The Rest is Politics

*The Rest is Politics*
The Rest is Politics
Presentation
Hosted by	Alastair Campbell; Rory Stewart
Genre	Talk
Format	Audio podcast;
Language	English
Length	30-50 minutes
Publication
Original release	2 March 2022

The Rest is Politics is a British podcast hosted by Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.[1][2] It launched in March 2022,[3] and has since been one of the leading political podcasts in the United Kingdom.[2] The podcast is produced by Goalhanger Podcasts.[3][4] Campbell and Stewart generally discuss contemporary news and politics.

Background

Both Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart are former political figures, and both have been expelled from their respective parties for their opposition to more extreme elements in them. Their podcast is aimed at "disagreeing agreeably", seeking a more temperate and informed political debate.[5]

Campbell is a journalist, political strategist, and mental health activist, known for his work as communications chief for Tony Blair. A former member of the Labour Party, Campbell was expelled after having voted for the Liberal Democrats in the 2019 European elections.[6]

Stewart is a diplomat, author, soldier, and politician. He served as Conservative international development secretary and prisons minister under Theresa May. He represented Penrith and The Border in the House of Commons for around nine years. In 2019, after Boris Johnson was elected leader of the Conservatives, Stewart resigned from the cabinet. Subsequently, having rebelled against Johnson's approach to Brexit, he was expelled from the parliamentary party. He later resigned his party membership as well.[7]

Goalhanger is owned by former England footballer Gary Lineker, and also produces the podcast The Rest is History, hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland.[8]

Format

The podcast ordinarily releases two episodes every week: a "main" episode and a "question time" episode. The main episodes last around 30 to 50 minutes, and involve Campbell and Stewart discussing contemporary events and news stories, mostly from the United Kingdom. During the question time episodes, they answer questions from listeners. The questions are not limited to topics formerly discussed on the podcast, and include news stories not discussed on the main episodes as well as the hosts' political careers.

On some occasions, the podcast releases "emergency" episodes, reacting to major news events, such as the resignations of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid[9] and the dismissal of Kwasi Kwarteng.[10]

Special guests

The podcast also hosts special guests, interviewing active and retired politicians on their careers and current events. The following public figures have been interviewed on the podcasts' special episodes:

No.	Guest(s)	Running time	Original air date	Link
1	Tony Blair	54:59	June 29, 2022 (2022-06-29)	link at Acast
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair discusses UK's international stature after Brexit, the future of the NHS, technology, Labour after Jeremy Corbyn's leadership, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
2	Keir Starmer	47:29	July 20, 2022 (2022-07-20)	link at Acast
Leader of the opposition and UK Labour leader Keir Starmer discusses his Labour leadership, his economic policy post-Brexit, Conservative party leadership election, electoral reform in the UK, and the UK constitution.
3	William Hague	50:53	August 3, 2022 (2022-08-03)	link at Acast
Former UK foreign secretary and Leader of the opposition William Hague discusses his tenures as leader of the opposition and as foreign secretary, Boris Johnson's resignation, House of Lords reform, Brexit, and retiring from politics.
4	Mark Drakeford	47:38	September 16, 2022 (2022-09-16)	link at Acast
Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford discusses Welsh Labour, Welsh and Scottish nationalism, devolution, and his proficiency in Latin.
5	Edi Rama	55:51	September 23, 2022 (2022-09-23)	link at Acast
Albanian prime minister Edi Rama discusses the European Union, Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel, English Channel migrant crossings and his career as an artist, sportsperson, and politician.
6	François Hollande	41:34	October 27, 2022 (2022-10-27)	link at Acast
Former French president François Hollande discusses Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, the importance of political parties, and the far right in France.
7	Julia Gillard	53:08	November 4, 2022 (2022-11-04)	link at Acast
Former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard discusses women in government, her Misogyny Speech, Australian political system, monarchy, and compulsory voting.
8	Helen Clark	01:00:17	December 2, 2022 (2022-12-02)	link at Acast
Former New Zealand prime minister and UNDP administrator Helen Clark discusses populism, her tenure as prime minister and UNDP administrator, and New Zealand's monarchy.

The Rest is Politics: Leading

In January 2023, Goalhanger began a new podcast series, "The Rest is Politics: Leading", for Campbell and Stewart to interview their special guests and to invite non-political figures as guests:

