The Rest Is Politics: Leading
Episodes
81. Alex Chalk, Lord Chancellor: How to fix Britain’s prisons
23 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What are the powers of the Lord Chancellor? How important are friendships in politics? What needs to change to solve the prison crisis in the UK? Ror...
80. Bridget Phillipson: Can we save Britain's schools?
16 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is there a class system in the UK? What is the State's role in redistributing wealth in society? How did Jeremy Corbyn's leadership impact Red Wall vo...
79. Nadhim Zahawi: Iraq, Conservatism, and why he backed Boris Johnson
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does the former Chancellor make of the current Conservative election campaign? What was his experience escaping Saddam Hussein's Iraq? And does h...
78. David Blunkett: Education, policing immigration, and the future of the Labour Party (Part 2)
09 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What challenges did David Blunkett face as Home Secretary following 9/11? Does he have any regrets relating to his crime and punishment policies? What...
77. David Blunkett: Tony Blair, growing up blind, and where Margaret Thatcher went wrong (Part 1)
02 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the loss of industry in the 1980s affect David Blunkett's politics? What was his experience growing up blind in Sheffield? How did Neil Kinnoc...
Legacy... Margaret Thatcher
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan tell the wild stories of some of the most extraordinary men and women ever to have lived – and ask whether they have...
76. Rachel Reeves: Britain’s next Chancellor?
26 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How would an incoming Labour government fund the NHS? How does Reeves and Starmer's relationship compare to Blair and Brown? What is the experience of...
75. The Greek Prime Minister vs Rishi Sunak: The Elgin Marbles, immigration, and the EU
25 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why did Rishi Sunak snub the Prime Minister of Greece? How have Greece solved their immigration issue? How will populist ideology fare in the upcoming...
74. Kwasi Kwarteng: Liz Truss, becoming Chancellor, and Britain on the brink (Part 2)
19 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why did the Tory Party choose to make Liz Truss and Boris Johnson prime minister? How does it feel to be the second shortest-serving chancellor in pos...
73. Kwasi Kwarteng: Boris Johnson, the British Empire, and Rwanda (Part 1)
12 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"If I were 22 now, I probably wouldn't vote Conservative" - Kwasi Kwarteng In the first of two episodes with the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, ...
72. Nancy Pelosi: From JFK's inauguration to fighting Donald Trump
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did Nancy Pelosi rise up to be the most politically powerful woman in America? What was it like to attend JFK's inauguration? What's the key secre...
71. Israel's former PM on why Netanyahu is finished, the settler movement, and corruption - Ehud Olmert
28 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you know about the last serious attempt at a two state solution in the Israel-Gaza conflict? On today's episode of Leading, Rory and Al...
70. Sadiq Khan: Faith, power, and the truth about Boris Johnson
21 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How much power does the Mayor of London actually have? Have we moved forward - or backwards - as a country when it comes to religion in politics? Shou...
69. The brutal truth about net zero and how to vanquish climate populists, with Dieter Helm
14 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is net zero 2030 impossible to achieve - and is it a mistake to pursue it? Should governments be more brutal with climate investment? Are events like ...
68. Israel-Gaza: How the conflict divided Britain and the US, with Ed Kessler
07 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What makes international conflicts turn domestic? Does Qatar play the key role in bringing peace to the Middle East? Is there a generational split in ...
67. A Tale of Two Spies: The former heads of MI5 and MI6 on the Iraq War, double agents, and the IRA
31 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Should spies be allowed to break the law while undercover? What should the relationship between government and intelligence look like? Do we overestim...
66. Antony Gormley: Art, religion, and the battle for culture
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can Britain remain a cultural superpower post-Brexit? How does religion and philosophy inform creativity? How can we prevent arts from being cut from ...
65. Albin Kurti, Prime Minister of Kosovo: Vladimir Putin, surviving prison, and Serbia
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did peace come to the Balkans? What was it like to be a political prisoner? Is Serbia more allied with the West, or with Putin? Rory and Alastair...
64. Caroline Lucas: Leading the Green Party, leaving politics, and the importance of protest
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How hard is it to be a one person party in parliament? What can the left learn from the populist right? Could electoral reform actually help Keir Sta...
63. Sajid Javid: Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Shamima Begum (Part 2)
08 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is Sajid's biggest regret from his time in politics? What barriers did he come up against in the Shamima Begum case during his time as Home Secre...
