Ed Balls | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Alan Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Gove |
| Economic Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Ivan Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Kitty Ussher |
| Member of Parliament forMorley and Outwood Normanton (2005–2010) | |
| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Bill O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | Andrea Jenkyns |
| Shadow Cabinet portfolios | |
| 2010 | Education |
| 2010–2011 | Home Department |
| 2011–2015 | Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Michael Balls (1967-02-25)25 February 1967 (age 58) |
| Political party | Labour Co-op |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
|
| Residence(s) | London, England Castleford,West Yorkshire, England |
| Alma mater | (MPA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | www |
Edward Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British broadcaster, economist and former politician. He served asSecretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from 2007 to 2010, and asShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2011 to 2015. A member ofLabour Co-op, he was theMember of Parliament (MP) forNormanton and later forMorley and Outwood between 2005 and 2015.
Balls attendedNottingham High School before he studiedphilosophy, politics and economics atKeble College, Oxford, and was later aKennedy Scholar in economics at theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government,Harvard University. He was a teaching fellow at Harvard from 1988 to 1990, when he joined theFinancial Times as the lead economic writer. Balls had joined theLabour Party while attending Nottingham High School, and became an adviser toShadow ChancellorGordon Brown in 1994, continuing in this role after Labour won the1997 general election, and eventually becoming the Chief Economic Adviser to theTreasury.
At the2005 general election, Balls was elected as the MP for Normanton (which in 2010 became Morley and Outwood), and in 2006 becameEconomic Secretary to the Treasury. When Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Balls becameSecretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, serving until the2010 general election; Labour were defeated after 13 years in government. Balls was appointedShadow Secretary of State for Education underHarriet Harman (as temporary leader) and finished in third place at the2010 Labour leadership election, triggered by Brown's resignation asLeader of the Labour Party, after which he was appointed asEd Miliband'sShadow Home Secretary. He served in this role until 2011, when he was appointedShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, a role that he held until he was unseated at the2015 general election.
Following his electoral defeat, he became a senior fellow atHarvard UniversityKennedy School's Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, and a visiting professor to the Policy Institute atKing's College London. He was appointed chairman ofNorwich City F.C. in December 2015, a position he held until December 2018. In 2020, he was appointed Professor of Political Economy at King's College London.[1] Balls was a contestant onseries 14 of theBBC'sStrictly Come Dancing, surviving until week 10, and in 2021 was the winner in the BBC'sCelebrity Best Home Cook. He is currently a presenter for the ITV breakfast showGood Morning Britain as well as a host of the politics podcastPolitical Currency withGeorge Osborne.
Balls' father is zoologistMichael Balls; his mother is Carolyn Janet Riseborough.[2] His younger brother isAndrew Balls, the CIO for Global Fixed Income at the investment firmPIMCO.[3] His grandfather was a lorry driver and died of cancer when Balls was young.[4] His father, in Norfolk, was active in the local Labour party, delivering leaflets, and was chairman of the Campaign for the Advancement of Norfolk Education – CANE.
Balls was born atNorfolk and Norwich Hospital inNorwich.[5] He spent his early years inBawburgh,Norfolk before moving toKeyworth,Nottinghamshire at the age of eight,[6] where he attended Crossdale Drive Primary School and the private all-boysNottingham High School.[7][8][9]
He was in the school choir, and played violin in the orchestra, where the head of music was Kendrick Partington,[10] the organist ofSt Peter's Church, Nottingham.
