The Rest Is Politics: Leading

Latest Episodes:

210. Andy Burnham: My Relationship With Starmer, Brexit Lies and Emotion in Politics Oct 11, 2026

Show notes

How will he change Britain’s relationship with the EU? Why has he agreed to publish details of meetings following the Manchester City scandal? With the Trump administration planning to livestream a firing squad execution, should the UK take a stand?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Andy Burnham, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to answer all these questions and more.

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To listen to our series Becoming Burnham, with Alastair Campbell and Burnham’s closest confidant, friend and former colleague Steve Rotheram – the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region — go to therestispolitics.com

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Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Kieron Leslie, Charlie Rodwell

Videographer: Harry Swan, Charlie Rodwell, Tom McCagherty

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Executive Producer: Isabella Soames

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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209. Shabana Mahmood: Palestine Action, Faith, and What I Told Starmer Oct 04, 2026

Show notes

Should Palestine Action stay banned? Why can't Britain just send small boats straight back to France? Can faith and public duty coexist in modern British politics?

Rory and Alastair are joined by the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to answer all this and more.

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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to goalhanger.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Kieron Leslie

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Head of Politics: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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208. Mustafa Suleyman: Is AI Actually Conscious? Sep 27, 2026

Show notes

Can Artificial Intelligence stay subordinate? Is Anthropic’s 100-Page constitution creating dangerous AI autonomy? Should AI models be granted legal personhood, rights, or financial compensation?

CEO of Microsoft AI, and co-founder and former head of AI at DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman, joins Rory Stewart to discuss all this and more.

If you'd like to listen to more of Mustafa Suleyman and his backstory, click here to find our previous interview with him from 2023.

Search IG.com to find out more and/or Look for IG in your app store.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to goalhanger.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Teo Ayodeji-Ansell

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Head of Politics: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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207. Gordon Brown: How to Fix a Fracturing World Sep 20, 2026

Show notes

What did Gordon Brown learn from leading the UK through the global financial crisis? Why do so many citizens today not belong to any civic or religious group, and how does that impact our politics? How can middle powers come together to rival the strength of China and the USA?

Former Prime Minister of the UK, Gordon Brown, joins Rory and Alastair to discuss all this and more.

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For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to goalhanger.com

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Vasco Andrade

Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Head of Politics: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor, Jack Davenport

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206. How Putin's War Changed Finland Forever (Sanna Marin) Sep 13, 2026

Show notes

Following Putin's war in Ukraine, how politically challenging was it committing Finland to join NATO? What was it like becoming the world's youngest sitting prime minister at 34? Why did a scandal over dancing at a private party become a national and international story?

Rory and Alastair are joined by former Prime Minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, to discuss all this and more.

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Instagram: ⁠@restispolitics⁠

Twitter: ⁠@restispolitics⁠

Email: ⁠therestispolitics@goalhanger.com⁠

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Lead Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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205. Anthony Scaramucci: Why America Keeps Making the Same Mistakes Sep 06, 2026

Show notes

Why does Anthony Scaramucci think Osama bin Laden is “winning”, and what has the War on Terror really cost America? From letting China into the WTO to bailing out the banks in 2008, how did America's own leaders pave the way for Donald Trump's electoral victories? As Trump's second term reaches its halfway point, is America about to bankrupt itself?

Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart are joined by Anthony Scaramucci, Trump’s former Communications Director and co-host of The Rest is Politics: US, to answer all these questions and more.

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Search IG.com to find out more and/or Look for IG in your app store.

__________

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Celine Charles

Head Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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204. Will a Wealth Tax Actually Fix Britain? (Dan Neidle) Aug 30, 2026

Show notes

Why does tax expert Dan Neidle take Gabriel Zucman seriously as a thinker on inequality, but dismiss Gary Stevenson's warnings as populism? What did he uncover in Peter Mandelson's emails, and how did he expose Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs? Can a wealth tax really raise the money Britain needs, or is it a seductive slogan that promises far more than it can deliver?

Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart are joined by tax expert Dan Neidle to answer all these questions and more.

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__________

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Caroline Kaye

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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203. The Man Taking On Infantino: UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

How did UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin lead the revolt that tore apart Gianni Infantino's plan to privatise the World Cup? Is Infantino finished as FIFA President after alienating the European federations who once put him there? What does Infantino's courtship of Donald Trump - from the FIFA "Peace Prize" to the World Cup red card scandal - reveal about the collision of football and politics?

Alastair Campbell is joined by UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin, to answer all these questions and more.

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Search IG.com to find out more and/or Look for IG in your app store.

__________

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith, Vasco Andrade, Lorcan Moullier, Caroline Kaye, Bruno Di Castri

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Executive Producer: Bella Soames

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202. Is Peace in the Middle East Closer Than We Think? (A Palestinian & An Israeli's View) Aug 16, 2026

Show notes

How do an Israeli who lost his parents on October 7th and a Palestinian whose brother died after torture in Israeli prisons come together to reject revenge and build a brotherhood for peace? Why do they believe lasting peace between Israel and Palestine could be just "two to four weeks away"? What can Britain do to help end a conflict it helped create?

Alastair and Rory are joined by peace activists Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah to answer all of these questions and more.

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Search IG.com to find out more and/or Look for IG in your app store.

__________

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith, Vasco Andrade

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter

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201. How Westminster Breaks Politicians and Why Britain Isn't Ready for War Aug 09, 2026

Show notes

Is Britain's military being left behind as drones and AI rewrite the rules of modern warfare? Is British politics broken beyond repair, and does Johnny Mercer's ruthless fight for veterans reveal what's really wrong with Westminster? Why did a man so obsessed with truth end up defending Boris Johnson?

Alastair and Rory are joined by Johnny Mercer, former Conservative MP, Cabinet Minister, and Veterans Minister, to answer all these questions and more.

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Search IG.com to find out more and/or Look for IG in your app store.

__________

Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

__________

Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

General Manager: Tom Whiter