Andrew Neil vs Rory Stewart: Tory destruction, Boris Johnson and disowning the party

“Do you still consider yourself a Tory?”
“Yeah I’m a Tory. I’m just nothing to do with this current bunch of Conservatives.”
Andrew Neil demands Rory Stewart explain his problem with the Conservative Party. The former cabinet minister laments how Boris Johnson "broke what was most precious" about the party, and what's next.
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[@kicorse]

I don't share Rory Stewart's politics, but I love the way he simply ignored the irritating and aggressive tone of the questions and gave calm and thoughtful answers as if he was just having a chat with a reasonable and open-minded person. I'd love to see current politicians handle Neil and his ilk like that.

[@rosiecesareo8092]

Yes, I completely agree with you. If only more people were like him. It's so refreshing to feel that there's an adult in the room.

[@MrArchie800]

Absolutely! Neil's shtick was only ever showboating and trying to catch less experienced people out (which becomes very boring once you realise his modem of operandi). But that only works for certain people, and when you challenge an intelligent and principled person he very quickly falls apart.

[@PlanetGareth]

@@MrArchie800 So you're saying Rory is not an intelligent and principled person? Because there is no evidence here to support your claim...unless your claim is fictional.

[@anenglishcomment5409]

He really turns Neil around in this interview by the end. Impressive

[@MrArchie800]

@@PlanetGarethI don't know how you got that from what I wrote - I'm saying the opposite. Stewart is indeed a very intelligent and principled person in my view

[@nodsasgood]

Struggling to see what Andrew Neil is doing to stop the Marine Le Pens of this world...

[@rosiecesareo8092]

Yes, especially if he's not even going to vote.

[@KevenHutchinson-gt1nn]

@@rosiecesareo8092 He can't vote in France.

[@DarthQueefious]

Le Pen is needed in France

[@ytsm]

I'm so glad we've consciously decoupled from the far right block formally known as the EU. It's horrific to think that a leader like Le Pen wants to be French citizens first and not real Europeans from places like Chad and Afghanistan. Unopen borders, eurgh!!

[@tmarritt]

No he just lives in France 😂

[@svs987]

Hats off Rory! I thought you dealt with a set of very provocative and unfair questions with grace and humour. I have no idea why Andrew Neil has a reputation as a good political interviewer. His questions were all about point scoring for me. Very poor.

[@christopherwhittaker2620]

He’s a two faced hypocrite

[@user-dt3iv5oc6f]

He showed why the tories are in the state they are in .. he is unbearably liberal , centrist , weak and globalist 😂

[@toffeecrisp2146]

Andrew Neil used to be a good interviewer and when he presented on TV and had limitations and rules to abide by, he was capable of challenging both sides in a debate. I think that in his dotage and without that framework, his worst traits are given free reign. His politics seem to be a tad scatter shot too. I put it down to lack of restraint and advancing years.

[@badgershands]

This smacks of one person turned up for a conversation and the other turned up for a debate.

[@WakeUpSleepyHead-V1]

This is one of the issues we have with our politics. Everything has to be a clash and you have to plant your flag and not allow for any other ideas to exist. This is largely driven by the media and what we as a society consume and buy into.

[@bobbennett5013]

Absolutely. Had Neil back-pedalled on the hostile interrogatories, there might have been a more constructive discussion about what separates the One Nation Tories from their populist and radical-right colleagues - things like: temperament, a sense of moderation and a talent for careful statecraft.

[@carolthomas8528]

…… or maybe a rant .

[@His-Soldier]

Only if you believe a conversation means you can talk eloquent fluff without having to aver your points against contextual counterexamples.

[@simonmccarthy5512]

I forgot how annoying Andrew Neil is.

[@sfactory8253]

Usually but not this time. Exposes Rory for not being as brilliant as he likes to think himself.

[@YUDNSAY]

@@sfactory8253 Journalists at Times Radio, play the narratives of the owner....

[@TimComley]

We were the same with you

[@rhianbubear7099]

SAME!!!

