Is it the final blow for Starmer as Healey resigns?

Is it the final blow for Starmer as Healey resigns?

Political Currency · 2026-06-11
01:15:48

The shock resignation of defence secretary John Healey has prompted an emergency input from Ed Balls and George Osborne for this week’s episode. They react to why he went, what it means for the government and how defence spending will become a bigger crunch point than it was already.


In one week’s time voting will open for the by-election of the century. Will Andy Burnham return to Parliament and enter Downing Street? If he does, how can he learn from not just the mistakes of Keir Starmer but previous PMs who entered mid-government. The pair examine the challenges facing the King of the North, and lay out what he must do immediately to right the ship. 


They then turn their focus to Burnham’s biggest challenge: the economy. He says Manchesterism is the answer, but what is it? Does it work? And if it does, can it be effectively applied to the whole country? 


Finally, with the World Cup kicking off tonight the pair take some time to look at the interplay of politics and football. Is this the most politically charged World Cup ever? What can be expected from Donald Trump, who has a testy relationship with co-hosts Canada and Mexico? What will be the impact of Iran’s participation?


We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question or send a question to our social media handles:


👉 X

👉 Instagram

👉 TikTok


Thanks for listening. To get episodes early and ad- free join Political Currency Gold or our Kitchen Cabinet. If you want even more perks including our exclusive newsletter, join our Kitchen Cabinet today:


👉 patreon.com/politicalcurrency

👉 Apple Podcasts


Please note: Kitchen Cabinet is only available via Patreon.


Credits:


Research: Sam Burton

Production: Caillin McDaid & Nasreen Arain

Video Editor: Oliver Geraghty

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford & Henrietta Harrison


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

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

Political Currency

Ed Balls and George Osborne take us behind closed doors into the rooms where decisions are made. Having battled it out across the despatch box, the former Chancellor and shadow chancellor now meet in the studio to discuss the decisions that affect the nation’s pockets. Our frenemies have the knowledge and experience to explain how good politics follows the economics - and expose how the powerful become powerless when faced with market forces and political currents they can’t control. Join us every Thursday.


Send your messages or voice notes to [email protected]


Find us on social media @polcurrency


Political Currency is a Persephonica production.

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

  • No. of episodes: 287
  • Latest episode: 2026-06-11
  • News Politics

Where can you listen?

Apple Podcasts Logo Spotify Logo Podtail Logo Google Podcasts Logo RSS

Episodes