The Rest Is Politics
Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart break down current affairs in the UK and abroad. The Rest Is Politics analyses the latest international news, provides debate on global issues, and reveals secrets from Westminster, whilst bringing back the lost art of disagreeing agreeably. With insider perspectives and expert analysis, The Rest Is Politics is the go-to podcast for anyone seeking intelligent, engaging discussions on British and global politics. The Rest Is Politics Plus: Join with a FREE TRIAL at therestispolitics.com for exclusive bonus content including Rory and Alastair’s first ever miniseries, early access to episodes and live show tickets, ad...
What Living Under ISIS Taught Me About Extremism
Twenty-five years after 9/11, does terrorism still pose an existential threat to humanity? How do ordinary people become extremists — and why is it a mistake to generalise about the “type” of person who joins a terror organisation? What opportunities did the chaos of ISIS’ caliphate present to otherwise unlikely recruits?
This week, Rory is joined by Iraqi historian and blogger Omar Mohammed, who, when ISIS captured Mosul in 2014, began secretly reporting on life inside the city, at great personal risk, and documented the occupation while it was happening.
This week, Rory is joined by Omar Moh...
Is Britain Prepared for Cyber Warfare and The ‘Plot’ to Undermine the UN
As supermarket fridges are hacked and bomb threats are called in, how is AI accelerating the rate of cyberattacks, and can Britain’s defences keep up? Who is in the running to become the next UN Secretary-General, and what will the appointment mean for the future of the organisation and the international order? Following the ANC’s worst-ever performance in South Africa’s local elections, has corruption finally caught up with the ruling party, and can it tackle the country's deepening unemployment crisis?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's...
Will a Weakened Trump Make the World More Dangerous?
Following the disastrous midterm results for the Republicans, where will Trump turn his attention for the last two years of his presidency, and what will the MAGA movement look like without him? With Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admitting an affair with a suspected Chinese spy, what does the fallout mean for the future of the company – and its enormous influence over the future of AI and the entire American economy? What do the recent elections in Israel and New Zealand reveal about the challenges of proportional representation?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and...
Can the Democrats Capitalise on Trump's Midterm Disaster?
Why did Trump concede defeat so quickly and pledge to work with Democrats, and what does this mean for the final two years of his presidency, including his influence on the world stage? Was this a cost of living election defeat for Trump more than an outpouring of love for the Democrats, and will MAGA’s ‘America First’ worldview persist anyway? After the most highly funded election in American history, could there finally be bipartisan support for tackling the influence of extreme wealth and corruption in US politics?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questi...
Rory Goes to a Trump Rally and Will the Youth Protests Spread to Britain?
What has Rory uncovered on the road through JD Vance country, and how did he feel attending a Trump MAGA rally? What is driving the wave of youth protests sweeping across Europe, and could we see similar unrest in the UK? What will be the political legacy of the late, great Patrick Stewart, and what was he really like?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week’s edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Kevin Rudd by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, o...
David Blunkett on Blindness, Adversity and Why Politicians Give Up Too Easily
To hear the full episode, and the whole series, sign up at therestispolitics.com
This week, Alastair sits down with someone who – in his opinion – is the most persevilient person in politics, Lord David Blunkett. Blind since birth, he lost his father at the age of 12 and grew up in a very poor household.
Despite this, he went on to become leader of Sheffield Council at 33, then MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, and a key architect of New Labour.
You’ll hear how differe...
Why Is Trump Losing Voters and Will Texas Turn Blue?
Why are these US midterms so important, and what has Rory been seeing on the ground in Ohio? Could the Democrats really flip Texas, and is Trump alienating the Hispanic voters that were crucial to his 2024 victory? If the Republicans lose control of Congress, will Trump accept the result?
Rory and Alastair are joined by Issy Stanley, reporting from Texas, as they answer all these questions and more in this week’s edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Michael Lewis by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Jo...
