Who should be the next prime minister?
From Political Currency by Persephonica
May 14, 2026 · 1h 9m · Season 1 · Episode 284
About this episode
The episode discusses the implications of Wes Streeting's resignation on Keir Starmer's leadership and evaluates potential successors while also addressing international relations.
Wes Streeting’s resignation is the latest domino to fall amid the threat to Keir Starmer’s premiership, in a chain reaction that could lead to months of chaos. Ed Balls and George Osborne evaluate where the government and Keir Starmer can go from here. Should he resign? And how would Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband, and the wildcard option of Al Carns, fare against him in a leadership contest? News of Streeting’s departure came between our live YouTube stream and recording of this episode – so listen for Ed and George’s instant reaction. Fresh from a trip to Canada, George suggests the success of Mark Carney, or Australia’s Albert Albanese, could be a template used as a template for a Labour government to rebound, regardless of leader. Does it show Labour needs to take a bolder stance on issues like fossil fuels and immigration? And finally, as President Trump continues his consequential trip to Beijing, the pair assess how the China-US relations could be vital for Trump in this year’s mid-terms. Does Trump need Xi more than he needs him? And are the two countries inseparable no matter the strength of their relationship? We love hearing from you, so…
People in this episode
Guests: Ed Balls, George Osborne
Topics covered
- political leadership
- Labour party
- government evaluation
- China-US relations
- Keir Starmer
- Wes Streeting resignation
- mid-term elections
Keywords
- Wes Streeting
- Keir Starmer
- Ed Balls
- George Osborne
- Labour party
- China-US relations
- mid-terms
- political leadership
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Beijing, Canada, Australia, China, US
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