Has Rishi Sunak pulled off the biggest victory of his premiership? How does China view the Russian invasion of Ukraine? And what does Alastair make of Keir Starmer’s big policy 'missions'? TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What should we make of the Qatari bid to buy Manchester United? Why is Modi's government raiding the BBC offices in India? And why did Rory's appearance at the Bilderberg Meeting lead to claims he was part of a global lizard conspiracy? TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who will be Nicola Sturgeon's successor as First Minister of Scotland? What does the future hold for Russia's relationship with the West? Is Boris Johnson staging a comeback? Alastair and Rory look at these topics, plus the role of biodiversity in ecological policy, the Northern Ireland protocol, China's role in bringing peace to Ukraine, and how relevant a politician's religious views are to their campaign. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Will Rory ever return to politics? How do MPs serve effectively from remote areas? Should Russia be allowed to compete in the Paris Olympics? Alastair and Rory cover these topics, plus the role of Cabinet Secretaries, Biden's State of the Union Address, and what it means to be a 'recovering politician'. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why are ardent remainers and high profile eurosceptics meeting in secret to discuss our relationship with Europe? How has the earthquake in Turkey affected President Erdoğan politically? And why do MPs and members of the public have contrasting views on the death penalty? TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the actual role of a diplomat? Would Brexit have had a different result if Labour was under Ed Miliband's leadership? How will artificial intelligence change our society? Rory and Alastair answer these questions and more in this week's Question Time episode. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Leading: Have you heard this week's episode of Leading, where Alastair and Rory speak to Michel Barnier? Tune in below to hear them discuss the real story behind Brexit: The New European: www.theneweuropean.co.uk/leading Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are Johnson and Truss on manoeuvres against Sunak? Has the Chinese spy balloon pushed US relations with Beijing to a dangerous place? And what's Rory been arguing about with Sandi Toksvig? TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, benefit from discount book prices on titles mentioned on the pod, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are academics generally left-leaning? Should the theatrical nature of PMQs be reformed? What makes an MP 'talented'? Listen to hear these questions answered, plus positive stories about politicians, cultural recommendations, what makes an MP 'talented', and the relevance of vocational education. Leading: Have you heard this week's episode of Leading, where Alastair and Rory speak to one of Rory's political heroes, New Labour politician Alan Milburn, on how to save the NHS. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After 100 days as PM, is Rishi Sunak’s power already waning? What happens behind the scenes of a high-profile resignation? Has the US pivoted away from its central involvement in the Israel-Palestine conflict? Alastair and Rory cover all the latest political news from both the UK and abroad in today's episode of The Rest Is Politics. Leading: This week on Leading, Rory and Alastair were joined by the former Labour Health Secretary Alan Milburn to answer a big question... How can we save the NHS? TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, receive a weekly newsletter, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What do Rory, Mark Zuckerberg and Saif Gaddafi all have in common? Will we see a Labour revival in Scotland? Why haven't the CPS followed up over lockdown parties in Downing Street?  Rory and Alastair answer these questions and discuss the role social media played in Jacinda Ardern's resignation, the current situation in Haiti, and cultural recommendations for the week. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, join the TRIP Plus Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who gave Boris Johnson an £800k loan when he was PM? Is Nadhim Zahawi's political career over? Why is Russia on a charm offensive in Africa? Alastair and Rory cover all the latest political news from both the UK and abroad in today's episode of The Rest Is Politics. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening to both TRIP and Leading, join our Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could Boris Johnson lose the Tory whip? Why are we paying so much for gas if wholesale prices are back to normal? Why did Joe Biden remove classified documents from the White House? Rory and Alastair answer these questions, along with systemic problems within the Metropolitan Police, misogyny in schools, the future of Labour, and Suella Braverman's latest controversy. Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Rory and Alastair as they discuss anti-strike legislation, the right to protest, the battle between the Scottish and UK government over gender recognition reform, the plight of women in Afghanistan, and more. