Podcast Episodes

Minette Batters: The Most Powerful Farmer in Britain

Episode 40

70% of British land is agricultural - yet we don't speak about farming much. What is the politics of the UK's farming industry? How has Brexit affected British produce and trade? And what is it like …

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Theresa May: Donald Trump, David Cameron, and ‘Brexit means Brexit’ (Part 2)

Episode 39

Why did Theresa May prefer Gordon Brown to Tony Blair as a Prime Minister? Does the former PM have any regrets over Brexit? How did things unfold behind the scenes after the Salisbury poisoning of a …

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Theresa May: Windrush, police, and the cult of personality (Part 1)

Episode 38

What is Theresa May’s biggest regret from her time as Home Secretary? Why was the Hillsborough disaster such an abuse of power? What’s it like to stay on as an MP after occupying the highest office i…

Published on 2 years, 2 months ago

Chris Hipkins, New Zealand PM: Working with Xi Jinping, fighting to stay in power, and zero covid's double-edged sword

Episode 37

What is it like going from cabinet minister to Prime Minister? Are politicians in New Zealand more courteous than politicians in the UK? Why was New Zealand's Covid-19 response so effective?

From the …

Published on 2 years, 3 months ago

Andy Burnham and Andy Street: A Tale of Two Cities

Episode 36

What is it like to run a metropolitan area? How does devolution impact the citizens of regional areas? Does party affiliation affect the decisions a mayor makes?

Andy Burnham, Labour Mayor of Greater …

Published on 2 years, 3 months ago

Cathy Ashton: Dealing with Putin and Lavrov, Kosovo–Serbia, and 'radical humility'

Episode 35

How do we retain empathy when negotiating with a stranger who has a radically different worldview to our own?

As the former High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Cathy Ashton worked wi…

Published on 2 years, 3 months ago

Ed Davey: Leading the Lib Dems, fighting the Tories, and a coalition with Starmer’s Labour?

Episode 34

What was it like for the Liberal Democrats in coalition? Would Ed Davey be prepared to work alongside Keir Starmer in another coalition government? Is tactical voting a good idea? Join Rory and Alast…

Published on 2 years, 3 months ago

Mustafa Suleyman: Will AI save or destroy humanity?

Episode 33

How much do you really know about the dangers of AI? Is it the best hope we have of surviving as a species, or will it lead to the destruction of humanity?

On today's episode of Leading Alastair and R…

Published on 2 years, 4 months ago

Miriam González Durántez: Navigating Silicon Valley, the Cameron-Clegg years, and the fight for gender equality

Episode 32

How can we empower young women to seek positions of power? What was it like having a ringside seat during the Cameron-Clegg government? Is there more inequality between the sexes in the UK, Spain, or…

Published on 2 years, 4 months ago

Yuval Noah Harari: The dangers of AI and the future of humanity (Part 2)

Episode 31

What makes homo sapiens unique from other living creatures? What will happen to society if artificial intelligence dictates culture? Why have conservative parties the world over “committed suicide”? …

Published on 2 years, 4 months ago