The Rest Is Politics

Latest Episodes:

584. Why Is Trump Losing Voters and Will Texas Turn Blue? Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

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.

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Social Producer: Bex Tyrrell

Video Editor: Oli Ortega, Tom McCagherty

Assistant Producer: Jake Preston, Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames, Nicole Maslen

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583. Is Burnham’s Budget Too Safe and How Brazil Defied Trump Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

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 all these questions and more.

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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Michael Lewis by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles, Bex Tyrrell

Video Editor: James Clayden, Caroline Kaye, Charlie Rodwell

Assistant Producer: Jake Preston, Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames, Nicole Maslen

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Kim Leadbeater, MP: My Sister's Murder and Why I Never Wanted To Go Into Politics Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

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

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Producer: India Dunkley

Video Editor: Caroline Kay

Social Producer: Celine Charles

Executive Producer: Bella Soames

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582. Netanyahu’s Fight for Survival and the Gaza Film That Shocked Rory and Alastair Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

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 these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.

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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Mary Trump by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Video Editor: James Clayden, Josh Smith

Assistant Producer: Evie Townend, Daisy Alston-Horne, Jake Preston

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames

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581. Trump and Putin vs. Zelensky: Is Europe Sleepwalking into Disaster? Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

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?

Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.

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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Mary Trump by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

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The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Caroline Kaye, Tom McCagherty, James Clayden, Bruno Di Castri

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne, Evie Townend, Jake Preston

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames

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Addiction, Breakdown and Finding Persevilience: Rory Interviews Alastair Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

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: India Dunkley

Video Editor: Louis Mealing

Social Producer: Emma Jackson

Executive Producer: Bella Soames

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580. How to Solve Britain’s Youth Unemployment Crisis Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

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 Question Time.

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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Andy Burnham by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Emma Jackson, Bex Tyrrell

Video Editor: Bruno Di Castri, Lorcan Moullier

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne, Evie Townend

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames

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579. Trump’s Public Execution Order and Burnham’s Brexit Intervention Oct 13, 2026

Show notes

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 Burnham by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Emma Jackson, Bex Tyrrell

Video Editor: Caroline Kaye, Adam Thornton

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne, Evie Townend

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames

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578. Alastair and Michael Gove Disagree Agreeably on Brexit and Israel Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

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 Alastair’s interview with Shabana Mahmood by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Adam Thornton, Louis Mealing

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames

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577. Is Badenoch Finally Stopping Farage and Why Are French Schools on Fire? Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

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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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Shabana Mahmood by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.

Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.

The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.

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Instagram: @restispolitics

Twitter: @restispolitics

Email: therestispolitics@goalhanger.com

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Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: James Clayden, Oli Ortega, Caroline Kaye

Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne

Producer: Evan Green

Exec Producer: Bella Soames

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices