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Fellow ex-MP and former health minister Steve Brine sends in a question asking Ed Balls and George Osborne how we judge the performance of a health secretary, and in particular Wes Streeting. They lay out the historical challenges of the role, and where Streeting has risen or succumbed to them thus far.

A colleague of Ed’s from King’s College then asks how useful it is for benefits to be so conditional, in particular for care leavers. They debate the fairness in having conditional benefits systems, and why people are more sympathetic to care leavers than other disadvantaged groups. 

They then discuss the perks of pedestrianising Bruton, George’s stomping ground, in a manner similar to Paris. Would George lead the campaign to see this through? Or is it an enticing but unrealistic idea? 

Finally, a former Tory parliamentary candidate raises his concerns around Nick Timothy’s controversial comments on a Ramadan event in London. They discuss the dangerous direction these comments represent for both the Tories, and British politics more widely. 

We love hearing from you, so please don’t forget to send all your EMQs to questions@politicalcurrency and make sure to include a voice note of your question.

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Research: Sam Burton

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