Is Burnham’s Budget Too Safe and How Brazil Defied Trump
With the UK’s new Chancellor, John Healey, announcing his first budget and Kemi Badenoch asking him, “is that it?”, how will the public judge his plans? With Lula making an historic return to Brazil’s presidency, was it the strength of his campaign or Bolsonaro Jr’s electoral gaffes in the leadership race that proved decisive? How did Aleksandar Vučić’s gamble on an early election backfire so spectacularly, and what does his shock defeat to a leaderless student movement tell us about just how unpredictable modern politics has become?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer al...
Kim Leadbeater, MP: My Sister's Murder and Why I Never Wanted To Go Into Politics
This week, we bring you one of Alastair’s favourite interviews.
He’s joined by Kim Leadbeater MP, whose sister Jo Cox was murdered in 2016, and his lifelong friend Lindsay Nicholson, who lost her husband John and nine-year-old daughter Ellie to the same rare cancer.
They discuss grief, breakdowns, anger and faith, why they disagree on assisted dying, and how to find hope when the worst has already happened.
To hear the whole interview and the rest of Alastair's series on Persevilience, sign up at therestispolitics.com
Netanyahu’s Fight for Survival and the Gaza Film That Shocked Rory and Alastair
What is at stake for Israelis and Palestinians in the upcoming parliamentary elections and, if Netanyahu loses, will anything actually change given the major parties reject a two state solution? Why does the IDF’s ‘bureaucracy of mass murder’ and its ‘NAZA’ collateral damage policy in Gaza feature so little in Israel’s domestic political debates? From Trump’s new press secretary’s disastrous five-day tenure, to the fallout from the Reform UK documentary, are we all now living in parallel political universes where scandals have less impact than they used to?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all...
Trump and Putin vs. Zelensky: Is Europe Sleepwalking into Disaster?
After another devastating week for Ukraine, is Trump now firmly on Putin’s side, and how much leverage does Elon Musk have over Zelensky’s war effort through his ownership of Starlink? With more civil unrest in France, what does this mean for a protest movement increasingly overshadowed by rioting, and could it play into Marine Le Pen’s hands ahead of next year's presidential election? What do we know about the attack on Australian MP Helen Haines, after she was hit by a car twice in what the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described as a “deliberate” act?
<...Addiction, Breakdown and Finding Persevilience: Rory Interviews Alastair
How has Alastair managed to come back from some of the darkest places in his life, overcoming a breakdown while in the public eye? Is his obsession with work unhealthy, or necessary to achieving great things and what does it cost his family and those around him? And, beyond the personal, could the word he invented, “Persevilience”, be the antidote to populism, polarisation and post-truth?
Listen to Rory Stewart interviewing Alastair Campbell for part one of Persevilience where they discuss all of this and more.
Producer: Indi...
How to Solve Britain’s Youth Unemployment Crisis
In Britain, we spend £25 on benefits for every £1 we spend helping young people find work. So why have successive governments failed to fix this – and what does Alan Milburn’s review, due this autumn, say needs to change? How have countries with the lowest youth unemployment rates tackled the issue, and what is the one intervention Andy Burnham’s government should put its money behind? How can we convince employers to take a chance on young people?
Rory and Alastair are joined by Alan Milburn as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Questi...
Trump’s Public Execution Order and Burnham’s Brexit Intervention
How does Marco Rubio’s Parthenon speech fit the Trump administration’s ideas on European “civilisational erasure” – and how does it depart from traditional Republican rhetoric? With Pete Hegseth’s announcement of America’s first public execution since 1936 sparking outrage, are Trump’s likely successors, Vance and Rubio, staying loyal to their boss or quietly breaking from him? As Iran-backed Houthi attacks hit Saudi Arabia, can anyone predict Trump’s next move in the Middle East?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Andy...
Alastair and Michael Gove Disagree Agreeably on Brexit and Israel
Will there be another EU referendum, despite Andy Burnham promising not to re-run old Brexit arguments? Will Michael Gove ever criticise Israel's actions in Palestine, and if not, why not? What do the charges against Manchester City tell us about Manchester’s growth since 2008 – and why do questions around a football club present the first serious challenge to Burnham’s premiership?
Join Alastair and former Conservative cabinet minister and arch Brexiteer Michael Gove as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and Ala...
