The Rest Is Politics

21 Aug 2025

440. Question Time: How To Start A Centrist Party

Why do the Lib Dems still fly under the radar? Is Trump quietly setting the stage for an authoritarian takeover? And, why does Alastair swear so much?

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.

Leading

18 Aug 2025

149. Nicola Sturgeon: On Margaret Thatcher, Alex Salmond, and the Push for Independence (Part 1)

What is the difference between class distinctions in Scotland and the rest of the UK? How did Nicola Sturgeon's childhood in Scotland inform her politics? What was Margaret Thatcher's influence on Nicola's career?

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.

Latest

156. Labour on the defensive, Machismo in Spain, and Israel on a knife-edge

What is the existential threat to democracy that's unfolding in Israel? Why is Labour on the policy defensive after defeat in Uxbridge? Is Spain now the most polarised country in Europe? Joi... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s Diary: Vote tactically to get rid of the Tories

Only Keir Starmer or Rishi Sunak can be PM after the next election. If you want to see the back of the Conservatives you need to vote Labour... Continue

28: Paul Nurse: The power of genetics, battling politicians, and the fight against cancer

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 have a proper plan to harness the power of... Continue

155. Sunak slides to defeat in Selby and Somerton

How happy should Labour be with Thursday's by-election results? Can Sunak take some solace from holding on in Uxbridge? Will these constituencies be Labour, Tory, and Lib Dem holds at the nex... Continue

154. Question Time: Ben Wallace, intellectual PMs, and the fight for the Israeli flag

Will Rory run for London Mayor next year? What will Ben Wallace's political legacy look like? Why are left and right fighting over the Israeli flag?Join Rory and Alastair as they answer the T... Continue

153. How radical would Labour be in power?

Would Keir Starmer be radical or conservative as prime minister? Is enough being done to combat the current heatwave affecting much of the world? What should we make of Kemi Badenoch's new tr... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s Diary: The Tories’ silence on the climate crisis says it all

Across Europe, only Turkey has a higher respiratory death rate than the UK, but the government doesn’t appear to care... Continue

152. The Power of Prigozhin

From a Siberian penal colony to the gold mines of the Central African Republic, who is Yevgeny Prigozhin and how did he become one of the most famous men in Russia today?Following Wagner's ... Continue