After Eton and Oxford, Stewart briefly joined the army and then the diplomatic service. In his 30s, he was elected as an MP, rising to become the Secretary of State for International Development. He stood - unsuccessfully - against Boris Johnson for leadership of the Conservative Party (a failure which haunts him still and which he discusses in this episode). Now, having resigned from politics entirely, he has published a book, Politics on the Edge, about his decade in parliament.

He joins me to talk about the failure of the political system, his own failure to solve it and I explain the rules of 'Shag, Marry, Kill' - never let it be said that I can't lower the tone, eh?

--

Rory's new book, Politics on the Edge, is out now and available to order here.

--

I'm going on tour! To AUSTRALIA, mate! You can now purchase tickets to see me live at Sydney Opera House on 26th February 2024 or the Arts Centre Melbourne on 28th February 2024.

--

How To Fail With Elizabeth Day is hosted and produced by Elizabeth Day. To contact us, email [email protected]

--

Social Media:

Elizabeth Day @elizabday

How To Fail @howtofailpod

Rory Stewart @rorystewartuk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices