Did Farage go too far or score political points this week?

About this episode

The episode discusses the political implications of the murder of Henry Novak and the responses from key political figures in Britain.

British politics has been dominated this week by the horrifying murder of student Henry Novak and the political storm that followed the release of police bodycam footage. Ed Balls and George Osborne examine the tragedy, the questions it raises around “two-tier policing” and the political firestorm it has ignited.  The pair analyse the contrasting responses from Nigel Farage, Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch. Has Farage gone too far in his ‘emergency address to the nation’ in which he called for “cold rage”. Is this the path for someone who wants to be PM or a return to the political margins? And while Badenoch has found her strongest footing on such cultural issues, can the Conservatives afford to focus on them when the economy remains the central battleground? They then turn to the Makerfield by-election, where Andy Burnham is navigating a local contest and a national movement. As questions grow about his leadership ambitions, can he campaign as both constituency candidate and potential prime minister? And what do the latest Mandelson files reveal about the state of Labour's government and the pressure building on Starmer? Finally, Ed and George take a brief look at Germany…

People in this episode

Hosts: Ed Balls, George Osborne

Topics covered

• British politics
• murder of Henry Novak
• two-tier policing
• political responses
• by-election
• leadership ambitions
• Germany's political troubles

Keywords

• Henry Novak
• Nigel Farage
• Keir Starmer
• Kemi Badenoch
• Andy Burnham
• Makerfield by-election
• Friedrich Merz
• two-tier policing
• British politics

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Germany, Britain

More episodes of Political Currency

• Is it the final blow for Starmer as Healey resigns? · June 11, 2026 · 1h 16m
• EMQs: The best place to be an MP if you're a lover of rhubarb · June 8, 2026 · 50 min
• EMQs: Is Makerfield the UK’s presidential election? · June 1, 2026 · 45 min
• Is Tony Blair the Logan Roy of Britain? · May 28, 2026 · 1h 20m
• EMQs: Should retired politicians go on Question Time? · May 25, 2026 · 38 min
• Burnham, Streeting, and Rayner’s race to No. 10 · May 21, 2026 · 1h 5m