62. Sajid Javid: Austerity, the Tory leadership contest, and the problem with 'islamophobia' (Part 1)
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How are politicians working to combat anti-muslim and antisemitic racism in the UK? How does Sajid maintain friendships across party lines? Was auster...
61. James Rubin: Working for Biden, American intervention, and the fight against Russian disinformation
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
“You took me to one side and said be very, very careful of these people, these neo-cons. Because they’re going to use this to do all sorts of stuf...
60. Anthony Scaramucci: What it's like to be Donald Trump's Communications Director
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Would a second Trump presidency be far more right wing? What drives the former US president? Is he trying to do a deal with Taylor Swift? In this wee...
59. Robert Sapolsky: The psychology behind Donald Trump, the science of stress, and the illusion of ‘free will’
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do we get stressed? What are the psychological differences between conservatives and liberals? Is free will a myth? Rory and Alastair are joined ...
58. Humza Yousaf, First Minister of Scotland: Nicola Sturgeon, independence, and his family's escape from Gaza
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What is the future of the independence debate in Scotland? How was it to work with Nicola Sturgeon? Have world leaders done enough to curb civilian de...
57. Tucker Eskew, spin doctor to George W. Bush and Sarah Palin: Why I'm voting Democrat
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What does President Biden need to do to defeat Trump? What went wrong in Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign? Did Republican figures like Sarah Pa...
56. Bill Gates: Conspiracy theories, AI, and the politician he most admires
22 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How does one of the richest men in the world run a business? Is artificial intelligence going to be as big as the Windows PC? What politicians does Bi...
55. Gillian Keegan: The future of British schools, union 'barons', and Sunak's Rwanda battle
15 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to be the Secretary of State for Education who left school at 17? How much power do unions really have in British politics? What's it l...
54. Guy Verhofstadt: Is there a case for a European army?
08 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to run Belgium for a decade? How many people in the EU actually believe in 'ever-closer union'? What are the pros and cons of being a c...
53. Seb Coe: Corruption, gender, and the geopolitics of sport
01 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Will doping ever be defeated in sport? What was it like going from world class runner to government whip? Are the Tories finished in Britain? In the ...
52. Tom Holland: How religion shaped politics and the Western world
25 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is the West more Christian than it thinks? Why are so many British prime ministers from religious backgrounds? How does the evangelical support for Do...
51. Tim Peake: Will humans colonise Mars?
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is the future of human space exploration? Will people live on Mars in our life time? Are there plans to grow human organs on the moon? British a...
50. Angela Rayner: From zero GCSEs to Britain’s most powerful woman?
11 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Could Labour still lose the next election? What really went wrong under Jeremy Corbyn? What do the left actually think of the right? Rory and Alastair...
49. Christiana Figueres: COP28, Costa Rica, and surviving the climate crisis
04 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do countries cooperate to tackle the climate emergency? Is it unusual for the United Nations Climate Change Conference to be held in the oil rich ...
48. Simon Sebag Montefiore: The impact of conflicting histories in the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is understanding history a means to peace between Israel and Palestine? Has Putin’s obsession with Russia’s imperial history motivated his invasio...
47. Tony Klug: Could the Israel-Hamas conflict restart the peace process?
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is peace possible in the Middle East? What is the difference between a one-state solution and a two-state solution? What is the role of the internatio...
46. Arancha González Laya: The World’s Most Powerful Organisations
20 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Are increased military budgets needed following on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Will Europe take the same approach to regulating AI as China and...
Introducing... Legacy
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone leaves a legacy. In their new podcast series, produced by Goalhanger & Wondery, Afua Hirsch and Peter Frankopan tell the wild stories of s...
45. Dr Comfort Ero: Resolving deadly conflicts & reforming the UN
13 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How important is the role of the international community in resolving conflict? Is peace possible in the Middle East? How relevant is the United Natio...
44. Mark Carney: Bank of England, Trussonomics, and Brexit
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can financial markets help fight climate change? What's the true economic theory behind austerity? What does the Bank of England actually do? Tune in...
43. Arnold Schwarzenegger: Trump, Biden, and the American Dream
30 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do we fix the polarisation in the US? What made him move from Hollywood movies to the world of politics? Does he still identify as a Republican? ...
42. Sayeeda Warsi: Britain and the Muslim World
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How prevalent is islamophobia in the UK? How can we help Jewish and Muslim communities at this time? Why have the Oslo Accords failed? Rory and Alast...
