to 'The Inquiry' - our bonus episode where Ed and George give their reflections on the series.

EPISODE 2: Labour’s rivals had to follow the show, and shadow chancellor George Osborne had an ace up his sleeve to unveil at their own conference in Blackpool: a hugely popular cut on inheritance tax. David Cameron followed it up with his own surprise move, a ‘no-notes’ speech that was well received. Suddenly, the polls swung back, erasing the Labour lead in less than a week. Deborah Mattinson - a key pollster for Gordon Brown - continues in the studio with George and Ed to relive these tumultuous couple of weeks.

Producers: John Rogers and Miriam Hall

Technical Producer: Danny Pape

Executive Producers: Ellie Clifford and Dino Sofos

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gordon Brown Takes the Crown... Ed Balls and George Osborne relive the sliding doors moment that could have changed the course of British history - the 2007 election that never was.

To listen to episodes 2 and 3 straight away, sign up to Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. Head to Apple Podcasts or www.patreon.com/PoliticalCurrency to find out more. Subscribers will also get exclusive access to 'The Inquiry' - our bonus episode where Ed and George give their reflections on the series.

EPISODE 1: Gordon Brown had sat in Tony Blair’s shadow for over a decade. But suddenly, in the summer of 2007, he had his chance. As Blair stepped back, Brown stepped up - from Number 11 to Number 10 - without a single vote being cast. On the 27th June, he visited Buckingham Palace, and accepted the invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to form a government.

His first three months were somewhat chaotic. Before his first PMQs, he was dealing with terrorism attacks in London and Glasgow. An outbreak of foot and mouth disease came soon after, as did flooding across the country. And then came the runs on Northern Rock, the canary in the coal mine of the impending financial crash.

George and Ed go 'Inside The Room' with Deborah Mattinson, Gordon Brown’s chief pollster. Deborah and Ed were inside many of the same Labour war rooms together, as trusted lieutenants of the former Iron Chancellor, and they recall these positive early days of the Brown premiership.

George, meanwhile, takes us inside the Tory camp of that era and David Cameron’s struggle to land effective blows against Brown. We also hear from Andy Coulson, the Tory head of communications during that period.

Producers: John Rogers and Miriam Hall

Technical Producer: Danny Pape

Executive Producers: Ellie Clifford and Dino Sofos

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Easter special, Ed Balls and George Osborne meet a truly mythical creature: someone who wants to pay more tax, not less. And according to George, there’s actually a way to do it.

They also discuss a big political what-if: what happens if a Prime Minister loses their seat? They've talked before about how someone can become PM without being an MP - think Mark Carney in Canada - but this week they flip the question: could one keep the top job if your constituents vote you out?

Also in the mix: is a government running out of money about to come for your pension? Would scrapping the tax-free lump sum be a smart or desperate move? And is it time to give our big cities more power - and more room to grow?

And a note, don’t miss our upcoming Inside the Room: The Election That Never Was - which is out tomorrow for subscribers and Monday for everyone else.

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Subscribe now: patreon.com/politicalcurrency or on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/politicalcurrency. Please note Kitchen Cabinet subscriptions are only available through Patreon.

Technical Producer: Danny Pape

Producers: Miriam Hall and Silvia Maresca

Executive Producers: Dino Sofos and Ellie Clifford

Political Currency is a Persephonica Production and is part of the Acast Creator Network.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.