EMQs: The truth about government war gaming

About this episode

Money saving expert Martin Lewis sends in a question for Ed Balls and George Osborne this week, all about the tiny fixes. He tasks the pair with contributing to his new Small Ideas Initiative, proposing their own solutions to the most annoying problems in Britain. Ed goes for football tickets, while George hits on driving tests. They then turn to a former FT colleague of Ed’s, who asks whether the biggest decisions a chancellor makes happens between budgets. They weigh up the case for and against this, hitting on some of the biggest economic moments in recent decades. A fan from Instagram then asks if Andy Burnham has failed the Makerfield test, with George feeling his constituents wouldn’t be taken by PR or rejoining the EU. Fellow podcaster Abbie Bennington then asks them about wine and Brexit, off the back of George appearing on her show. Finally, they reveal their experience with war gaming. How much does the government prepare for the worst? Does it work in the end? Ed reveals one instance that left the government much more prepared for the financial crisis than they otherwise would have been… Make sure to listen to George’s appearance on Vintage Politics here: 👉 http