41. Reid Hoffman: Bankrolling Biden to beat Trump, the "PayPal Mafia", and Musk's messiah complex
22 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does life in Silicon Valley compare to the United Kingdom? What was it like working with Elon Musk and Peter Thiel starting PayPal? Is the future ...
40. Minette Batters: The Most Powerful Farmer in Britain
15 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
70% of British land is agricultural - yet we don't speak about farming much. What is the politics of the UK's farming industry? How has Brexit affecte...
39. Theresa May: Donald Trump, David Cameron, and ‘Brexit means Brexit’ (Part 2)
08 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why did Theresa May prefer Gordon Brown to Tony Blair as a Prime Minister? Does the former PM have any regrets over Brexit? How did things unfold b...
38. Theresa May: Windrush, police, and the cult of personality (Part 1)
01 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is Theresa May’s biggest regret from her time as Home Secretary? Why was the Hillsborough disaster such an abuse of power? What’s it like t...
37. Chris Hipkins, New Zealand PM: Working with Xi Jinping, fighting to stay in power, and zero covid's double-edged sword
24 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is it like going from cabinet minister to Prime Minister? Are politicians in New Zealand more courteous than politicians in the UK? Why was New Z...
36. Andy Burnham and Andy Street: A Tale of Two Cities
17 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is it like to run a metropolitan area? How does devolution impact the citizens of regional areas? Does party affiliation affect the decisions a m...
35. Cathy Ashton: Dealing with Putin and Lavrov, Kosovo–Serbia, and 'radical humility'
10 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How do we retain empathy when negotiating with a stranger who has a radically different worldview to our own? As the former High Representative of ...
34. Ed Davey: Leading the Lib Dems, fighting the Tories, and a coalition with Starmer’s Labour?
03 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like for the Liberal Democrats in coalition? Would Ed Davey be prepared to work alongside Keir Starmer in another coalition government? Is...
33. Mustafa Suleyman: Will AI save or destroy humanity?
27 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you really know about the dangers of AI? Is it the best hope we have of surviving as a species, or will it lead to the destruction of hu...
32. Miriam González Durántez: Navigating Silicon Valley, the Cameron-Clegg years, and the fight for gender equality
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How can we empower young women to seek positions of power? What was it like having a ringside seat during the Cameron-Clegg government? Is there more ...
31: Yuval Noah Harari: The dangers of AI and the future of humanity (Part 2)
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What makes homo sapiens unique from other living creatures? What will happen to society if artificial intelligence dictates culture? Why have conserva...
30: Anthony Joshua: Responding to failure, Saudi Arabia, and Tyson Fury
06 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From raving and "wheeler-dealing" to heavyweight champion of the world, Anthony Joshua's story is unmissable. Listen to Rory, Alastair and AJ talk abo...
29: Yuval Noah Harari: Crisis and tragedy in Israel (Part 1)
31 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
‘We are facing spiritual and moral destruction.’ Is Israeli democracy facing the most dangerous moment in its history? Yuval Noah Harari joins ...
28: Paul Nurse: The power of genetics, battling politicians, and the fight against cancer
24 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How close are we to finding a cure for cancer? What did the government do wrong - in scientific terms - during the pandemic? Do Labour or the Tories h...
27: Feargal Sharkey: Teenage Kicks, Bobby Sands, and saving our rivers
17 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Can we reverse the damage done to our polluted rivers and seas? What was it like to write Teenage Kicks? How has Brexit hamstrung the music industry? ...
26: Francis Fukuyama: Trump, Modi, and ‘The End of History’
10 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What was the worst political mistake in modern history? How do religious Republicans bring themselves to support Trump? Was it wrong to describe the f...
25: Michael Ignatieff: Fighting Orban's Global Conservative Cabal
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like to know how your obituary will read? What makes the democratic system the best for fighting against climate change? How does politics c...
24: John Major: The Gulf War, Black Wednesday, and Populism (Part 2)
26 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What was it like fighting New Labour? Why did Black Wednesday happen? How did Ian McKellen help bring the campaign for gay rights into Downing Street?...
23: John Major: From Brixton to Downing Street (Part 1)
19 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why is Sir John Major a Tory? How did he make it from Brixton to 10 Downing Street? What was it like to witness the fall of Margaret Thatcher first ha...