Is Badenoch Finally Stopping Farage and Why Are French Schools on Fire?
With Reform bogged down in scandal, and Kemi Badenoch setting out her political vision at Conservative Party conference, have the Tories finally wrestled momentum on the right of British politics away from Farage? As French schools burn, how are Le Pen and the French far right exploiting the unrest? And why has Spain's left-wing leader Sánchez called a snap election over the country's rental crisis – and can he defy the odds and win a majority?
Join Alastair and former Conservative Cabinet Minister and arch Brexiteer Michael Gove as they answer all these questions and more.
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How Xi is Outplaying Trump and Tensions in Northern Ireland
As Trump becomes the first American president to personally welcome a visiting head of state off a plane since JFK greeted Harold Macmillan in 1962, did his summit with President Xi signal improving US-China relations, or does Xi have his counterpart in an economic chokehold? With the standoff between protesters and members of the pro-British Protestant Orange Order in Northern Ireland showing no sign of resolution, is the region's fragile peace in danger of unravelling? And as violence erupts in Ethiopia, is Africa's second most populous country on the brink of civil war – and does it risk dragging other regional ac...
Alastair Reacts to Burnham’s Speech and Rory’s Viral Stare
Will scrapping the triple lock be electorally perilous for Burnham, or can his vision of a national care service convince the public and his party that it’s time for pension reform? Did being Mayor of Greater Manchester make him a better orator? And what is Rory’s explanation for his viral Newsnight stare?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Mustafa Suleyman by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper into the world of The Res...
Why Nuclear War Is More Likely Than You Think (with Carlo Rovelli)
Why have we stopped talking about the risk of nuclear war when the risk is greater than ever? What is a ‘nuclear winter’ and why are nuclear exchanges such extreme risks for the future of humanity? And should the UK be investing in nuclear weapons – or could this make the country more vulnerable?
Rory is joined this week by physicist and philosopher, Carlo Rovelli for the next episode in his series on Existential Risk. Catch up on episode one with Yuval Noah Harari here.
To hear the whole epiosde, sign up at...
Germany’s Political Disaster and Can the Lib Dems Fight Back?
As the far-right Alternative for Germany wins another regional election, wiping out the ruling Christian Democratic Union in former Chancellor Angela Merkel's own backyard, will Friedrich Merz face the same fate as Keir Starmer and lose his job? New polling shows that just 15% of people in rural communities think Labour cares about them, so how does the party deliver "growth in every postcode" to the countryside? With 70 seats in Parliament and the Tories in electoral trouble, why haven't the Liberal Democrats gained more traction in the week of their party conference?
Join Rory and Alastair as they...
Burnham and Carney vs. Trump, and the Diana Dispute
As Burnham meets Trump face-to-face for the first time at the UN General Assembly, will he adopt Mark Carney’s or Keir Starmer’s approach to dealing with the US President? With Carney receiving a standing ovation in the European Parliament and championing “deep cooperation” between Europe and Canada, is Britain in danger of being outflanked in its relationship with the continent? Where do Rory and Alastair stand on the allegations made by Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, about the King?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Ro...
The Greatest Threat Humans Just Can’t Stomach with Yuval Noah Harari
Episode 2 is available right now for TRIP Plus members. Sign up at therestispolitics.com
What can the Aztec Empire's catastrophic failure to understand Cortés and the Spanish conquistadors teach us about the threat AI poses today? Why does Yuval Noah Harari believe our gut refuses to accept an "alien intelligence" our brains already understand to be a threat? And can Britain avoid becoming an "AI vassal state" - or has that moment already passed?
Rory is joined by Professor Yuval Noah Harari for Part 1 of their conversation on e...
Trump’s Next Middle East Crisis and Reform’s £72m Megadonation
Is the Houthis' seizure of one of the world's most critical waterways the clearest proof yet that Trump's Iran war has become a catastrophe? With the very people building AI now calling for a pause, is real regulation finally coming, or will tech billionaires keep writing the rules themselves? And with Reform banking £72 million from two crypto billionaires, why is Britain one of the only democracies with no cap on political donations?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Sanna Marin, For...