WhenPrince Philip visited the school in 1984 to open a new science block, Balls, as aVenture scout in the sixth form, met the Prince wearing outdoor walking clothing.Ed Davey, as head boy, met the Prince too, as one of three brothers who had gained theDuke of Edinburgh gold award.[11]
He was a house captain, and gained A-levels in English, History, and Economics in 1985.[12]
Raised as anAnglican[13] he readPhilosophy, Politics and Economics atKeble College, Oxford, graduating with a First – according toJohn Rentoul inThe Independent – ahead ofDavid Cameron.[14] Later he attended theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government atHarvard, where he was aKennedy Scholar specialising in Economics.[14]
Balls joined theLabour Party in 1983 while still at school.[7] While atOxford University he was a partially active member of theLabour Club, but also signed up to theLiberal Club[15] as well as theConservative Association, "because they used to book top-flight political speakers, and only members were allowed to attend their lectures" according to friends.[16] Balls was a founding member of The Steamers, an all-male drinking club, and suffered embarrassment when a contemporary photo of him wearingNazi uniform appeared in the papers.[17]
Between 1988 and 1990, Balls was a Teaching Fellow at Harvard University.[18] He joined theFinancial Times in 1990 as a lead economic writer until his appointment as an economic adviser to Shadow ChancellorGordon Brown in 1994. When Labour regained power at the1997 general election, Brown becameChancellor and Balls continued to work as his economic adviser, eventually becoming Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury.[19][20]
In July 2004, Balls was selected to stand asLabour and Co-operativecandidate for theparliamentary seat ofNormanton inWest Yorkshire, a Labour stronghold whoseMP, SirBill O'Brien, was retiring. He stepped down as Chief Economic Adviser to HM Treasury, but was given a position at theSmith Institute, a politicalthink tank. HM Treasury and theCabinet Office subsequently stated that "the normal and proper procedures were followed".[21]
In the2005 general election, he was elected MP forNormanton with a majority of 10,002 and 51.2% of the vote. After theBoundary Commission proposed changes which would abolish hisconstituency, Balls ran a campaign, in connection with the local newspaper theWakefield Express,[22] to save the seat and, together with the three otherWakefield MPs (his wifeYvette Cooper,Mary Creagh andJon Trickett), fought an unsuccessfulHigh Courtlegal action against the Boundary Commission's proposals.[23]
In March 2007, he was selected to be the Labour Partycandidate for the newMorley and Outwood constituency; unlike the previous safe Labour seat of Normanton, it was amarginal, which contained parts of the abolished Normanton andMorley and Rothwell constituencies,[24] and was elected for the new seat inMay 2010. On 5 February 2013, Balls voted in favour in the House of Commons Second Reading vote on marriage equality in Britain.[25] Balls was a member of theLabour Friends of Israel.[26]
In September 2007, with his wifeYvette Cooper, he was accused byLiberal Democrat MPNorman Baker of "breaking the spirit of Commons rules" by using MPs' allowances to help pay for a £655,000 home in north London.[27] Balls and Cooper bought a four-bedroom house inStoke Newington, and registered this as their second home (rather than their home inCastleford, West Yorkshire) to qualify for up to £44,000 a year to subsidise a reported £438,000 mortgage under the Commons Additional Costs Allowance, of which they claimed £24,400. Both worked in London full-time and their children attended local London schools. Balls and Cooper claimed that "The whole family travel between their Yorkshire home and London each week when Parliament is sitting. As they are all in London during the week, their children have always attended the nearest school to their London house."[28]
Balls and Cooper "flipped" the designation of their second home three times within the space of two years.[29] In June 2008, they were referred to theParliamentary Commissioner for Standards over allegations that they were claiming expenses for what was effectively their main home in London. Their combined claim was £24,000 i.e. "slightly more" than the single MP allowance.[29] The commissioner exonerated them, adding that their motives were not for profit as they paid full capital gains tax.[29]
Balls becameEconomic Secretary to the Treasury, a junior ministerial position atHM Treasury, in theCabinet reshuffle of May 2006. While Economic Secretary, he was commissioned, alongsideJon Cunliffe, by theG7 finance ministers to prepare a report on economic aspects of theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[30]
