Speaking Out: Lessons in life and politics
Ed Balls and Helen Boaden

• Saturday 10 June 2017, 12.00PM to 12.50pm
• Free admission
  Booking required
• Department of Theatre, Film and Television, University of York (map|getting to campus)
• Wheelchair accessible

Event details

Meet Ed Balls and learn about a life in and out of politics - from the despatch box to the Strictly Come Dancing stage.

On the night of 7 May 2015, Ed Balls thought there was a chance he would wake up the next morning as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. Instead, he woke up without a job. Twenty-one years earlier he had left a promising career in journalism to work for Labour in opposition. Moving through the ranks, from adviser to Cabinet minister and on to Shadow Chancellor, he occupied a central and influential position in and out of power during a pivotal period in British history. His fascinating journey is recounted in his recently published book, Speaking Out: Lessons in Life and Politics.

Join us to hear the story of Ed’s life and for a unique insight into the worlds of Westminster and Strictly. This is an 'in conversation' event with Ed talking to Helen Boaden, former Controller of BBC Radio 4, Director of BBC News and of BBC Radio.

About the speaker

Ed Balls is a former MP, Cabinet Minister and Treasury Chief Economic Adviser. From 2011 to 2015 he was the Shadow Chancellor. He is a Senior Fellow at Harvard University Kennedy School’s Mossavar-Rahmani Center, Visiting Professor to the Policy Institute at King’s College London, and Chairman of Norwich City FC. He is married to Yvette Cooper MP and they have three children. He is also a cook, pianist and economist. His book Speaking Out: Lessons in Life and Politics is published by Penguin.

Helen Boaden is the former Controller of BBC Radio 4, Director of BBC News and of BBC Radio. She has recently returned from a Fellowship at the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University where her visit coincided with President Trump's first 100 days in office.

Waterstones

Books will be available to buy from the Waterstones' stall at this event.

Tickets