Podcast Episodes

The brutal truth about net zero and how to vanquish climate populists, with Dieter Helm

Episode 69

Is net zero 2030 impossible to achieve - and is it a mistake to pursue it? Should governments be more brutal with climate investment? Are events like COP a waste of time?

Rory and Alastair are joined …

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Israel-Gaza: How the conflict divided Britain and the US, with Ed Kessler

Episode 68

What makes international conflicts turn domestic? Does Qatar play the key role in bringing peace to the Middle East? Is there a generational split in the West over Israel-Gaza?

On today's episode of L…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

A Tale of Two Spies: The former heads of MI5 and MI6 on the Iraq War, double agents, and the IRA

Episode 67

Should spies be allowed to break the law while undercover? What should the relationship between government and intelligence look like? Do we overestimate or underestimate the power and reach of Russi…

Published on 1 year, 8 months ago

Antony Gormley: Art, religion, and the battle for culture

Episode 66

Can Britain remain a cultural superpower post-Brexit? How does religion and philosophy inform creativity? How can we prevent arts from being cut from curriculums?

Rory and Alastair are joined by Brit…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Albin Kurti, Prime Minister of Kosovo: Vladimir Putin, surviving prison, and Serbia

Episode 65

How did peace come to the Balkans? What was it like to be a political prisoner? Is Serbia more allied with the West, or with Putin?

Rory and Alastair are joined by the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin …

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Caroline Lucas: Leading the Green Party, leaving politics, and the importance of protest

Episode 64

How hard is it to be a one person party in parliament? What can the left learn from the populist right? Could electoral reform actually help Keir Starmer?

On today's episode of Leading, Rory and Alast…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Sajid Javid: Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Shamima Begum (Part 2)

Episode 63

What is Sajid's biggest regret from his time in politics? What barriers did he come up against in the Shamima Begum case during his time as Home Secretary? Will the NHS survive?

Rory and Alastair are …

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

Sajid Javid: Austerity, the Tory leadership contest, and the problem with 'islamophobia' (Part 1)

Episode 62

How are politicians working to combat anti-muslim and antisemitic racism in the UK? How does Sajid maintain friendships across party lines? Was austerity the only option for the Conservatives followi…

Published on 1 year, 9 months ago

James Rubin: Working for Biden, American intervention, and the fight against Russian disinformation

Episode 61

“You took me to one side and said be very, very careful of these people, these neo-cons. Because they’re going to use this to do all sorts of stuff that you shouldn’t be involved in.”

What are the lim…

Published on 1 year, 10 months ago

Anthony Scaramucci: What it's like to be Donald Trump's Communications Director

Episode 60

Would a second Trump presidency be far more right wing? What drives the former US president? Is he trying to do a deal with Taylor Swift?

In this week's episode of Leading, Rory and Alastair are joine…

Published on 1 year, 10 months ago