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Leo Wilkinson
Noted as one of the leading economic voices in the Labour governments of the 1990s and 2000s, Ed was a key architect of policies from the independence of the Bank of England to the minimum wage. Having left frontline politics his new life has encompassed academia in the US and UK, presenting documentaries, analysing the big stories alongside George Osborne on Political Currency, and, of course, a celebrated turn on Strictly Come Dancing.
View / Submit“He was received very well by our audience and we are really grateful for the additional time Ed spent with everyone before and after his session.”
James Hay Partnership
Ed Balls served as Economic Secretary to the Treasury and Shadow Chancellor in a political career spanning over two decades. Away from frontline politics he has found a new audience with a surprisingly successful appearance in Strictly Come Dancing, talked to US voters in Travels in Trumpland, and established a surprising partnership with George Osborne on the Political Currency podcast.
After a period teaching at Harvard, Ed returned to the UK and joined the Financial Times as a leader writer. He remained at the FT until then Shadow Chancellor Gordon Brown employed him as an advisor. When Labour entered government in the 1997 election Ed became Chief Economic Advisor to the Treasury. Upon election to Parliament, he became Economic Secretary to the Treasury, continuing his working relationship with Chancellor Gordon Brown.
Ed was a central part of the Labour economic team, which was key to the party’s success from the mid-90s onwards. He was an architect of policies including the independence of the Bank of England and the national minimum wage. Throughout his time with the Treasury and beyond he was noted as one of the sharpest, most forceful, and most influential economic minds. When Brown became Prime Minister, Ed was promoted to Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, until being appointed Shadow Home Secretary and then Shadow Chancellor.
Having left full-time politics, Ed became a Senior Fellow at Harvard and a Visiting Professor at King’s College London, whilst his performances on The Great Sport Relief Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing revealed a different side. Open, self-deprecating and entertainingly honest, he has been frank about life after politics, his personal passions, and his struggle with a stammer.
As well as providing a serious look at areas such as populism, social media and dealing with crises, and an analysis of the economic and political outlook at home and abroad, he also reveals behind the scenes of Westminster, Strictly, and how he marks Ed Balls Day. As well as co-hosting the Political Currency podcast, discussing with George Osborne how major decisions are made and how they affect people’s lives, Ed has presented a number of BBC documentaries, and has appeared on shows from Newsnight and Question Time to QI, Have I Got News For You, and Would I Lie To You?