WhenGordon Brown becamePrime Minister on 27 June 2007, Balls was promoted toSecretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. At theDepartment for Children, Schools and Families, Balls brought together schools and children's policy for the first time in the Children's Plan and raised the UK education and training leaving age to 18.[31] In 2007 Balls was considered to be given the post of Chancellor, but the role was given toAlistair Darling.[32]
In October 2008, Balls announced that the government had decided to scrapSAT tests for 14-year-olds,[33] a move which was broadly welcomed by teachers, parent groups andopposition MPs.[34] The decision to continue with SAT tests for 11-year-olds was described by head teachers' leader Mick Brookes as a missed opportunity.[35]
In December 2008, following the case of theDeath of Baby P,[36] Balls intervened directly in the running of Haringey Social Services, ordering the immediate dismissal, without compensation, of Sharon Shoesmith the director of children's services.[37]David Cameron had also called for her dismissal.[37]
Prior to her dismissal, Shoesmith had been widely praised in her former role as Director of Education, though she was handicapped by having no social work background.[38] An emergency OFSTED report ordered by Balls in November 2008 following the child abuse trial found that safeguarding arrangements were inadequate although Shoesmith's lawyers alleged that the final report had been altered.[39] Shoesmith subsequently brought aJudicial review against Balls, Ofsted and Haringey Council[39] and a series of appeals followed.[36]
The Conservative Opposition supported Balls' right to dismiss her "because ministers want to uphold the principle that they – and not the courts, through judicial review – should be responsible for their decisions".[40] She received compensation as her sacking was deemed "procedurally unfair"[41] and the Department for Children, Schools and Families was subsequently refused leave to appeal to theSupreme Court.[36]
In October 2013, it was reported that Shoesmith had agreed to an out-of-court settlement with Haringey Council; unconfirmed reports referred to a sum of 'up to £600,000'. Appeal Court judgeLord Neuberger had described Balls' dismissal of Shoesmith as 'unlawful', but in a statement issued on 29 October, Balls asserted that 'faced with the same situation [he] would do the same thing again.'[42]
Balls sponsored the Children, Schools and Families Bill, which had itsfirst reading on 19 November 2009.[43] Part of the proposed legislation was to see regulation of parents who home educate their children in England, introduced in response to theBadman Review, with annual inspections to determine quality of education and welfare of the child. Home educators across the UK petitioned their MPs to remove the proposed legislation.[44]
Several parts of the bill, including the proposed register for home educators, and compulsory sex education lessons, were abandoned as they had failed to gain cross party support prior to the pending May 2010 election.[45]
Following the resignation ofGordon Brown as bothPrime Minister andLeader of the Labour Party, Balls announced on 19 May 2010 that he was standing in theelection to replace Brown.[46] Balls was the third candidate to secure the minimum of 33 nominations from members of the Parliamentary Labour Party in order to enter the leadership race. The other contenders were formerForeign SecretaryDavid Miliband, formerHealth SecretaryAndy Burnham, backbencherDiane Abbott and formerEnergy SecretaryEd Miliband,[47] who was elected.
The new leaderEd Miliband appointed BallsShadow Home Secretary on 8 October 2010, a job he held until 20 January 2011, when the resignation ofAlan Johnson for "personal reasons" led Miliband to announce Balls as Labour'sShadow Chancellor of the Exchequer.[48]
As Shadow Chancellor, Balls regularly appeared with Miliband at joint press conferences relating to Labour policy. Together with Miliband, Balls promoted a "five-point plan for jobs and growth" as Shadow Chancellor. The plan was described as aimed at helping the UK economy, and would have involved reinstating the bonus tax to fund building more social homes, bringing forward long-term investment, cuttingVAT to 17.5%, cutting VAT on home improvements to 5% for one year, and instigating a one-yearNational Insurance break.[49]
Balls declared in January 2012 that he would continue with the public sector pay freeze which led to opposition fromLen McCluskey. He had a bruising exchange in the House of Commons withGeorge Osborne regarding the Libor rate scandal, where Osborne accused Balls of being involved in the scandal. Conservative MPs became unhappy after Bank of England deputy governor,Paul Tucker denied encouragement to pressurise Barclays withAndrea Leadsom saying Osborne had made a mistake and should apologise.[50]
