- 21 minutes 22 secondsBecoming Burnham: Thatcher, Hillsborough, and the Anger that Shaped Him | Part 1
To hear the full episode and the series as it drops, sign up up at therestispolitics.com
Alastair is joined by Andy Burnham’s closest confidant, friend and former colleague, Steve Rotheram – the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region to discuss…
Who really is Andy Burnham, and how is he going to change Britain? How have events like Hillsborough, and Thatcher’s Northern neglect shaped him? And, how does he contend with his imposter syndrome, his ‘Catholic guilt complex’, and his restless desire to be liked?
Producer: India Dunkley
Researcher: Miranda Crawford
Video Editor: Josh Smith
Social Producer: Celine Charles
Executive Producer: Emily Kent Smith
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20 August 2026, 10:55 pm - 1 hour 1 minute564. Burnham’s Media Machine and West Bank Settler Impunity
Is Burnham’s Britain’s first ‘TikTok Prime Minister’ and what does that mean for accountability, old-fashioned journalism, and the Westminster lobby? Why are violent Israeli settlers able to act with impunity against Palestinians in the West Bank, and is Israel effectively annexing the territory? Should young people spend the last two weeks of their summer holidays thinking about the challenges facing the world?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
Get involved with Politika’s Policy Ideas for Positive Change HERE. The competition is open to all 16–18 year olds in the UK, and submissions close on 20th September 2026.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
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Becoming Burnham Trailer Editor: Dylan Bonham
Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Josh Smith
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Exec Producer: Bella Soames
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19 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 1 hour 9 minutes563. Britain’s Afghanistan Shame and the Jason Arday Tragedy
Five years after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover, why has not a single Western government marked the anniversary of a war that cost thousands of lives and trillions of dollars? Why has Russia's last liberal anti-war party been banned ahead of next month's Duma elections, and is it a sign of Putin's strength or his weakness? What does the media frenzy that engulfed Jason Arday before his death reveal about how quickly we strip vulnerable people of their humanity?
Join Rory, Alastair and Shoshana Stewart, as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Maoz Inon and Aziz Abu Sarah by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
Join The Rest Is Politics Plus. Start your free trial at therestispolitics.com to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair’s miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, exclusive newsletters, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord.
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Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Josh Smith, Vasco Andrade
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Executive Producer: Bella Soames
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18 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 52 minutes 57 secondsWill Climate Action Go Backwards Under Burnham?
Should Andy Burnham deliver a covid style national emergency briefing to inform the public about the climate emergency? How do we foster cross-party consensus on the climate emergency? And, can we balance the need to build data centres and protect the environment?
Join Alastair Campbell, Rory Stewart and Caroline Lucas as they discuss all of these questions and more.
To watch Caroline’s four part series on climate as a national security threat, sign up at therestispolitcs.com
Read the redacted Joint Intelligence Committee Report here
Find out more about the National Emergency Briefing here.
Producer: India Dunkley
Researcher: Evie Townend
Video Editor: Josh Smith, Vasco Andrade
Social Producer: Celine Charles
Executive Producer: Bella Soames
General Manager: Tom Whiter
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13 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 1 hour 6 minutes562. The Right’s War With Itself and Burnham’s Prisons Challenge
With Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe trading blows, is the British right tearing itself apart, and will Kemi Badenoch destroy the Conservative Party by chasing Reform and Restore voters rather than the centre ground? With prisons at breaking point and reoffending rates soaring, why aren’t governments honest about the real causes of the crisis, or the solutions? As the Rhine falls to record lows and Germany's economy takes the hit, is this the clearest sign yet that the climate crisis is now an economic one?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Johnny Mercer by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
Summer sale is HERE: get an annual membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, every bonus episode, and full access to our exclusive members' series. Sale ends August 31st, so grab it before summer's over.
The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.
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Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Lorcan Moullier, Bruno Di Castri
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Exec Producer: Bella Soames
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12 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 56 minutes 52 seconds561. How Trump’s Chaos Keeps Splintering the World Order
As a new military alliance between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan the first sign that America's allies no longer trust its guarantees? Why are politicians refusing to admit how fast America is burning through its Patriot missiles in Iran? With suspected Russian drones probing Europe, is the Kremlin about to test NATO like never before?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Johnny Mercer by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
Join The Rest Is Politics Plus. Start your free trial at therestispolitics.com to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair’s miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, exclusive newsletters, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord.
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Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Josh Smith, Caroline Kaye
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Exec Producer: Bella Soames
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11 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 21 minutes 2 secondsThe Truth About Climate Migration – It's More Complicated Than You Think
To hear the whole episode and catch up on the rest of the series, which includes a deep dive into food security, water scarcity and the suppressed national security report, sign up at therestispolitics.com
Are people really migrating because of changes in the climate? Who pays when a nation is destroyed by a crisis it didn't cause? And what does it cost, financially and emotionally, to leave home for good?
