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The Rest Is Politics: Leading
Politics

The Rest Is Politics: Leading

Hosted by Goalhanger

About this Show

The Rest Is Politics’ Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart interview politicians, leaders, intellectuals, and more. 

From inside and outside of politics, guests join Rory and Alastair to discuss life, leadership, and the philosophy that’s led them to success in their chosen field. Their conversations cover key political events, global affairs, and the big ideas shaping the world today, offering listeners in-depth perspectives from those at the heart of change.

The Rest Is Politics Plus: Become a member for exclusive bonus content, early access to Question Time episodes to live show tickets, ad-free listening for both TRIP and Leading, our exclusive newsletter, discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, and our members’ chatroom on Discord. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up, or start a free trial today on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/therestispolitics.

For more Goalhanger Podcasts, head to www.goalhanger.com.

Latest Episodes

October 18, 2026

211. Trump's Niece on Why He's On Putin's Side

How did Donald Trump’s childhood shape the president we see today? Why was Mary Trump cut out of her grandfather’s billion-dollar will? Why does he want to see Europe fail? Alastair and Rory are joined by Mary Trump, Donald Trump’s niece and a clinical psychologist, to discuss all these question...

October 11, 2026

210. Rory and Alastair Interview Prime Minister Andy Burnham

With the Trump administration planning to livestream a firing squad execution, should the UK take a stand? How will Andy Burnham change Britain’s relationship with the EU? Why has he agreed to publish details of meetings following the Manchester City scandal? Alastair and Rory are joined...

October 4, 2026

209. Shabana Mahmood: Palestine Action, Faith, and What I Told Starmer

Should Palestine Action stay banned? Why can't Britain just send small boats straight back to France? Can faith and public duty coexist in modern British politics? Rory and Alastair are joined by the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to answer all this and more. Search IG.com to find out mo...

September 27, 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? CEO of Microsoft AI, and co-founder and former head of AI at DeepMind, Mustafa Suleyman, joins Ror...

September 20, 2026

207. Gordon Brown: How to Fix a Fracturing World

What did Gordon Brown learn from leading the UK through the global financial crisis? Why do so many citizens today not belong to any civic or religious group, and how does that impact our politics? How can middle powers come together to rival the strength of China and the USA? Former Prime Mi...

September 13, 2026

206. How Putin's War Changed Finland Forever (Sanna Marin)

Following Putin's war in Ukraine, how politically challenging was it committing Finland to join NATO? What was it like becoming the world's youngest sitting prime minister at 34? Why did a scandal over dancing at a private party become a national and international story? Rory and Alastair are ...

September 6, 2026

205. Anthony Scaramucci: Why America Keeps Making the Same Mistakes

Why does Anthony Scaramucci think Osama bin Laden is “winning”, and what has the War on Terror really cost America? From letting China into the WTO to bailing out the banks in 2008, how did America's own leaders pave the way for Donald Trump's electoral victories? As Trump's second term reaches i...

August 30, 2026

204. Will a Wealth Tax Actually Fix Britain? (Dan Neidle)

Why does tax expert Dan Neidle take Gabriel Zucman seriously as a thinker on inequality, but dismiss Gary Stevenson's warnings as populism? What did he uncover in Peter Mandelson's emails, and how did he expose Nadhim Zahawi's tax affairs? Can a wealth tax really raise the money Britain needs, or...

August 23, 2026

203. The Man Taking On Infantino: UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin

How did UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin lead the revolt that tore apart Gianni Infantino's plan to privatise the World Cup? Is Infantino finished as FIFA President after alienating the European federations who once put him there? What does Infantino's courtship of Donald Trump - from the FIFA "...

August 16, 2026

202. Is Peace in the Middle East Closer Than We Think? (A Palestinian & An Israeli's View)

How do an Israeli who lost his parents on October 7th and a Palestinian whose brother died after torture in Israeli prisons come together to reject revenge and build a brotherhood for peace? Why do they believe lasting peace between Israel and Palestine could be just "two to four weeks away"? Wha...

August 9, 2026

201. How Westminster Breaks Politicians and Why Britain Isn't Ready for War

Is Britain's military being left behind as drones and AI rewrite the rules of modern warfare? Is British politics broken beyond repair, and does Johnny Mercer's ruthless fight for veterans reveal what's really wrong with Westminster? Why did a man so obsessed with truth end up defending Boris Joh...

August 2, 2026

200. Count Binface: Nigel Farage's Biggest Threat?

Is Count Binface really Nigel Farage's biggest threat in Clacton, and has Farage already lost by turning "me against the establishment" into a battle against a bin? Does Binface's manifesto hide serious politics beneath the comedy? Could a joke candidate ever become a serious political force? ...

July 26, 2026

199. Is Trump's Chaos Pushing Iceland Towards the EU? (Prime Minister of Iceland, Kristrún Frostadóttir)

What are the real reasons Iceland has brought forward its vote on restarting accession talks with the EU? What lessons did the Prime Minister learn from watching Brexit unfold while living in the UK, and how have those experiences shaped her government's approach to Iceland's EU campaign? How did...

July 19, 2026

198. How Trump’s Imperial Presidency Really Works

How does the most chaotic White House in history actually make decisions? How did Netanyahu sell Trump on a regime change war in Iran? Who is the only world leader Trump is truly afraid of?  Alastair is joined by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, White House correspondents for the New York...

July 12, 2026

197. The Billionaire Tax Debate (Gabriel Zucman)

Can the super rich ever be fairly taxed, or are there too many functioning tax havens? Can capitalism survive the ever growing disparity between the top 1% and the rest? Should billionaires exist at all? Rory and Alastair are joined by economist Gabriel Zucman to answer all this and more. _...