[@michaelmccomb2594]

I like Rory, but I think this was a good interview by Neil. He gets to the nub at the contractions within Rory’s arguments

[@binky1612]

I've always liked Rory Stewart, seems a really honest man

[@KiRichardTaylor]

in the wrong party. A likeable bloke, much like Tim Farron, and best suited to the LibDems.

[@ellenoneill7853]

Rory would fit better into the Lib Dems. Not a Conservative in anyway.

[@steveknight878]

Well, his stated reasons for being a Tory - love of history, tradition and the monarchy - don't, IMV, make him a Tory - he shares those characteristics with many non-Tories.

[@m00plank90]

I’m on the left. But I’m not a mindless tribal one. I don’t think that because you like a certain socialist policy(s), you have to subscribe to all of it, and wave a hammer and sickle around. I’m often in agreement with the right and left for entirely dispassionate, or empirical reasons. If it works, it works. I don’t agree with tearing up things that work, for ideological reasons, only to replace it with something that works MEASURABLY better.

[@geraldbutler5484]

Rory is what used to be called a’high’ Tory. God is in his heaven, the King is on his throne, the natural party of government is in power and it’s our duty to keep a benevolent eye on the serfs grafting away below.

[@robinstevenson6690]

Temperamentally, perhaps, but don't think he would fit with the current Lib Dems, who are currently running to the left of Labour on certain policies.

[@ytsm]

@m00plank you're a pragmatist and arguably what I'd consider a paleo leftist. In other words a normal and probably a decent chap/chapette 👍

[@markjlewis]

As a Labour supporter I have a great deal of respect for Rory Stewart. I disagreed with some of his comments but he is one of the better tories that Johnson got rid of. It was one of Johnson's biggest mistakes (for which I'm grateful for) was to kick out of the party the likes of Rory, Ken Clarke and Dominic Grieve. They were the bedrock of the tory party and by getting rid of them was a bad call by Johnson. So hopefully in the early hours of Friday morning we'll see the tory party reaping what they sowed.,

[@As-qz5lr]

Not the endorsement you think it is

[@SAS-vx1jk]

I think he's too liberal and elite. I'm reading his book at the moment and I just feel he's not a true Tory (as they used to be 😂)

[@benyetts841]

Tried so hard to watch this. Just cannot bear Andrew Neil. He doesn’t know how to listen, nor, therefore, how to converse.

[@PELEGON1]

Agree.

[@cricketerfrench7501]

I agree why was he attacking Labour in an interview with a Tory?

[@wendywolfman]

If only you were the one doing the interview.

[@BiggusDiggusable]

Is there a more smug, self satisfied, self regarding political commentator anywhere?

[@paulsingleton3191]

Rory wiped the floor with him, and he gave very good answers to all questions

[@evolassunglasses4673]

He is a classic example of why the Conservatives haven't conserved anything from 1945.

[@khar12d8]

I hate to break it to you but they didn't preserve anything before 1945 either.

[@markmcnulty7736]

You are referring to Neil here not Stewart. Otherwise your comment is very funny.

[@markmcnulty7736]

What Stewart describes in this interview and elsewhere is genuine Burkean conserving Conservatism (continuity with and respect for the past). Neil, like most "conservatives" of the last 40 years is not conservative - he represents reckless, destructive, privatisation- obsessed Thatcherism. Many Tory politicians and commentators are simply ignorant of the fact that they are not remotely conservative.

[@ChickenNugNugz2]

​@@khar12d8only thing they preserve is an entire shadow economy of wealth stuffed away in bank accounts and off shores.

[@KevinMeeds]

I don't agree with everything he says but he's an honourable man, or would you prefer Johnson and Truss as your ideal conservatives?

[@glennbloke1965]

Wow! Totally agree re Andrew Neil. A master class on how to be unbelievably annoying. He is arguing against every single point Rory Stewart is commenting on. I can't recall a more argumentative and annoying interviewer. Maybe he should have stayed with GB News.

[@nifralo2752]

Neil is right all our problems are also happening in his beloved eu as well

[@andrewcalladine2507]

Andrew Neil to say that Scottish devolution is a failure just because he doesn't like the SNP is peak Neil.

[@KevenHutchinson-gt1nn]

Yep, you're right. The SNP have done a great job 🤣🤣

[@benwilson6145]

@@KevenHutchinson-gt1nn The Tories are so successful and will definitely be reelected in a landslide!