22: Kate Raworth: Doughnut economics and thriving in balance
12 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the 21st century, the impact of financial and environmental crises can be felt by all. But how do we marry the nature of the economy with the ever ...
21: Mary McAleese: Building bridges as the President of Ireland
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For former President of Ireland Mary McAleese, the personal is the political. Growing up in Belfast with a deeply personal link to sectarian violence,...
20: Jonathan Powell: How to negotiate with terrorists
29 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The role of Downing Street Chief of Staff was created for him, and he was the only senior advisor to last the whole period of Tony Blair's premiership...
19: Leo Varadkar: Ireland's Taoiseach on NATO, China, and Joe Biden
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How does the Irish Taoiseach feel about Brexit? Would Leo Varadkar consider himself a Tory in the English parliamentary system? Does Ireland have a pr...
18: George Osborne: Austerity, Boris Johnson, and the UK's next Prime Minister
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Does George Osborne regret leaving politics? Does he think Sunak can win the next general election? What did he admire about New Labour, Tony Blair, a...
17: Gerry Adams: The Troubles, Margaret Thatcher, and the IRA
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you know about Thatcher's back channels with Irish republicans during the Troubles? What are Gerry Adams' emotions towards the 1984 Bright...
16: Tony Blair: Taking insults, swallowing pride, and negotiating with both sides
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How was peace achieved in Northern Ireland? What was it like speaking to the IRA, loyalist paramilitary groups and victims simultaneously? Who were th...
15: Hillary Clinton: Fighting Putin, the Return of Trump, and the Killing of Osama Bin Laden
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Will Donald Trump return to the White House? What happened behind the scenes during the killing of Osama Bin Laden? How should we combat the insidious...
14: David Miliband: The Age of Impunity
17 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why did David Miliband leave British politics? How did he get involved in the New Labour project? And what does he spend his time doing now? Join Dav...
13: Brian Cox: Succession, socialism, and Scotland
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What do the Murdochs think of Succession? Should the SNP change its name? Why do some actors swear by method acting while others find it such an alien...
12: David Baddiel: God, Anti-Semitism and the Y-Word
03 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How aware are you of anti-Semitism in Britain? Comedian and author David Baddiel tells Alastair and Rory about his family, his upbringing and his view...
11: Gary Lineker: Politics, football and the BBC
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Gary Lineker is regularly told to 'stick to football'. Now, after recently tweeting his views on the Government’s refugee policy, the Match Of The D...
10: Rahima Mahmut: The Uyghur Genocide
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How much do you know about what's happening to the Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China? Alastair is joined by Rahima Mahmut, an Uyghur artist, activist, and t...
9: Bernie Sanders: A fight for equality
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Longest serving independent Senator of the United States Bernie Sanders has spent his life fighting for the rights of working people. Today, he joins ...
8: Bertie Ahern: The Troubles, peace, and the future of Ireland
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How did the violence of The Troubles come to an end on the island of Ireland? Bertie Ahern, former Irish Taoiseach who served from 1997 to 2008, spea...
7: Fiona Hill: Working with Trump and fighting against Putin
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From a coal-miner's daughter to the White House. Fiona Hill became a leading foreign policy advisor to three presidents, a United States National Secu...
6: David Lammy: The Future of Foreign Policy
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is David Lammy the next politician to represent Britain on the global stage? Alastair and Rory speak to the Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign, Com...
5: Michael Johnson: Politics, protest, and sport
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do athletes now have a responsibility to use their platform to promote political change? Four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson sits down wi...
4: Michel Barnier: The Truth Behind Brexit
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Who is the EU's man behind Brexit? How did he combat Britain's negotiating tactics? What is life like at the top of European politics? Alastair and R...
3: Alan Milburn: Can the NHS be saved?
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Is the NHS beyond saving? Could a Labour government fix it? How should Rishi Sunak deal with strikes? This week on Leading, Alastair and Rory are joi...
2: Marina Litvinenko: Fighting Putin's poison
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander Litvinenko: the man who solved his own murder after being poisoned by the Russian State in London. Marina, his widow, battled for justice s...
1: Michael Heseltine: From Thatcher to Sunak
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first ever episode of ‘Leading’, Alastair and Rory are joined by former Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine. One of the biggest names ...
Trailer
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell, hosts of Britain's biggest podcast (The Rest Is Politics), have joined forces once again for their new interview p...