Ed Balls is an economist, broadcaster, writer and former senior Labour Party politician. He served as a cabinet minister under Gordon Brown and later as shadow chancellor of the exchequer under Ed Miliband.

A close political ally of Gordon Brown for two decades, Balls was a key architect of New Labour economic policy, serving as chief economic adviser to the Treasury from 1999 to 2004. He was the Labour MP for Normanton and then Morley and Outwood from 2005 to 2015.

He served as secretary of state for children, schools and families from 2007 to 2010. After Labour lost power, he stood for the party leadership in 2010, finishing third. He then served as shadow home secretary (2010-2011) and shadow chancellor (2011-2015).

Balls lost his parliamentary seat in the 2015 general election.

Since leaving parliament, he has established a prominent career in broadcasting and public life. He co-hosts the popular podcast Political Currency with former Conservative chancellor George Osborne and is a regular presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain.

Ed Balls: political career (1994-2015)

Balls began his career as a journalist at the Financial Times before becoming an economic advisor to Gordon Brown in 1994, the then shadow chancellor. Following Labour’s 1997 election victory, Balls became chief economic adviser to the Treasury, playing an influential role in policies such as Bank of England independence and the introduction of the national minimum wage.

Balls entered frontline politics in his own right at the 2005 general election. Following his election as a Labour MP, Balls was quickly appointed to the frontbench – first as economic secretary to the Treasury under Tony Blair (2006-2007).

When Gordon Brown became prime minister in 2007, Balls was promoted to the cabinet as secretary of state for children, schools and families, serving until 2010.

Balls stood in the 2010 Labour leadership election. The contest followed the resignation of Brown, who stepped down as prime minister and Labour leader after the 2010 general election. Balls secured 33 nominations from the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), the minimum required to reach the final ballot. He ultimately finished third with 16% of the vote.

Ed Miliband, the winner of the 2010 contest, appointed Balls as shadow home secretary (2010-2011) and subsequently shadow chancellor (2011-15). Balls’ relationship with Miliband was reportedly sometimes strained.

Balls’ parliamentary career ended abruptly when he lost his Morley and Outwood seat to the Conservative candidate Andrea Jenkyns by 422 votes at the 2015 general election – a high-profile loss considered a key moment (“Portillo moment”) of that election night.

In 2016, Ball wrote that he and Miliband had only spoken “twice in the whole four-week election campaign”.

In his memoirs, Ball also described his horror when Miliband missed key passages on the deficit and immigration from his 2014 party conference speech.

He wrote: “The omissions were a symbol of Labour not being willing to face up to the problems the country was worried about, and proof that we were trying to brush difficult issues under the carpet. We weren’t ready – and didn’t deserve – to return to government. It was incredibly frustrating.”

Ed Balls: career since parliament

Balls has pursued a varied career across media, academia and public service since leaving the House of Commons.

Balls is a regular co-presenter on ITV’s flagship breakfast programme, Good Morning Britain.

Since September 2023, he has co-hosted the successful weekly podcast Political Currency with George Osborne, offering insights from their experiences as chancellor and shadow chancellor. He has also presented several documentary series for the BBC, including Travels in Trumpland (2018), Travels in Euroland (2020), and Inside the Care Crisis (2021).

Shortly after his 2015 election defeat, Balls was appointed a visiting professor at King’s College London’s Policy Institute. He was appointed professor of political economy at King’s College London in 2020.

Balls has also been affiliated with Harvard University’s Kennedy School, initially as a senior fellow.

In 2018, Balls was appointed as co-chair of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation alongside Lord Eric Pickles.

Balls was chairman of his boyhood football club, Norwich City FC, from December 2015 to December 2018.

Balls achieved significant public recognition beyond politics as a contestant on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. His routine to Gangnam Style was nominated for the Must-See Moment Award at the 2017 Television BAFTAs. He won the BBC’s Celebrity Best Home Cook competition in 2021.

Ed Balls comeback?

Balls has continually played down rumours that he may make a comeback to front line politics.

In May 2022, he ruled himself out of the running as a potential Labour candidate in the Wakefield by-election, a seat near to the one which he used to represent at Westminster.

Ed Balls day: 28 April

On 28 April 2011, Balls inadvertently tweeted his own name while apparently trying to search for mentions of himself on Twitter. The simple tweet “Ed Balls” became an internet meme, and every year since, on 28 April, users on X (formerly Twitter) commemorate the moment with the hashtag #EdBallsDay.

Political Views

Balls was a central figure in the Brownite wing of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2015 and a key strategist behind New Labour’s economic platform.

Describing his politics to the New Statesman in 2006, Balls said: “I care about inequality and social justice, if it means that I believe we can build a sense of community by acting together, then I am happy to call myself a socialist.”

He was critical of the party’s direction under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, describing it in 2016 as a “leftist utopian fantasy”.

In February 2013, Balls voted in favour of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill at its second reading. The landmark piece of legislation, which received its second reading by 400 votes to 175, legalised marriage for same-sex couples in England and Wales.

Balls voted against the government motion on the principle of military intervention in Syria in August 2013. The government motion was defeated by 285 votes to 272, a move which effectively ruled out UK participation in any US-led military strikes.

Background

Edward Michael Balls was born on 25 February 1967 in Norwich, Norfolk. His father is the zoologist Michael Balls; his mother is Carolyn Balls (née Riseborough). He grew up first in Norwich and later in Nottinghamshire.

Balls attended Nottingham High School and studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Keble College, Oxford. He subsequently attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar, receiving a master’s degree in public administration.

Before advising Gordon Brown, Balls worked as a teaching fellow at Harvard (1988-1990) and a leader writer and columnist for the Financial Times (1990-1994).

Personal Life

Balls married Yvette Cooper in 1998. They were the first married couple to serve together in the cabinet when Cooper became chief secretary to the Treasury in 2008 while Balls was secretary of state for children, schools and families. They have three children.

Balls has spoken publicly about managing a stammer. He acknowledged an instance in 2012 where his stammer affected his response in the House of Commons to George Osborne’s autumn statement.

His hobbies include cooking and baking, playing the piano and supporting Norwich City FC.

Balls completed the London Marathon in 2012 and 2013 while serving as shadow chancellor.

Trivia

In 2019, Balls celebrated his 52nd birthday near the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro during a climb to raise money for Comic Relief.