No.	Guest(s)	Running time	Original air date	Link
1	Michael Heseltine	48:33	January 16, 2023 (2023-01-16)	link at Apple Podcasts
Former UK deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine discusses premierships of Margaret Thatcher and Rishi Sunak, Brexit, and UK miners' strike of 1984–85.
2	Marina Litvinenko	48:27	January 23, 2023 (2023-01-23)	link at Apple Podcasts
Widow of murdered British-naturalised Russian defector and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko discusses her husband's poisoning and death, Vladimir Putin, and the invasion of Ukraine.
3	Alan Milburn	55:16	January 30, 2023 (2023-01-30)	link at Apple Podcasts
Former UK health secretary Milburn discusses NHS crisis and nurses' strikes, his tenure in Tony Blair's government, New Labour, and his upbringing.
4	Michel Barnier	41:25	February 6, 2023 (2023-02-06)	link at Apple Podcasts
EU Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier discusses Brexit and his career in French politics.
5	Michael Johnson	41:43	February 13, 2023 (2023-02-13)	link at Apple Podcasts
American sprinter and Olympic Games medalist Michael Johnson discusses future of athletics, taking the knee, and doping in sport.
6	David Lammy	56:35	February 20, 2023 (2023-02-20)	link at Apple Podcasts
UK shadow foreign secretary David Lammy discusses Brexit, international development, and his upbringing.
7	Fiona Hill	55:40	February 27, 2023 (2023-02-27)	link at Apple Podcasts
British-American foreign affairs specialist Fiona Hill discusses her upbringing in Bishop Auckland, the Ukraine conflict, and her work in the Trump Administration.
8	Bertie Ahern	52:18	March 6, 2023 (2023-03-06)	link at Apple Podcasts
Former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern discusses his father's involvement in the anti-Treaty IRA, his own contribution to the Good Friday Agreement, and Northern Ireland peace process.
9	Bernie Sanders	40:11	March 13, 2023 (2023-03-13)	link at Apple Podcasts
US Senator Bernie Sanders discusses his presidential run and American healthcare reform.
10	Rahima Mahmut	51:13	March 20, 2023 (2023-03-20)	link at Apple Podcasts
Uyghur artist and human rights activist Rahima Mahmut discusses the Uyghur genocide and the Xinjiang conflict.
11	Gary Lineker	56:23	March 27, 2023 (2023-03-27)	link at Apple Podcasts
English footballer and sports broadcaster Gary Lineker discusses his career and 2023 suspension from Match of the Day.
12	David Baddiel	51:59	April 3, 2023 (2023-04-03)	link at Apple Podcasts
English comedian, presenter, and author David Baddiel discusses his maternal family's entry into Britain as refugees during the Holocaust, antisemitism in the UK, his polemic Jews Don't Count, and his co-written song Three Lions.
13	Brian Cox	38:14	April 10, 2023 (2023-04-10)	link at Apple Podcasts
Scottish actor Brian Cox discusses Succession, SNP, and Scottish independence.
14	David Miliband	56:20	April 17, 2023 (2023-04-17)	link at Apple Podcasts
Former UK foreign secretary and President of the International Rescue Committee David Miliband discusses New Labour and his work for the IRC providing humanitarian aid.
15	Hillary Clinton	41:10	April 24, 2023 (2023-04-24)	link at Apple Podcasts
Former US secretary of state, senator, and first lady Hilary Clinton discusses Operation Neptune Spear, her loss in the 2016 US presidential election, and her tenure as secretary of state.
16	Tony Blair	40:21	May 1, 2023 (2023-05-01)	link at Apple Podcasts
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair discusses the Northern Ireland peace process and Good Friday Agreement.
17	Gerry Adams	42:07	May 8, 2023 (2023-05-08)	link at Apple Podcasts
Irish republican politician Gerry Adams discusses The Troubles.

References

Sturges, Fiona (28 March 2022). "Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell's odd-couple podcast". www.ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
Marriot, James (21 December 2022). "The 25 best podcasts of 2022: from The Rest is Politics to The News Agents". www.thetimes.co.uk. The Times. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
Sawyer, Miranda (6 March 2022). "The week in audio: Paperless; Weekend; Ukrainecast; The Rest Is History – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
Turvill, William (8 December 2022). "The News Agents podcast hits 10 million downloads". pressgazette.co.uk. Press Gazette. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
Duggins, Alexi; Verdier, Hannah; Richardson, Hollie; Lindlar, Charlie (29 December 2022). "Best podcasts of the week: The rise and fall of the Silicon Valley brand that made antidepressants 'cool'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
"Labour expels Alastair Campbell from party". The Guardian. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
Bloom, Dan (4 September 2019). "Tory Rory Stewart sacked by text while he accepted politician of the year award". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
White, Peter (17 June 2022). "Gary Lineker's Goalhanger To Expand Podcast Output After Signing With WME". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (5 July 2022). "SPECIAL:SUNAK AND JAVID RESIGN". Acast (Podcast). Goalhanger Podcasts. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (14 October 2022). "TRUSS DOWN, KWARTENG OUT". Acast (Podcast). Goalhanger Podcasts. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

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[1] Sturges, Fiona (28 March 2022). "Rory Stewart and Alastair Campbell's odd-couple podcast". www.ft.com. Financial Times. Retrieved 27 December 2022.

[times25-2] Marriot, James (21 December 2022). "The 25 best podcasts of 2022: from The Rest is Politics to The News Agents". www.thetimes.co.uk. The Times. Retrieved 27 December 2022.

[GuardianSawyer-3] Sawyer, Miranda (6 March 2022). "The week in audio: Paperless; Weekend; Ukrainecast; The Rest Is History – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2022.

[4] Turvill, William (8 December 2022). "The News Agents podcast hits 10 million downloads". pressgazette.co.uk. Press Gazette. Retrieved 27 December 2022.

[5] Duggins, Alexi; Verdier, Hannah; Richardson, Hollie; Lindlar, Charlie (29 December 2022). "Best podcasts of the week: The rise and fall of the Silicon Valley brand that made antidepressants 'cool'". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

[6] "Labour expels Alastair Campbell from party". The Guardian. 28 May 2019. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

[7] Bloom, Dan (4 September 2019). "Tory Rory Stewart sacked by text while he accepted politician of the year award". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

[8] White, Peter (17 June 2022). "Gary Lineker's Goalhanger To Expand Podcast Output After Signing With WME". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

[9] Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (5 July 2022). "SPECIAL:SUNAK AND JAVID RESIGN". Acast (Podcast). Goalhanger Podcasts. Retrieved 21 January 2023.

[10] Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart (14 October 2022). "TRUSS DOWN, KWARTENG OUT". Acast (Podcast). Goalhanger Podcasts. Retrieved 21 January 2023.