Why didn’t Nick Clegg become Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2010 coalition government? Ed Balls and George Osborne take you inside the negotiations that formed the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in this week’s EMQs. They also discuss why Gordon Brown didn’t make Ed chancellor, and whether it was the original sin of his premiership.

They also discuss the role of academics in policy making, and why American scholars end up more favored than their British counterparts. And, how many U-turns can a government sustain? Ed and George look at the impact of U-turn politics on trust and authority, and discuss how the coalition survived the omnishambles budget?

Finally, the pair consider whether MPs who defect - including recent high profile Tories like Robert Jenrick - should stand down to trigger by-elections. They explain where this has gone wrong historically, and the dangerous precedent it would set for future political rebellions in all major parties.

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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Credits:

Research: Sam Burton

Production: Caillin McDaid, Caitlin Hanrahan & Sam Psyk.

Video Editor: Avi Asher

Executive Producer: Ellie Clifford

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