165. Anna Wintour: Culture, Influence, and the Power of Decisive Leadership

  • Podcast

  • 8 December 2025

  • Posted by Alastair Campbell

  • 0

Why should everybody get fired at least once? As the former Editor-in-chief of American Vogue, how does Anna Wintour use fashion as a cultural and economic force? Why is Anna’s leadership style defined by the speed of her decision making? 


Rory and Alastair are joined by Fashion icon Anna Wintour to answer all this and more.  


Gift The Rest Is Politics Plus this Christmas - give someone a whole year of Rory and Alastair’s miniseries, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, an exclusive members’ newsletter, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord. Just go to https://therestispolitics.supportingcast.fm/gifts


And of course, you can still join for yourself any time at ⁠therestispolitics.com


For Leading listeners, there’s free access to the Wordsmith Academy - plus their report on the future of legal skills. Visit https://www.wordsmith.ai/politics


To save your company time and money, open a Revolut Business account today via https://get.revolut.com/z4lF/leading, and add money to your account by 31st of December 2025 to get a £200 welcome bonus or equivalent in your local currency. Feature availability varies by plan. This offer’s available for New Business customers in the UK, US, Australia and Ireland. Fees and Terms & Conditions apply.


For US customers, Revolut is not a bank. Banking services and card issuance are provided by Lead Bank, Member FDIC. Visa® and Mastercard® cards issued under license. Funds are FDIC insured up to $250,000 through Lead Bank, in the event Lead Bank fails. Fees may apply. See full terms in description. For Irish customers, Revolut Bank UAB is authorised and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania in the Republic of Lithuania and by the European Central Bank and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. For AU customers, consider PDS & TMD at revolut.com/en-AU. Revolut Payments Australia Pty Ltd (AFSL 517589).


Social Producer: Celine Charles

Video Editor: Adam Thornton

Producer: Alice Horrell

Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen

Head of Politics: Tom Whiter

Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

189. Rahm Emanuel: China, Technology, and the Future of the Democratic Party

Will Rahm Emanuel run to be the next President of the United States? What were the underlying policy disagreements regarding West Bank settlements that led to Benjamin Netanyahu publicly attacking Rah... Continue

18 May 2026

533. Andy Burnham’s Big Gamble: Can He Beat Reform?

What is Alastair’s plea to Labour politicians, after this week’s turmoil? After Wes Streeting’s resignation from the cabinet, will he still run against the ‘King of the North’, Andy Burnham,... Continue

15 May 2026

532. The Trump-Xi Showdown and Putin’s Conscription Con

As Trump becomes the first American president to visit China in nearly a decade, will the summit bring any positive developments, or will it further deepen global disorder? Will Trump sacrifice Taiwan... Continue

13 May 2026

531. Starmer on the Brink: What Next?

As Starmer’s cabinet begin turning against him, how long can he cling on to power? By challenging Starmer without a clear plan for what comes next, are Labour MPs unleashing a chaos they cannot cont... Continue

12 May 2026

Enraged or Engaged? Angela Rayner on The Gen Z Story

Former Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner joins Alastair Campbell and Vicky Spratt to discuss the Gen Z story as she sees it. Listen to hear her thoughts on the success of The Green Party, the allur... Continue

12 May 2026

Alastair Campbell’s diary: It’s too soon for a leadership challenge to Starmer

The PM must show fight and passion - and his critics must consider what they really want... Continue

11 May 2026

188. Will AI Give China or the US Total Power? (William MacAskill)

Could artificial intelligence hand the US or China 99% of global economic and military power? What happens when millions of autonomous weapons systems are controlled by a single commander-in-chief? Ha... Continue

11 May 2026

Alastair Campbell’s diary: Farage wants to dodge the blame for Brexit. We can’t let him

Labour are letting Reform’s leader get away with it - the upcoming 10th anniversary is time to change that... Continue

10 May 2026