The Rest Is Politics

7 Aug 2025

435. Question Time: The Migrant Return Plan, Colombia’s Drug Cartels, and Will Rory Join Corbyn’s New Party?

Can Starmer’s deal with Macron really fix the Channel crisis? Is Colombia’s fragile peace falling apart amid a booming drug trade? And, could AI replace mental health support lines? 

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

4 Aug 2025

146. The Rise and Fall of The Conservative Party: Jeremy Hunt (Part 1)

How did Jeremy Hunt lose the Conservative leadership race to Boris Johnson? What does the longest serving Health Minister think will fix the NHS? What does Jeremy Hunt really think of Kemi Badenoch’s leadership? 

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

Alastair Campbell’s diary: The corrupt state desperate for EU membership

Unfortunately for Edi Rama, Albania’s prime minister, the country's place in the EU will be secured not by optics, but by its democratic credentials and right now, those are being tested... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s diary: The country desperate for EU membership

Unfortunately for Edi Rama, Albania’s prime minister, the country's place in the EU will be secured not by optics, but by its democratic credentials and right now, those are being tested... Continue

135. Ed Miliband: Blair, Brown, and Battling his Brother (Part 1)

How did Ed Miliband’s childhood being raised by survivors of the Holocaust shape his politics? How did his role mediating between Blair and Brown earn Ed the moniker ‘Emissary from planet... Continue

407. Question Time: The U-turn Starmer Can’t Avoid

Just how extreme will Merz’s immigration curb get? Can the Labour Party still identify as centre-right? And should the men guilty of felling the Sycamore tree be sent to prison?  Join Ror... Continue

406. Biden, Springsteen, and Trump: Dancing in the Dark

What does Trump’s outburst against Bruce Springsteen and Joe Biden tell us about his psychology? Why has he lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa’s Syria, and why now? Has Portugal finally lost i... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s diary: Labour must reverse the winter fuel allowance cuts

Of all the things that the Labour government has done, this is the one that has done the most political damage... Continue

405. Starmer’s EU Deal: A New Era

Is Starmer's UK-EU deal a “win-win” reset of relations or a betrayal of Brexit red lines? Will this deal actually lower food and energy costs or boost growth? What does twelve years of Eu... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s diary: This UK-EU reset must be just the start

We will only properly fix the mess leaving the bloc created if we admit the scale of it... Continue