Alastair Campbell
Held 3 March 2026
The writer, political strategist and podcaster joined us to talk about his extraordinary career in politics, the hit podcast The Rest is Politics, and his bestselling book on why politics has gone so wrong - and how we can help fix it.
Interviewer:
Matt Stadlen
Matthew Stadlen is a TV and radio presenter, political commentator and writer. On our television screens up to six times a week, he is also the host of the 20 Questions With podcast and has conducted almost 600 live interview events.
Formerly an LBC and BBC presenter and Telegraph columnist, he has spent more than two decades at the heart of the British media world. His photography book, How To See Birds, is the perfect book for the amateur bird-watcher.
But What Can I Do?
That question is the inspiration behind this book. It’s a question regularly posed to Alastair Campbell, not least in reaction to The Rest is Politics, the chart-topping podcast he presents with Rory Stewart. His answer, typically, is forthright and impassioned. We cannot afford to stand on the sidelines. If we think things need to change, then we need to change them, and that means getting involved.
But What Can I Do? provides each of us with the motivation and the tools to make a difference. Opening with an acute analysis of our polarised world and the populists and extremists who have created it, it goes on to show how we can effect change for the better. It explains how we can develop our skills of advocacy and persuasion. It draws on Alastair’s long experience to offer practical tips on putting together and leading a campaign team. It provides priceless advice on developing confidence and coping with criticism and setbacks. And it sets out the practical steps by which we can become political players ourselves.
Part call to arms, part practical handbook, But What Can I Do? will prove required reading for anyone who wants to make a difference.