writer, podcaster,
communicator, strategist

Latest

408. Broken Britain: Farage’s Plot to Outflank Labour

Is Reform UK’s growing appeal a product of Farage’s populism, or Labour’s failure to articulate a gripping national story? What’s behind Trump’s South African ‘white genocide’ c... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s diary: The corrupt state desperate for EU membership

Unfortunately for Edi Rama, Albania’s prime minister, the country's place in the EU will be secured not by optics, but by its democratic credentials and right now, those are being tested... Continue

135. Ed Miliband: Blair, Brown, and Battling his Brother (Part 1)

How did Ed Miliband’s childhood being raised by survivors of the Holocaust shape his politics? How did his role mediating between Blair and Brown earn Ed the moniker ‘Emissary from planet... Continue

407. Question Time: The U-turn Starmer Can’t Avoid

Just how extreme will Merz’s immigration curb get? Can the Labour Party still identify as centre-right? And should the men guilty of felling the Sycamore tree be sent to prison?  Join Ror... Continue

406. Biden, Springsteen, and Trump: Dancing in the Dark

What does Trump’s outburst against Bruce Springsteen and Joe Biden tell us about his psychology? Why has he lifted sanctions on al-Sharaa’s Syria, and why now? Has Portugal finally lost i... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s diary: Labour must reverse the winter fuel allowance cuts

Of all the things that the Labour government has done, this is the one that has done the most political damage... Continue

405. Starmer’s EU Deal: A New Era

Is Starmer's UK-EU deal a “win-win” reset of relations or a betrayal of Brexit red lines? Will this deal actually lower food and energy costs or boost growth? What does twelve years of Eu... Continue

Alastair Campbell’s diary: This UK-EU reset must be just the start

We will only properly fix the mess leaving the bloc created if we admit the scale of it... Continue

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The Rest Is Politics

28 May 2025

408. Broken Britain: Farage’s Plot to Outflank Labour

Is Reform UK’s growing appeal a product of Farage’s populism, or Labour’s failure to articulate a gripping national story? What’s behind Trump’s South African ‘white genocide’ claim? Why can’t the UK build the homes it so desperately needs?

Two men who’ve been at the heart of the political world – former Downing Street Director of Communications and Strategy Alastair Campbell and cabinet minister Rory Stewart – join forces from across the political divide.

Leading

26 May 2025

135. Ed Miliband: Blair, Brown, and Battling his Brother (Part 1)

How did Ed Miliband’s childhood being raised by survivors of the Holocaust shape his politics? How did his role mediating between Blair and Brown earn Ed the moniker ‘Emissary from planet F***’? What was it like to take on his own brother in the Labour leadership race?

Every Monday, Rory and Alastair interrogate, converse with, and interview some of the world’s biggest names – from both inside and outside of politics – about life, leadership, or leading the way in their chosen field.

Books

Little Experts: Why Politics Matters

Packed with fun, facts and challenges – perfect for readers aged 6 to 9.

Alastair Campbell Talks Politics

The empowering intro to politics that every young person needs right now from writer, podcaster and strategist Alastair Campbell.

Alastair Campbell’s diaries 2023

A thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable chronicle of our editor-at-large’s year, illustrated by Martin Rowson and Richard Jolley.

But What Can I Do?

The bestselling new book from Alastair Campbell, on why politics has gone so wrong, and how you can help fix it. Part call to arms, part practical handbook, But What Can I Do? will prove required reading for anyone who wants to make a difference.

Winners and how they succeed

Alastair Campbell knows all about winning. As Tony Blair’s chief spokesman and strategist he helped guide the Labour Part…

Living Better

Living Better is Alastair Campbell’s honest, moving and life affirming account of his lifelong struggle with depression. It is an…

The Happy Depressive

In Pursuit of Personal and Political Happiness

Saturday Bloody Saturday

A Game More Serious Than Life or Death

Diaries Volume 8: Rise and Fall of the Olympic Spirit, 2010 – 2015

It’s 2010 and Britain stands at a crossroads. After thirteen years in power, Labour find themselves out in the cold as David Cameron takes office – with a little help from the Liberal Democrats.

Diaries Volume 7: From Crash to Defeat, 2007 – 2010

Caught in the no man’s land between being a key figure in Downing Street and the relative anonymity of the world outside politics, Alastair Campbell finds himself being torn in several directions.

Diaries Volume 6: From Blair to Brown, 2005 – 2007

After helping Tony Blair to secure a historic third term in office, Alastair Campbell might have hoped to make good his long-planned escape from Downing Street. Blair, and Gordon Brown, had other ideas.

Diaries Volume 5: Outside, Inside, 2003 – 2005

This eagerly anticipated volume picks up where its predecessor left off, with Campbell standing down as Tony Blair’s director of communications in 2003.

Diaries Volume 4: The Burden of Power: Countdown to Iraq

The Burden of Power is the fourth volume of Alastair Campbell’s diaries, and perhaps the most eagerly awaited given the ground it covers.

Diaries Volume 3: Power & Responsibility

It begins amid conflict in Kosovo, and ends on September 11, 2001, a day which immediately wrote itself into the history books, changing the course of both the Bush presidency and the Blair premiership.

Diaries Volume 2: Power and the People 1997 – 1999

Power and the People is the second of four volumes, and covers the first two years of New Labour government, beginning with their landslide victory at the polls in 1997.

Diaries Volume 1: Prelude to Power

Volume 1 details the extraordinary tensions between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as they resolved the question as to which one should stand to become Labour leader.

The Blair Years

The Blair Years is the most compelling and revealing account of contemporary politics you will ever read. Taken from….

The Irish Diaries (1994 – 2003)

This newly edited one-volume edition focuses on one of the Blair government’s biggest successes, the Northern Ireland peace process.

Maya

Maya Lowe is one of the world’s most beautiful film stars.

All In The Mind: A Novel

Emily is a traumatised burns victim, Arta a Kosovan refugee recovering from a rape. David Temple is a longterm depressive, while the Rt Hon Ralph Hall MP lives in terror of his drink problem being exposed.

My Name Is

She likes a drink. Everyone has a problem.