"Not Enough?" | Rory and Alastair Challenge Ed Miliband on Israel-Palestine
Why has Ed Miliband gone further than any previous foreign secretary in announcing the occupation of the Palestinian territories as illegal and placing sanctions on Israeli settlements in the West Bank? Can these limited sanctions really achieve their stated aim of “salvaging” the two-state solution? Will Britain now follow Mark Carney in building a new alliance of middle powers independent of the US and China?
Alastair and Rory are joined by Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, to answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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<..."Our Generation Was Lied To": Two Gen Z MPs on Fixing Politics
To hear the full series “The Gen Z Story”, sign up at the restispolitics.com – use your student email for a discount
How do you get older colleagues to take you seriously when you become an MP at 25? Has the social contract between the state and young people been irreparably broken? And how should Andy Burnham tackle the biggest challenges facing young people today — the mental health crisis, student loan debt, a lack of jobs and opportunities, and the impossibility of getting on the housing ladder?
Keir Mather and Rosie Wr...
Why Trump Acts Like a Russian Asset and Miliband’s West Bank Sanctions
After Trump’s latest betrayal of Ukraine, why does he act like a Russian asset? Has John Healy already missed his moment to be a radical Chancellor, and does Ed Miliband’s move to impose economic sanctions on Israeli settlements prove he would have been the bolder choice? Is the President of Serbia a fascist?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Anthony Scaramucci by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper...
Farage’s Foreign Funding Scandal and Germany’s Far-Right Breakthrough
As the Alternative for Germany party secured its best ever election result in Saxony-Anhalt, is the country about to get its first far-right state premier since the Nazi Party, and will Chancellor Friedrich Merz survive the fallout? What does an undercover documentary on Reform's fundraising reveal about the men presenting themselves as the movement's moral and intellectual core, and has the law been broken? Is Europe now entering a new era defined by right-wing extremism?
Alastair and Rory are joined by Deputy Editor of Bild-Zeitung, Paul Ronzheimer, who has been on the ground in Saxony-Anhalt, where voters...
Becoming Burnham: The Manchester Arena Call, Westminster Plotting, and Keir vs Andy
To hear the full episode, and the whole series, sign up at therestispolitics.com
How did Andy Burnham learn about the Manchester Arena bombing? Would he still have tried to become PM had Keir Starmer let him stand in the Gorton and Denton byelection? And when did tensions between Keir and Andy really begin?
Join Alastair Campbell and Steve Rotheram as they address all these questions and much more on Becoming Burnham
Producer: India Dunkley
Researcher: Miranda Crawford
Video Editor...
MAGA's Plan to Make Britain Look Broken and Iceland's 'Brexit' Moment
Did Iceland's rejection of EU membership talks repeat the same mistakes as Britain's Remain campaign, and does it hand a dangerous propaganda win to Farage, Putin, and the wider anti-European right? As Russia warns of "consequences" over British missiles built in Ukraine, is the West sleepwalking towards direct confrontation? With one in four Americans now convinced British society is broken, is Trump deliberately weaponising Britain to justify its own domestic agenda?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and...
Who Really Benefits from AI and Will Data Centres Decide the Midterms?
Why is the backlash against data centres becoming one of the most combustible issues in US politics? What does an AI system's attempt to cheat, cover its tracks, and break into another company’s website reveal about our ability to keep these systems under control? After the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal, why does the funding for climate adaptation often fail the countries that need it most?
Join Alastair and Rory as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Dan Neidle by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or...
Becoming Burnham: People Pleasing, The Shadow Years and Losing to Jeremy Corbyn
Who are the political figures that shaped Andy Burnham? How far will the new PM go to be liked? And what impact did losing to Jeremy Corbyn's popularity 'tsunami' have on his career - and confidence?
Join Alastair Campbell and Steve Rotheram as they address all these questions and much more on Becoming Burnham
Producer: India Dunkley
Researcher: Miranda Crawford
Video Editor: Josh Smith
Social Producer: Celine Charles
Executive Producer: Emily Kent Smith
Learn more about your...