Join Caroline Lucas, Alex Randall and Aminath Shauna as they discuss all of these questions and more.
Read the redacted Joint Intelligence Committee Report here
Find out more about the National Emergency Briefing here.
Discover Climate Outreach's work here
Producer: India Dunkley
Video Editor: Gabriella Gibbs, Oli Ortega
Social Producer: Celine Charles
General Manager: Tom Whiter
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6 August 2026, 10:55 pm - 1 hour 51 seconds560. Trump's Hamas Disarmament 'Deal' and Europe's FIFA Boycott
As Trump's Board of Peace unveils a plan to disarm Hamas, will the group now give up its weapons and what would this mean for Gaza's future? Amid an escalation of violence on the West Bank and with settlements continuing to grow, why does the US President appear not to care? In the wake of the Gianni Infantino revelations, does the head of FIFA actually hate football?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Watch Rory and Alastair’s interview with Count Binface by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.For a chance for your thoughts on the climate to be discussed in our Q&A with Caroline Lucas, fill in our survey HERE.
We want to know what you think about the climate crisis! For a chance for your thoughts on the climate to be discussed in our Q&A with Caroline Lucas, fill in our survey HERE.
The TRIP+ summer sale is HERE. Get an annual membership for an extra 20% off with code SUMMER26. That's ad-free listening, every bonus episode, and full access to our exclusive members' series. Sale ends August 31st, so grab it before summer's over.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.
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Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Lorcan Moullier, Caroline Kaye
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen
Executive Producer: Emily Kent Smith
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5 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 1 hour 3 minutes559. Who Really Benefits from the Ceuta Migration Crisis?
Why did 50,000 people risk their lives in an attempt to cross the Morocco-Spain border? What do the pictures emerging from the enclave of Ceuta reveal about the bigger migration story? Why did right-wing figures across the world, from Donald Trump to Elon Musk and Giorgia Meloni, all weigh in?
Alastair and Rory are joined by immigration expert Gerald Knaus as they answer all these questions and more.
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Watch Rory and Alastair’s interview with Count Binface by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
We want to know what you think about the climate crisis! For a chance for your thoughts on the climate to be discussed in our Q&A with Caroline Lucas, fill in our survey HERE.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
Join The Rest Is Politics Plus. Start your free trial at therestispolitics.com to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair’s miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, exclusive newsletters, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord.
The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.
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Email: [email protected]
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Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Josh Smith, Bruno Di Castri
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Senior Producer: Nicole Maslen
Executive Producer: Emily Kent Smith
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
4 August 2026, 11:00 pm - 16 minutes 24 secondsData Centres vs. Drinking Water: What Matters To Us Most?
To hear the full episode, which includes an interview with global water expert, Sandra Postel, sign up at the therestispolitics.com
With the government quietly categorising data centres as ‘critical infrastructure’, could we ever be in a situation where data centre water supply is prioritised over the water that comes out of our taps? Why do we no have clear data that tells just how much water data centres use? And why are so many data centres being built in areas which are already water stressed?
Join Caroline Lucas and Ollie Hayes as they all of these questions and more.
Read the redacted Joint Intelligence Committee Report here
Find out more about the National Emergency Briefing here.
Find Sandra Postel's book here
Read Global Action Plan's AI Data Centre Water Report Here
Producer: India Dunkley
Video Editor: Kieron Leslie
Social Producer: Celine Charles
General Manager: Tom Whiter
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30 July 2026, 10:55 pm - 58 minutes 29 seconds558. The 'Cockroach' Uprising and Should We Stop Data Centres?
Is Modi's power finally cracking as the Cockroach Janta Party's mass protests force a minister to resign for the first time in over a decade? Does the new US-Saudi uranium deal risk triggering a fresh wave of nuclear proliferation across the Middle East and beyond? If AI data centres are the foundation of future defence and security, can Britain build them without wrecking its water supplies and climate targets?
Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more in this week's edition of Question Time.
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Enjoy Rory and Alastair’s interview with Kristrún Frostadóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland, by searching ‘Leading’ on Spotify, Apple, or YouTube.
Go deeper into the world of The Rest Is Politics by signing up for our free newsletter HERE, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis and weekend reads from Alastair and Rory.
Join The Rest Is Politics Plus. Start your free trial at therestispolitics.com to unlock exclusive bonus content – including Rory and Alastair’s miniseries – plus ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, exclusive newsletters, discounted book prices, and a private chatroom on Discord.
The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Stop overpaying for energy. Switch at fuseenergy.com/politics and get a free TRIP+ subscription.
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Social Producer: Celine Charles
Video Editor: Adam Thornton, Bruno Di Castri
Assistant Producer: Daisy Alston-Horne
Producer: Evan Green
Exec Producer: Chris Sawyer
General Manager: Tom Whiter
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