In the2015 general election Balls lost his seat to the Conservative Party'sAndrea Jenkyns by a margin of 0.9%. It was claimed that the Labour leader's office had known for two weeks that Balls was likely to lose.[51]Larry Elliott ofThe Guardian described this as thePortillo moment of the election.[52] On 11 May, it was reported that, on leaving the Commons, Balls would receive up to £88,000 in expenses for relocation and to close down his parliamentary office.[53]
On 28 April 2011, Balls, urged by an assistant to searchTwitter for a recent article about himself, accidentally entered his intended search term in the wrong box and sent a tweet reading only "Ed Balls".[55][56] The tweet was retweeted by thousands; Balls was unaware that it was possible to delete tweets. The tweet has never been deleted. The incident is now celebrated as "Ed Balls Day" every 28 April, with followers retweeting his original message and commemorating the occasion in other ways.[57][58] When invited to send something to be auctioned to raise funds for the party in 2015, Balls submitted a framed, signed printout of the tweet.[59] To celebrate "Ed Balls Day" in 2016, Balls baked a cake featuring the tweet.[60]
Six years on from the original tweet, Ed Balls Day 2017 drew tweets from organisations includingVirgin Atlantic and theNational Trust – the latter in response to a tweetparodying Prime MinisterTheresa May's criticism of the National Trust for omitting the word "Easter" from promotional material for Easter egg hunts.[61]
Ten years after the incident, Ed Balls Day was still being celebrated,[62] with many offering each other a "Happy Ed Balls Day" online, in the style of a public holiday.[63][64]
On 17 November 2024, Ed Balls made "Ed Balls" the first post on hisBluesky account.[65]
Balls has played a prominent role in theFabian Society. In 1992, he wrote a Fabian pamphlet advocatingBank of England independence, a policy adopted whenGordon Brown became Chancellor in 1997.[14] Balls was elected Vice-Chair of the Fabian Society for 2006 and Chair of the Fabian Society for 2007. As Vice-Chair of the Fabian Society, he launched the Fabian Life Chances Commission report in April 2006[66] and opened the society's Next Decade lecture series in November 2006,[67] arguing for closer European cooperation on the environment.[citation needed]
Balls has been a central figure inNew Labour's economic reform agenda. He and Brown have differed from theBlairites in being keen to stress their roots in Labour Party intellectual traditions such as Fabianism and the co-operative movement, as well as their modernising credentials in policy and electoral terms. In aNew Statesman interview in March 2006,Martin Bright writes that Balls "says the use of the term 'socialist' is less of a problem for his generation than it has been for older politicians like Blair and Brown, who remain bruised by the ideological warfare of the 1970s and 1980s".[68] In the interview, Balls said:
When I was at college, the economic system in eastern Europe was crumbling. We didn't have to ask the question of whether we should adopt a globally integrated, market-based model. For me, it is now a question of what values you have. Socialism, as represented by the Labour Party, the Fabian Society, the Co-operative movement, is a tradition I can be proud of.[68]
Balls attended the 2006, 2014, and 2015Bilderberg meetings.[69][70][71] Balls was a member of theLabour Friends of Israel.[26]
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After leaving politics, Balls was appointed Senior Fellow at theJohn F. Kennedy School of Government, and also becamevisiting professor ofKing's College, London.[72][73] He was appointed as the chairman ofNorwich City F.C. in December 2015,[74][75] the football club he supports.[76][75] He stood down in December 2018.[77]
In 2016 he took part inThe Great Sport Relief Bake Off[78] andseries 14 of theBBC'sStrictly Come Dancing.[79] He was partnered withKatya Jones, a Russian professional dancer.[80] Writing about his performance in the sixth week Halloween special, Michael Hogan ofThe Daily Telegraph said "The dad-dancing politician got a standing ovation from the studio audience, chuckles from the judges and enough viewer votes to keep him out of yet another dance-off."[81] His dance to "Gangnam Style" was nominated for theMust-See Moment Award at the2017 Television BAFTAs.[82] He was eventually eliminated in week 10.[83]
Balls' autobiographical memoirSpeaking Out was published in August 2016.[84] In the book, he said Labour's four-weekgeneral election campaign in 2015 was "astonishingly dysfunctional" and "we weren't ready – and didn't deserve – to return to government". He also describedJeremy Corbyn's leadership project as a "leftist utopian fantasy, devoid of connection to the reality of people's lives".[85]