Carney vs. Trump and Alastair’s Advice for Burnham’s First PMQs
Why is Mark Carney choosing economic pain over a deal on tariffs with Trump? As Palestinians prepare to vote for the first time in 20 years, why has Mahmoud Abbas decided that now is finally the moment to hold elections, and will Israel block them? With Andy Burnham preparing for his first Prime Minister's Questions, what advice does Alastair have on where Kemi Badenoch is most likely to strike?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview wi...
Zelenskyy’s Corruption Problem and Is History Repeating Itself in Germany?
Why did Andy Burnham choose Kyiv, not Washington or Brussels, for his first foreign trip as Prime Minister? Is the tide at home turning against President Zelenskyy, and do fresh corruption scandals pose an existential threat to Ukraine’s war effort? With the AfD on course to break through in state elections for the first time, is Germany's “firewall” against the far-right about to collapse?
Join Alastair and Rory as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with the President of UEFA, Aleksander Čeferin, by search...
Becoming Burnham: Thatcher, Hillsborough, and the Anger that Shaped Him | Part 1
To hear the full episode and the series as it drops, sign up up at therestispolitics.com
Alastair is joined by Andy Burnham’s closest confidant, friend and former colleague, Steve Rotheram – the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region to discuss…
Who really is Andy Burnham, and how is he going to change Britain? How have events like Hillsborough, and Thatcher’s Northern neglect shaped him? And, how does he contend with his imposter syndrome, his ‘Catholic guilt complex’, and his restless desire to be liked?
Pr...
Burnham’s Media Machine and West Bank Settler Impunity
Is Burnham’s Britain’s first ‘TikTok Prime Minister’ and what does that mean for accountability, old-fashioned journalism, and the Westminster lobby? Why are violent Israeli settlers able to act with impunity against Palestinians in the West Bank, and is Israel effectively annexing the territory? Should young people spend the last two weeks of their summer holidays thinking about the challenges facing the world?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Britain’s Afghanistan Shame and the Jason Arday Tragedy
Five years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover, why has not a single Western government marked the anniversary of a war that cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars? Why has Russia's last liberal anti-war party been banned ahead of next month's Duma elections, and is it a sign of Putin's strength or his weakness? What does the media frenzy that engulfed Jason Arday before his death reveal about how quickly we strip vulnerable people of their humanity?
Join Rory, Alastair and Shoshana Stewart, as they answer all these questions and more.<...
Will Climate Action Go Backwards Under Burnham?
Should Andy Burnham deliver a covid style national emergency briefing to inform the public about the climate emergency? How do we foster cross-party consensus on the climate emergency? And, can we balance the need to build data centres and protect the environment?
Join Alastair Campbell, Rory Stewart and Caroline Lucas as they discuss all of these questions and more.
To watch Caroline’s four part series on climate as a national security threat, sign up at therestispolitcs.com
Read the redacted Joint Intel...
The Right’s War With Itself and Burnham’s Prisons Challenge
With Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe trading blows, is the British right tearing itself apart, and will Kemi Badenoch destroy the Conservative Party by chasing Reform and Restore voters rather than the centre ground? With prisons at breaking point and reoffending rates soaring, why aren’t governments honest about the real causes of the crisis, or the solutions? As the Rhine falls to record lows and Germany's economy takes the hit, is this the clearest sign yet that the climate crisis is now an economic one?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all th...
How Trump’s Chaos Keeps Splintering the World Order
As a new military alliance between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan the first sign that America's allies no longer trust its guarantees? Why are politicians refusing to admit how fast America is burning through its Patriot missiles in Iran? With suspected Russian drones probing Europe, is the Kremlin about to test NATO like never before?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Johnny Mercer by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest I...
The Truth About Climate Migration – It's More Complicated Than You Think
To hear the whole episode and catch up on the rest of the series, which includes a deep dive into food security, water scarcity and the suppressed national security report, sign up at therestispolitics.com
Are people really migrating because of changes in the climate? Who pays when a nation is destroyed by a crisis it didn't cause? And what does it cost, financially and emotionally, to leave home for good?
Join Caroline Lucas, Alex Randall and Aminath Shauna as they discuss all of these questions and more.
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