Edward "Ed" Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British Labour Party politician; he has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for the West Yorkshire constituency of Normanton since 2005. Although he only became an MP at the beginning of the current Parliament, he has been an advisor to Prime Minister Gordon Brown since 1994, and is regarded as one of Brown's key lieutenants. Since June 2007, he has served in the Cabinet as Secr...
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Edward "Ed" Michael Balls (born 25 February 1967) is a British Labour Party politician; he has been the Labour Co-operative Member of Parliament for the West Yorkshire constituency of Normanton since 2005. Although he only became an MP at the beginning of the current Parliament, he has been an advisor to Prime Minister Gordon Brown since 1994, and is regarded as one of Brown's key lieutenants. Since June 2007, he has served in the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families.
Balls was born in Norwich, Norfolk and educated at Crossdale Drive Primary School in Keyworth, Notts and then the private boys Nottingham High School. He studied PPE at Keble College, Oxford, and later attended Harvard University as a Kennedy Scholar. Whilst at Oxford he became a member of the Conservative Association: "He joined the Tories at Oxford because they used to book top-flight political speakers, and only members were allowed to attend their lectures. Ed was, however, also a member...
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