Taoiseach to appear on podcast with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart

James Cox

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is set to appear on Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart's podcast, The Rest Is Politics Leading.

Mr Campbell, who was a close adviser to former British prime minister Tony Blair, co-hosts the popular podcast alongside Mr Stewart, who is a former Conservative politician and president of the charity Give Directly.

The Rest Is Politics podcast has been hugely popular since it launched in March 2022, and Leading is a spin-off podcast where Mr Campbell and Mr Stewart speak with political leaders and other public figures.

The pair attended the recent conference at Queen's University Belfast to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

They met Mr Varadkar and recorded the podcast at Queen's, with Mr Campbell sharing a photograph of him with the Taoiseach on Twitter.

Had a great chat with ⁦⁦@LeoVaradkar⁩ for upcoming @restispolitics LEADING and found my Tree of the Day - the big one at the back - in the garden at the official residence of the 🇮🇪 government secretariat in Belfast. Been nice weather all week. It snowed during GFA! pic.twitter.com/LRtDbjP87y

— ALASTAIR CAMPBELL (@campbellclaret) April 19, 2023

Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern previously appeared on Leading.

Other previous guests include former US national security adviser Fiona Hill, politician and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, and former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier.

In his address at the conference in Belfast, Mr Varadkar said: “The challenges of today require Northern Ireland’s leaders to make the decisions that affect their constituents on the ground.

“I believe that the Good Friday Agreement was about defying historical expectations.

“We need that kind of leadership still.”