[@SlowhandGreg]

@@KevenHutchinson-gt1nn They've done a better job than the Tories so don't look so smug. Low bar excepted

[@JD-Media]

@@SlowhandGreg A better job? So surely they are going to survive in the election then. Oh wait, they're about to get smashed like the Tories.

[@scotlandtheinsane3359]

​@@SlowhandGreg They objectively have not. And they are complete failures.

[@katmandudawn8417]

I came to look at the comments to see if others were as annoyed as I was with this interview. I’m a Yank but I have been an admirer of Rory Stewart for many years and he has always seemed to me to be a kind, clear headed guy with a passion for public service. I was looking forward to hearing his opinion on the present situation. Instead, I had to sit through a bloviating bully constantly interrupting him. Why ask a man his opinion if you aren’t going to listen and then turn around and tell him he can’t hold the opinion he just expressed. It was a waste of my time . I’m glad I’m not the only one who found it unacceptable and irritating. It was good to see Rory but the interviewer is a terrible old man. I could see him telling Oliver Twist that he couldn’t possibly be hungry since he wasn’t. 😤

[@brodie4603]

To remember what JFK said...Ask not what my country can do for me but what can I do for my country.

[@constantius4654]

Please! No more extremely well networked, self regarding, not very gifted and totally unrepresentative Old Etonian posh boys like Cameron & Johnson - and Rory Stewart is one of them.

[@samfyfe2949]

So true, I can'r believe how many people in this comment section are hoodwinked by this narcissistic trustafarian.

[@planetwilson]

Read his book. It's very good and I think he's quite different. Actually wants to make a difference.

[@harrimi]

Neil stating his is not voting without explaining a reason sums him up. Provokes and criticises but rarely has solutions. He also doesn’t have a clue about what AI has to offer.

[@icedreamer9629]

You just described all right-wing politics. Continual complaining and victimisation, with policies which invariably result in national self-destruction within 1 generation.

[@YUDNSAY]

A recent report from IBM said that up to 1.6 billion jobs will be lost to AI by 2026, it doesn't take a hard look to see that will affect many in Administration, Insurance, taxation, civil service, finance, anything that can be replaced with an algorithm.

[@CurvaceousCrow]

​@@YUDNSAY I'm sure computers replaced a massive chunk of jobs back in the day. Calculator too. And come to think of it, the abacus and the wheel as well. Seems that as technology progresses, humans adapt.

[@YUDNSAY]

@@CurvaceousCrow Yep 4million unemployed in the 80's, a huge amount from the nationalised industries, a vast swathe of manual workers, no jobs, but by the oughties it was back to the 'normal' 3/4-1million unemployed, that kind of unemployment is what is estimated for the west, mainly white collar, mainly those on debt-ridden salaries?

[@CurvaceousCrow]

@@YUDNSAY Comparing raw unemployment numbers between decades is a fool’s errand when the world population in the 80s was half of what it is now. Relative unemployment - or unemployment per capita is what we ought to look at. And by all accounts, over time, even with the most intense technological revolutions, humanity adapts. In the west, in the east, in the north and in the south. People move on and take new roles in society. Yet every few decades we get a new technological boogeyman that’s imminently about to destroy all our jobs.

[@paulbird3235]

He has had more parties than Boris Johnson and Lee Anderson. 😂😂😂........

[@richardpearce1114]

I'd love to know how Andrew Neil voted in the Brexit referendum. Did he ever come out?

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

No. He even said on his Twitter feed that not even his wife knows how he voted. I have always seen be very critical of it afterwards, in several media appearances that he has made. I kind of suspect that he was a remainer(what with owning a property in France, and he is part of the establishment - no matter how he likes to portray himself as a rebel outsider - he worked for Murdoch for goodness sake, and he is not going to be on the dole next week). I kind of get the impression that for someone who always prided himself of being very politically astute, both Brexit and Trump's victory came as a complete surprise to him - hence his destruction of his media career afterwards with the GB News debacle.

