Ballard Partners began its life in Florida and has since grown into a public affairs firm with an international reach. Led by founder and president Brian Ballard, Ballard Partners has opened overseas locations and, through the Ballard Global Alliance, established strategic partnerships with international firms. Among its key partners is UK-based SABI Strategy Group.
Ballard Partners’ influence in the UK extends to its digital show, 13th & Park. Since launching in 2023, 13th & Park has welcomed several guests from across the pond. From a former prime minister to key members of the Ballard Global Alliance, let’s learn more about the UK guests of a show that boasts more than 3 million subscribers on YouTube.
Liz Truss
The former UK prime minister, Liz Truss joined 13th & Park in February to share her opinions on the news of the day. Interviewed by 13th & Park cohost Justin Sayfie, she reacted to the Munich Security Conference speech delivered by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and discussed her recent meeting with President Donald Trump.
Truss also zoomed out and looked broadly at the state of Europe and the world, the former of which she believes is in need of a counter-revolution. Truss’ views are the product of a lengthy career in UK politics, having entered Parliament in 2010 and having served her country until her resignation as prime minister in 2022.
Prior to becoming the prime minster, Truss was a junior education minister and held six cabinet positions. After succeeding Boris Johnson as prime minister, she led the nation in mourning the death of Queen Elizabeth. Truss looked back on her time in office in her conversation with Sayfie. She discussed her promise to cut taxes and what her premiership taught her about the UK’s entrenched bureaucratic establishment.
Harry Cole
Harry Cole serves as the US-based editor-at-large at The Sun. Upon joining 13th & Park in late 2024, he was approaching five years as the Sun’s UK-based political editor. As a journalist, he has interviewed some of the most consequential names in UK politics, including sitting prime minister Rishi Sunak and prime ministerial candidate Sir Keir Starmer, and hosted a debate between the two of them.
Since relocating to the United States, Cole has continued his trend of nabbing big-name interviews. In March 2026, he sat down for an exclusive with Donald Trump during which the US president criticized Prime Minster Starmer for his lack of support for the US war in Iran.
On his 2024 episode of 13th & Park, Cole spoke with host Adam Goodman about Europe’s reaction to Trump’s then-recent reelection. He also discussed the current political landscape in the UK, which to that point he had spent the entirety of his more than 10-year journalism career covering. During his tenure, he significantly strengthened the Sun’s political coverage, which included launching Never Mind the Ballots, the Sun’s first political video series.
Jonathan Moakes and Kathryn Sturrock
For this joint episode, the two directors of the Ballard Global Alliance member firm SABI Strategy Group joined Adam Goodman for a discussion about the political landscape in their home county. At the time of the episode’s release in 2024, Starmer had recently become the prime minister, and the guests shared their perspectives on the new government and the expectations of the British public.
Jonathan Moakes has unique insight into the minds of the public as a longtime campaign consultant. He has worked with candidates in South Africa and the United States, and his responsibilities at SABI involve drawing on research and data to provide messaging recommendations.
Similarly, Kathryn Sturrock has deep experience in politics, having played an integral role in the 2021 election of the Zimbabwean president. As the head of SABI’s international communication and advocacy team, she provides data-based recommendations aimed at improving campaign messaging.
