Blog articles tagged with Ed Balls

Len McCluskey's intervention is a change of heart

by Amber Elliott / 17 Jan 2012 11:32

The big boss of Unite, Len McCluskey, used an article in The Guardian this morning to attack Ed Balls' and Ed Miliband's direction on austerity measures.

McCluskey criticised the party's change in direction as a "Blairite policy coup".

“Liam Byrne, Jim Murphy, Stephen Twigg and now Ed Balls: four horsemen of the austerity apocalypse," he wrote.

"Ed Balls's sudden embrace of austerity and the public-sector pay squeeze represents a

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The PMQs 2011 guide for the punters: What you didn't miss

by Sadie Smith / 19 Dec 2011 10:46

As 2011 draws to a close, it is time to produce one of those generic 'A year in politics' articles, where the winners and losers are announced, the highs and lows analysed again, and everyone asks, once more, whether the AV referendum was really worth the price the Liberal Democrats paid for it.

For most people, politics is something that happens to other people. Not for them the weekly rough and tumble of

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What would Labour have done?

by David Skelton / 14 Dec 2011 10:06

Friday’s European veto by David Cameron has shaken up European and British politics. In the UK, many eurosceptic Tories are jubilant and many pro-European Liberal Democrats are openly hostile to the veto (Nick Clegg’s interview with Andrew Marr and his no show at the Commons debate were extraordinary). However, one of the biggest questions in British politics is how the left as a whole, and Labour in particular, should respond to the veto, the

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It’s an 1980s thing

by Martin Shapland / 02 Dec 2011 15:54

Public sector strikes, riots in the streets, public sector cuts – Labour and the union left has been a keen to draw as many parallels with the 1980s as they can scrape together.

“Cameron and Osborne are trying to drag us back to the 1980s,” moans Ed Balls, Unite's Len McCluskey bangs on about "the Thatcher standby", "the Conservative dog returning to its anti-union vomit", and even the plucky Morning Star

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The Frozen Planet mini-Budget

by Amber Elliott / 29 Nov 2011 15:04

"We are going to see Britain through the debt storm," declared chancellor George Osborne in his autumn statement this afternoon.

If you've ever watched Frozen Planet, you know what a real storm looks like: it's cold, uncomfortable and very windy.

Osborne today, like an emperor penguin incubating the egg containing his young on his feet, attempted to wade his way through perilous growth forecast downgrades and structural budget deficits.

Penguin George

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This is a test for Balls, not Osborne

by Caroline Crampton / 29 Nov 2011 11:41

Gary Gibbon has produced a very succinct and perceptive summary of the challenge facing the UK, which I would recommend having a look at. Before he's even stood up to deliver his autumn statement, it's clear that the Chancellor isn't going to be able to eliminate the debt by the end of this Parliament, and more cuts are going to be required. The OECD and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) have downgraded

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Ed Balls, Julie Andrews and the Antiques Roadshow

by Caroline Crampton / 22 Nov 2011 10:33

There's been quite a bit of interest in our Ed Balls interview from the latest issue of the magazine. The Guardian, the Independent, the Telegraph, the Press Association, the Daily Mail, the Sun, and the Daily Star all have their take on it, but my favourite mention was on the Today programme about about half past eight.

They used a bizarre audio mash-up of Julie Andrews

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Inside the Total Politics December issue

21 Nov 2011 16:59

Inside the December issue of Total Politics, you will find:

Amber Elliott and Caroline Crampton's interview with our cover star, Ed Balls. You can read some excerpts from the interview here
Iain Dale in conversation with Sally Bercow
Rob Wilson MP interviews Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 committee
Ben Duckworth speaks to Michael Moore, Lib Dem Scottish secretary

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Ed Balls on growth, credibility and getting emotional

by Caroline Crampton / 21 Nov 2011 00:00

The new issue of Total Politics, out tomorrow, features an interview with shadow chancellor Ed Balls by Amber and myself. With the autumn statement next week, the conversation was dominated by his ideas on growth and the economy, but we also found plenty of time to delve into what makes Ed Balls, Labour's so-called 'attack dog', tick. We discussed why he considers George Osborne to be "the best on their side", the chances of

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Youth unemployment tops one million

by Caroline Crampton / 16 Nov 2011 09:53

The latest unemployment figures have been released this morning, and it's not good news.

There were 2.62 million people unemployed people, up 129,000 on the quarter. The rate of unemployment is 8.3%, an increase of 0.4%. This is the highest unemployment rate since 1996.

In political terms, the really bad news for the coalition comes with the youth unemployment figures. Youth unemployment has increased to over a million, with 1.016m 16-24-year-olds

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Osborne wants hard work not tax cuts

by George Pascoe-Watson / 03 Oct 2011 13:18

George Osborne warned the Tory faithful hard work not tax cuts will rescue Britain's economy.

The Chancellor left them in no doubt that tax cuts are not an option.

And he made it clear to the world's money markets the UK is sticking fast to its deficit reduction plan.

But he stressed a dose of hard work and determination will get us through the dark years ahead.

Osborne appealed

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Labour waves to middle England

by Gr�inne Maguire / 29 Sep 2011 09:31

The late September sun is shining flintily over the conference courtyard and after Ed’s big speech there is already a feeling of things quietly shutting down. Yesterday the crowd with tickets for the main hall snaked around the building, while the less fortunate and organised joined me in a half-full conference hall to watch it on a giant screen.

His speech began with a message from Burman civil rights leader Aung San Suu

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