A three-part documentary,Travels in Trumpland with Ed Balls, began broadcasting onBBC Two on 29 July 2018. It looked at supporters of the thenPresident Trump and how things have changed. During one episode, Balls took part in a professional wrestling match in order to explore the correlation between Trump and the sport.[86] Another three-part documentary,Travels in Euroland with Ed Balls, began broadcasting on BBC Two on 23 January 2020. It explores anti-elite sentiment in Europe, the rise of right-wing politics, and the effect austerity has had in European politics.[87]
In September 2017, Balls was placed at Number 74 in 'The 100 Most Influential People on the Left' by commentatorIain Dale.[88] In November 2017, Balls was a contestant on the British TV showWould I Lie to You?, where he revealed that he had once negotiated the Home Office budget while crawling in a children's ball pit.[89]
In January and February 2021, Balls was the winner in BBC One'sCelebrity Best Home Cook.[90] In May 2021, in celebration of "Lifelong Learning Week", Balls hosted a special event at adult education providerCity Lit alongside its Principal, Mark Malcomson. Balls discussed the importance of lifelong learning and his time at City Lit as well as his memoirAppetite. Balls received a City Lit Lifetime Fellowship Award as recognition for the support and inspiration he provided to the organisation and its students.[91]
On 8 and 15 November 2021, Balls presentedEd Balls: Crisis In Care onBBC Two, a two-part documentary exploring the challenges facingsocial care providers in England.[92][93] On 30 November 2021, he was the subject of the BBC television programmeWho Do You Think You Are?.[94][95]
On 14 September 2023, Balls andGeorge Osborne started hosting theeconomics-focused politics podcastPolitical Currency.[96] On 17 January 2024, Balls received publicity for accidentally kickingGood Morning Britain presenterSusanna Reid in the head during a segment on travel etiquette. He apologised immediately, and repeated his apologies later in the programme.[97]
On 5 August 2024, Balls interviewed MPZarah Sultana on thethen ongoing anti-immigrant riots in the UK, in which he repeatedly interrupted and verbally clashed with her when she argued the unrest should be condemned as "Islamophobic". During the same broadcast, Balls interviewed his own wife, Yvette Cooper, in her role asHome Secretary.Ofcom reported a total of 8,201 complaints received over the episode, stemming from both of the interviews.[98][99]
Balls married Labour MPYvette Cooper, who later became Home Secretary, inEastbourne on 10 January 1998.[100] Cooper isMember of Parliament for Normanton,Pontefract and Knottingley, the neighbouring constituency to Morley & Outwood from 2010 to 2024. They have three children.[101][better source needed] In January 2008, they became the first married couple to serve together inHM Cabinet when Cooper becameChief Secretary to the Treasury, although Cooper had attended cabinet sessions as housing minister prior to then.[102][103]
In September 2010, theBritish Stammering Association announced that Balls had become apatron of the association. Its chief executive, Norbert Lieckfeldt, commended Balls for talking about hisstammer in public.[104][105]
In June 2013, Balls was fined for going through a red light in December 2012.[106] He has also admitted speeding in April 2013 and using his mobile phone while driving during the 2010 general election campaign.[106] On 5 August 2014, he was fined £900 and given five penalty points on his driving licence for failing to stop after a car accident. He said he knew that the cars had touched, but did not stop to check as he did not think any damage had been done.[107]
Balls was portrayed byNicholas Burns in the 2015Channel 4 television filmCoalition.[108]
Balls is a member of a band called Centrist Dad. Balls, who plays the drums, is accompanied byRobert Peston on vocals, andJohn Wilson onbass guitar.[109]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Ed Balls
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNormanton 2005–2010 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament forMorley and Outwood 2010–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Economic Secretary to the Treasury 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded byasSecretary of State for Education | Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 2007–2010 | Succeeded byasSecretary of State for Education |
| Preceded byasShadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families | Shadow Secretary of State for Education 2010 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Home Secretary 2010–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer 2011–2015 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theFabian Society 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by | Chairman ofNorwich City F.C. 2015–2018 | Succeeded by James Stedman Cullen |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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