Ed Balls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ed Balls
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Official portrait, 2021
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| Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Alan Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Michael Gove |
| Economic Secretary to the Treasury | |
| In office 6 May 2006 – 28 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Sir Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Ivan Lewis |
| Succeeded by | Kitty Ussher |
| Member of Parliament for Morley and Outwood Normanton (2005–2010) |
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| In office 5 May 2005 – 30 March 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Bill O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | Andrea Jenkyns |
| Shadow Cabinet portfolios | |
| 2010 | Education |
| 2010–2011 | Home Department |
| 2011–2015 | Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Edward Michael Balls
25 February 1967 Norwich, Norfolk, England |
| Political party | Labour Co-op |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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| Residences | London, England Castleford, West Yorkshire, England |
| Alma mater | (MPA) |
| Signature |  |
Edward Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British broadcaster, writer, and former politician. He was a powerful figure in the Labour Party and served as a government minister.
Balls was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2005 to 2015. He was the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families from 2007 to 2010. After his party lost the election, he became the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, a top role in the opposition. Since leaving politics, he has become well-known for his television appearances, including on Strictly Come Dancing and Good Morning Britain.
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Early Life and Education
Ed Balls was born in Norwich, England. His father, Michael Balls, is a zoologist (a scientist who studies animals). When Ed was eight, his family moved to Nottinghamshire. He attended Nottingham High School, where he sang in the choir and played the violin.
After finishing school, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Keble College, Oxford. He graduated with a First, which is the highest grade possible. Later, he studied economics at the famous Harvard University in the United States.
Balls joined the Labour Party in 1983 when he was still in school. He was interested in politics from a young age.
First Jobs
After university, Balls taught at Harvard for two years. In 1990, he started working as a writer for the Financial Times, a major newspaper that focuses on business and economics.
In 1994, he became an economic adviser to Gordon Brown, who was the Shadow Chancellor at the time. When the Labour Party won the 1997 election, Brown became the Chancellor, and Balls became the Chief Economic Adviser to the Treasury. This was a very important job helping to run the UK's economy.
Political Career
In 2004, Balls was chosen to be the Labour candidate for the Normanton area in West Yorkshire. In the 2005 general election, he was elected as the MP for Normanton with a large majority.
In 2006, he was given his first government job as Economic Secretary to the Treasury.
Secretary for Children, Schools and Families
When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, he promoted Balls to a top job in the Cabinet. He became the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. This meant he was in charge of all the schools and children's services in England.
One of his major decisions was to get rid of the national tests, known as SATs, for 14-year-olds. This was a popular move with many teachers and parents. He also worked on a plan to raise the age that young people must stay in education or training to 18.
During his time as minister, he had to deal with a very serious case involving child safety in the London borough of Haringey. He took strong action and ordered the dismissal of the person in charge of children's services there.
Shadow Cabinet Roles
In the 2010 election, the Labour Party lost power. After Gordon Brown resigned as leader, Balls stood in the election to become the new leader but came in third place. The winner, Ed Miliband, made Balls the Shadow Home Secretary.
A year later, in 2011, he was promoted to Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. This is one of the most important jobs in the opposition party. The Shadow Chancellor's role is to challenge the government's economic plans and present their own party's ideas.
Balls lost his seat in Parliament in the 2015 general election by a very small number of votes. This was a big surprise and marked the end of his political career.
The Story of "Ed Balls Day"
| Ed Balls |  |
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| @edballs |
Ed Balls
28 April 2011
On 28 April 2011, something funny happened that made Ed Balls famous on the internet. An assistant told him to search for an article about himself on Twitter. Instead of typing his name into the search bar, he accidentally posted a tweet that just said "Ed Balls".
The tweet quickly became a viral sensation. Thousands of people retweeted it. Balls did not know he could delete it, so it is still on his profile today. Now, every year on 28 April, people celebrate "Ed Balls Day" by retweeting his original message and making jokes about it. Balls has joined in on the fun, even baking a cake with the tweet on it.
Life After Politics
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After leaving Parliament, Balls did not stop working. He became a senior fellow at Harvard University and a visiting professor at King's College London. He also became the chairman of Norwich City F.C., the football team he has supported since he was a boy. He held this role from 2015 to 2018.
Television and Media
Balls has become a popular TV personality. In 2016, he competed in series 14 of the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with professional dancer Katya Jones. His fun and energetic dances, like his performance to "Gangnam Style", made him a fan favourite. He reached week 10 of the competition.
He has also appeared on other shows, winning Celebrity Best Home Cook in 2021. He has made documentaries for the BBC, including Travels in Trumpland with Ed Balls, where he explored the supporters of President Trump. He is now a presenter on the breakfast show Good Morning Britain and co-hosts a popular podcast about politics and economics called Political Currency with George Osborne.
Personal Life
In 1998, Balls married Yvette Cooper, who is also a leading Labour politician and the current Home Secretary. They have three children. They were the first married couple to ever serve in the British Cabinet at the same time.
Balls has spoken openly about having a stammer (also known as a stutter). He is a patron of the British Stammering Association and works to support others who have a stammer.
He also plays the drums in a band called Centrist Dad, along with other well-known figures like journalist Robert Peston.
See also
- Ed Balls document leak