[@nbarrett100]

He spends his time in his home in the south of France, so i'm not if he should be voting in our elections if he doesn't want to live with the consequences

[@markpavlowski7223]

@@alphabetaxenonzzzcat Excellent post....vote reform...

[@samshaw3657]

why is Andrew trying to do a gotcha interview with a guy whos here for a conversation

[@MrSensible2]

Rory Stewart speaking thoughtfully & respectfully & Andrew Neil sounding like a gobby pub bore who's had too much to drink! I know who I identify with...

[@schofield4836]

Hah brilliant!

[@Jide-bq9yf]

No ordinary gobby pub bore though . Rory did a decent enough job but the man had him looking rather naive in quite a few bits of this .

[@MrSensible2]

​​@@Jide-bq9yfNot remotely true. All pub bores & a fair share of the taxi drivers I've had the misfortune to travel with, are all 100% convinced THEY have easy & instant solutions for all the country's ills & that everyone else is either just wet or an idiot. Their arguments are always an assembly of glib one liners (put them in the army, string 'em up, put them on a banana boat & sent 'em back to where they came from) sprinkled with frequent gotcha moments. It's an attitude born out of an innate sense of smug superiority & an unwillingness to engage with inconvenient reality. If the last 14 years have proved anything, it's that you cannot govern the country on the basis of catchy Daily Mail headlines. Sadly, this will never ever occur to people like Andrew Neil & after Thursday, any influence he might imagine he still has will disappear in a puff of blue smoke!

[@sharpvidtube]

@@Jide-bq9yf I thought it was Andrew Neil who came across an naive. Is it a surprise that the tax burden is at a record high, when we have seen the debt and deficit go so high and interest rates jump up? He tries to delete Liz Truss, but we all saw what happened when the Tories tried big tax cuts. Shame that a political journalist, can never say that the huge numbers of immigrants are to boost GDP and that with an aging population, the numbers aren't likely to come down to the tens of thousands.

[@Joker-yw9hl]

Aye.. who's for another round 🍻

[@rob19632]

The top 1% own 95% of the wealth but only pay 26% of the tax. That's the problem with the economy. People in the middle pay a much larger percentage of their wealth in tax.

[@sfactory8253]

And that's why you can understand people would rather spend the days at Wetherspoons instead of working just to get by .

[@schofield4836]

Are you Robin Hood?

[@cricketerfrench7501]

and your evidence for the wealth split is?

[@SlowhandGreg]

@@cricketerfrench7501 The richer you are the less tax as a % you pay I know I'm rich and pay fk all perfectly legally, my assets are closeted in tax free Isa's and pensions. Due to our joint income both me and my Wife have been able to save 20k most years. We don't have a mortgage by the way and haven't had since we were 40

[@MrNunkeymutts]

@@cricketerfrench7501it’s not hard to find this info if you look for it from reputable independent sources. Most notably and recently from the fairness foundation ‘canaries’ report.. but the IMF and other institutions publish similar data.

[@adam346]

The problem with Tories (and all conservatives for that matter) is that the holding onto of the past acts like a bulwark to change in the future... "Why would I use guns when we have the silent and perfected crossbow?" "Why would I wash my hands in chemicals before doing surgery? We have not washed our hands for the past 1000 years!" "Why would I..." and so on... so to me, being nostalgic for the past is like a kid holding onto their memories of Disney Land and refusing to understand that as they grew up, the odds those memories stay intact grow slimmer and slimmer and what ends up happening is you start to imagine things or change little things in your mind so the memory appears nicer or you block out the bad aspects and change little details to make the overall experience of remembering better... and I feel that is fine but not something you should be basing your politics on.

[@jamiengo2343]

The problem of those who reject the past as outdated, obsolete etc is the belief that things in the past were necessarily bad or evil, and that everything in the future is good and we should proceed to it with reckless abandon, contemptuous of our learned experiences. History has taught us time and again that the ‘future’ is not objective as some like Marx have claimed. The fact that there are so many different answers on what the ‘future’ will bring suggests that anyone who claims such is nonsense! Lenin and the leaders of the Soviet Union claimed that they were the model of the future. They represented modernity. So did Mao. Thus, to be suspicious of claims of ‘progress’ is not only natural, but it’s necessary!

