Britain has just lived through its most turbulent decade of politics in a generation. Rory Stewart was in the room for most of it.
Former cabinet minister, diplomat, and co-host of the hugely popular podcast The Rest Is Politics, Rory has seen British political life up close: the compromises, the absurdities, the moments where it could have gone differently. Now, with the old two-party consensus fracturing and new political forces reshaping the landscape, the questions of what we stand for—and who speaks for us—have never felt more open. And Rory’s asking the biggest question of all: not just what went wrong, but what a better politics might actually look like.
His answer, perhaps surprisingly, begins in the landscape of Cumbria.
Drawing on a decade living and serving as MP in Penrith and the Border, Middleland is Rory's portrait of rural Britain—its resilience, its beauty, and what this often-overlooked corner of England can teach us about community, purpose and democratic renewal.
This is an evening for anyone who still believes politics can mean something. Expect sharp insight, honest reflection, and the kind of conversation that's increasingly rare—one that takes both the country and its people seriously. Don't miss the chance to put your own questions to one of the most compelling figures to have walked away from Westminster and lived to tell the tale.