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, join the TRIP Plus Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rory and Alastair are launching a new podcast - 'Leading'!    Every Monday, Alastair and Rory are going to speak to people who are leading in their field. Whether they be presidents, policy makers, sports stars or religious leaders - Leading is going to be hosting the biggest names from many different walks of life. Today's guest is former Deputy Prime Minister, Michael Heseltine. One of the biggest names in the last half-century of British politics, Lord Heseltine discusses everything from his crucial role in the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher, to his current position in the House of Lords.  Tune in to hear a preview from the pod... Things get a little heated with a few polite disagreements later on, so if you want to hear the full interview, just search ‘LEADING’ wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to hear new episodes every Monday - or simply click on one of the links below: Apple - apple.co/3CRLx2l Spotify - spoti.fi/3IQBwGn RSS feed - bit.ly/3XzOFrQ Thanks for listening, and see you over on the Leading feed. We’ll be back here on The Rest Is Politics this Wednesday for our regular podcast. If you have any problems, head over to our Twitter and Instagram pages to find the link to listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

**RORY AND ALASTAIR'S NEW PODCAST... The Rest Is Politics: Leading** Rory and Alastair are launching a new podcast - 'Leading'! Starting on Monday 16th January, a weekly episode will be released where they speak to captivating individuals - from both inside and outside of politics - about life, leadership, and leading the way in their chosen field. As you'll hear in the excerpt at the end of this Question Time pod, Michael Heseltine is the first guest, with his episode coming out this Monday, 16th January. To find this episode and subscribe to our new podcast feed, on Monday morning just search 'Leading' and 'Michael Heseltine' wherever you get your podcasts, or head over to our Twitter and Instagram pages to find the link to listen. Question Time: Is it practical to ban private schools? Should it be compulsory for students to be taught Maths until the age of 18? Is it true that Brad Pitt bought Rory's life rights? Listen to this week's Question Time to hear these questions answered, plus questions on Sunak, Starmer, Iran and NHS working conditions. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, join the TRIP Plus Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Rory and Alastair as they record in person from Soho, discussing the fallout from Prince Harry's new book, the failed coup against Lula in Brazil, how the NHS could look to the Netherlands for reform, ghost writers, the Czech Republic, Myanmar, and much, much more. Show notes: Amanda Marcotte - The Conversation - 'Call it the Conspiracy Theory Congress: Things are about to get dangerously weird on Capitol Hill' TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, join the TRIP Plus Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. The New European: www.theneweuropean.co.uk/TRIP Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Rory and Alastair this week as they discuss what Alastair has described as ‘one of the best pieces of communication he has ever seen’, the definition of populism, and their controversial predictions for the year ahead. Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, join the TRIP Plus Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Callum Hill Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In our first podcast of 2023, Rory and Alastair discuss the NHS in crisis and how government investment needs to be coupled with structural reform. There's also a look back at Alastair's diaries during the transfer of power from Tony Blair to Gordon Brown, and an analysis of newly-released documents from the National Archives. Show notes: Ian Kennedy, 'The NHS Dream is Dying', The New European, 08.12.22 John Burn-Murdoch, Data Scientist Johann Hari, Chasing the Scream Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, join the TRIP Plus Discord chatroom, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Alastair and Rory for a bonus episode as they discuss their political predictions for 2023! Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rory and Alastair are here to discuss the highs and lows of a wild year in politics... Who was their most outstanding politician? What was the most surprising moment of the year? Who was the biggest villain of 2022? Listen to hear Rory and Alastair answer these questions and many more, with the help of a surprise guest who provides some guidance in this special political awards show. TRIP Plus: Become a member of The Rest Is Politics Plus to support the podcast, enjoy ad-free listening, and receive early access to live show tickets and Question Time episodes. Just head to therestispolitics.com to sign up. Instagram: @restispolitics Twitter: @RestIsPolitics Email: [email protected] Producers: Dom Johnson + Nicole Maslen Exec Producers: Tony Pastor + Jack Davenport Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices