The Rest Is Politics

1 Oct 2026

576. 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 actors into a wider conflict spanning the Horn of Africa and the Gulf?

Two men who’ve been at the heart of the political world – former Downing Street Director of Communications and Strategy Alastair Campbell and cabinet minister Rory Stewart – join forces from across the political divide.

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Leading

28 Sep 2026

208. Mustafa Suleyman: Is AI Actually Conscious?

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?

Every Monday, Rory and Alastair interrogate, converse with, and interview some of the world’s biggest names – from both inside and outside of politics – about life, leadership, or leading the way in their chosen field.

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Latest

397. Pope Francis, the Trans Debate, and Trump’s International Populist Network

What does the UK's Supreme Court ruling mean for trans rights, single-sex spaces, and the debate Labour hoped to avoid? Is Trump 2.0 helping or hindering rightwing populists around the world?... Continue
The Rest Is Politics

397. Pope Francis, the Supreme Court Gender Ruling, and Trump’s International Populist Network

What does the UK's Supreme Court ruling mean for trans rights, single-sex spaces, and the debate Labour hoped to avoid? Is Trump 2.0 helping or hindering rightwing populists around the world?... Continue
The Rest Is Politics

130. The Prime Minister of Australia: Trump, China, and Social Media (Anthony Albanese)

What is the impact of Trump and China on the Australian election on 3rd May? How has the Australian government taken on social media companies to protect young users? How did Prime Minister A... Continue
Leading

Alastair Campbell’s diary: Why Mark Carney is one of the luckiest politicians alive

It could well be that just days apart Burnley get promoted back to the Premier League and Carney, the first Canadian prime minister ever to have visited Turf Moor, wins the election... Continue
The New European

396. Question Time: It’s over for Kemi Badenoch

Why is politics still so elitist? What story is Kemi Badenoch trying to sell? And, how can Dutton escape Trump comparisons? Join Alastair and Rory as they answer all of these questions and mo... Continue
The Rest Is Politics

395. Trump, Xi, and how China outsmarted America

Does Trump want to turn America into China? How come politicians - including those on the right - want to nationalise steel in the UK? Are we witnessing a seismic change in German politics?Th... Continue
The Rest Is Politics

394. How We Trolled the Trolls: Putin, Trump, and Musk (with Anthony Scaramucci)

Has Elon Musk paid for fans to defend him on social media? What percentage of Twitter responses to Rory Stewart, Alastair Campbell, and Anthony Scaramucci are fake bots? How can information o... Continue
The Rest Is Politics

129. Trump’s America: Fear, Polarisation, and The Future (Ezra Klein)

How does a society defined by liberty and revolution become so easy to censor? Is polarisation something that has been done to us as an active political strategy or did we do this to ourselve... Continue
Leading