After an extraordinary and bizarre week where a tweet from Gary Lineker led to a crisis at the national broadcaster, Rory and Alastair try to make sense of the BBC’s handling of the situation, question its governance structure, and explain why the government’s refugee policy is flawed. Editor's note: Gary Lineker is the co-owner of Goalhanger Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is the best speech Rory and Alastair have ever heard? Why is the cabinet so big? Would you rather trust Isabel Oakeshott or Xi Jinping with your phone? Rory and Alastair answer all these questions and more in this week's Question Time. 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

More than 100,000 WhatsApp messages have been leaked to the Daily Telegraph revealing private conversations between senior politicians and government officials during the height of the pandemic. But what do they tell us about the people leading our country, and how will Hancock recover from this? Rory and Alastair discuss this scandal, plus reflect on the news of Kier Starmer's new Chief of Staff appointment, the legacy of Live Aid in raising awareness of world poverty, and the new documentary about Shamima Begum and her battle for citizenship. 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

Is there any point in writing to your MP? What are the benefits of UBI? Why do we say 'Mrs' Thatcher, but not 'Mr' Suank? Listen to hear all these questions answered, plus Rory and Alastair's cultural recommendations for the week, their thoughts on the chances of Boris Johnson becoming the next NATO Secretary General, and what to do if you're losing a loved one to conspiracy theories... 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

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