Ed Balls was the UK Minister for Financial Services in 2006-2007, Education Secretary in 2007-2010, and the Chief Economic Advisor to the UK Treasury between 1997 and 2004, during which time he was Chair of the IMFC Deputies and UK G20 Deputy. While Shadow Chancellor between 2011-2015, he was co-chair of the Centre for American Progress Inclusive Prosperity Commission. As Shadow Chancellor, Ed was awarded the Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year and the Political Studies Association Politician of the Year. Ed has the unique experience of being a minister under Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
Ed Balls | Writing
He has written for The Guardian, The Times, Financial Times, Radio Times, The Spectator, New Statesman and Tribune and co-authored a number of papers, articles and political books.
His first solo written book was Speaking Out: Lessons in Life and Politics, released in 2016. It is an exploration of his life inside and outside of politics and became a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. He followed this up with Appetite: A Memoir in Recipes of Family and Food in 2021, which also made the Sunday Times top ten bestseller list.
Ed Balls | Media
Ed Balls was dubbed ‘The People’s Champion’ after the extraordinary public response to his dance performances in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2016. His memorable performance of Gangnam Style with professional partner Katya Jones was nominated for the 2017 Virgin’s Must-See Moment BAFTA award.
Since then, he has become a popular personality on our television screens and radio waves. He has presented Ed Balls’ Dream Dinner Party and Virtues of Vulnerability for BBC Radio 4, Ed Balls on Musical Theatre on BBC Radio 2 and Have I Got News For You.
Not solely content with appearing on humorous and panel shows, he has fronted a number of hard-hitting documentaries here in the UK and abroad.
In 2018, he went to America for Travels in TrumpLand with Ed Balls for BBC2, followed by Travels in EuroLand With Ed Balls – you can see a clip on this bio page. In 2021, he fronted Inside the Care Crisis with Ed Balls which explored the crisis in the care sector and how the government can help address the biggest issues in the social and care system in the UK. He also hosted What Britain Buys and Sells in a Day as well as a number of election programmes – both UK and US – for ITV and the BBC.
Ed Balls appeared in – and won – the first series of Celebrity Best Home Cook in 2021, as well as starring in other reality and panel shows such as Steph’s Packed Lunch (2021), Richard Osman’s House of Games, QI (2021), Gareth Malone’s All Star Music Quiz (2018), Question of Sport Relief (2018), Have I Got News For You (2018) and Great Sport Relief Bake Off (2016).
Ed Balls | Charity Work
Ed Balls is a patron and/or supporter of a number of charities; he has run the London marathon three times, raising over £160,000 for WhizzKids, a disabled children’s charity, and Action For Stammering Children.
He is a patron of the British Stammering Association and a member of the Holocaust Memorial Foundation Board. In 2019, along with eight other well-known personalities, he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, raising over two million pounds for Comic Relief.
Ed Balls | Speaking Topics
– Budget/Finance
– European Issues
– Politics/UK Government
– The Future of Britain
– Brexit
– The Global Economy
– Strictly Come Dancing
Ed Balls | Previous Talk Titles
– The Future of Britain, Post Brexit
– Opportunities and Risks in the Global Economy
– Why We Must Deliver Inclusive Prosperity
– Politics, Business and Public Opinion in the 21st Century
Ed has spoken at events, including the NFDA Spring Ball in 2022, as well as being the keynote speaker for UK Care Week at the UK Care Week Live expo 2022. He has given seminars at Harvard, Yale, NYU, Stanford and USC, and has served as a consultant at the International Monetary Fund.
