What the Tories really think about Ed Balls

Tory MPs usually spend their time talking about how dreadful Ed Balls is, and how they’d like nothing more than for him to stay in post until the General Election. But is this what the Tories really think about Ed Balls? Perhaps not. Today Rob Halfron MP wrote the following for ConHome:

Funnily enough, no Labour MPs are saying that we need our own George Osborne…

Similarly, Iain Dale rode to the defence of the Shadow Chancellor last month, saying that:

“he has transformed himself from being chiefly seen as Gordon Brown’s chief henchman, into a politician who is both formidable and, in my opinion, rather impressive.”

The Tories may deride him, but seemingly some of them see how effective and formidable he can be – which might just explain why they deride him, and are so keen to see him go…