[@khar12d8]

And the problem with modernists is that they chuck the past aside with wanton abandon and then their well designed plans end up failing i.e. French revolution, Russian revolution... And they lead to more blood and chaos. Or, to have a more mundane example, look at how the town planners of the post war era knocked down Victorian housing and shoved working class people into badly designed council estates rather than respecting the communities that had built up in those places. So then middle class people bought up the Victorian houses, did them up, so now they are worth a fortune and poorer people got left on the council estates. Or how modern thinking town planners build giant roads everywhere post the war and supported slashing railways all in the name of modernity, and it was sad little conservatives that did their best to preserve the Victorian heritage, and now the modernists hate roads and love railways and everyone is jealous of the Victorian London tube network, which works far better for moving people around London than the modern car.

[@rob19632]

It's difficult to change a complicated system without making it worse. It's been getting worse for forty years.

[@dalelinney8437]

Change can be just as destructive. French revolution etc etc. Change has to happen, but it's ok to be naturally conservative about it.

[@villageintheshire]

... I mean Newton's laws of physics is soooooo 17th century - why can't we just move on and go with emoting rather than this thinking stuff 🥳

[@larrygerry985]

I like Rory Stewart. But his world view is a Tony Blair world.

[@sandhurstwolves3956]

What's that mean ?

[@msimms-lp5qw]

@@sandhurstwolves3956 Something to do with EU, WEF, establisment status quo, I suppose

[@TheDrexelUK]

@@sandhurstwolves3956 He has no idea - just some populist slogan.

[@sandhurstwolves3956]

@msimms-lp5qw I see I don't think leaving eu has made much difference . Even people who voted for it still seem unhappy

[@sandhurstwolves3956]

@TheDrexelUK thats describing Trump in a nutshell

[@andrewcalladine2507]

Rory Stewart is completely wrong to think that Labour's issue with the Tories is that the Tories are nasty, it's matter of competence. Under Johnson many of the more talented Tory MP's left the party so you ended up the likes of Braverman in government who shouldn't be anywhere near public office. It's competence that counts!

[@ProphetAndLoss]

Tory MPs voted for Boris as leader though??? Which talented Tory MP's left between that time and Braverman being HomeSec?

[@pokerformuppets]

It's both nastiness and incompetence, surely.

[@schofield4836]

That is what Rory says, it is a matter of incompetence in this current bunch of tories

[@cricketerfrench7501]

Many people on the left equate the Tories with evil. It's like the all Muslims are terrorists line, wrong.

[@YUDNSAY]

The perils of following the narratives of diversity eh?

[@OW...]

Stewart is no traditional tory...

[@MrResearcher122]

He is classical Tory: Laird's son, with Royal connections, Eaton, and paternalistic view of those less fortunate.

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

He is no Tory. He is part of the liberal metropolitan elite - and very much inline with Blairism.

[@user-dt3iv5oc6f]

@@MrResearcher122and the problem with the tories and why they will continue to decline

[@Mallarkey]

Rather he IS a traditional Conservative, if you class traditional as the last 190 years rather than the last 15, or 40, years.

[@howtoappearincompletely9739]

@@user-dt3iv5oc6f Laissez-faire, libertarian Conservatives (like Liz Truss) are the opposite of paternalistic.

[@MrAoldham]

Very very tory....hilarious..... he's a liberal at best...

[@hogunade]

Rory Stewart is the embodiment of why, frankly, there should be no political parties. We need just the one political spectrum. One that we're all spread along; left, right or (clustered) centre. Because, how does this guy and Boris end up in the same political party, FFS! They couldn't be more apart on a unitary political spectrum.

[@jmcw9632]

how did the membership pick Boris over Rory? Like Brexit dont give important decisions to the mob

[@food4thort]

China, Russia, Iran and North Korea (among others) don't have political parties - its called autocracy. Nothing to be envied about that ......

[@skatergirlskatergirl2486]

Johnson's position on the political spectrum was calibrated to get himself elected PM, abd nothing else. He was a pretty liberal mayor in London for eight years. I used to wonder how Rory Stewart could be in the Tory party as he seemed so solidly sensible and honourable, but over the last few months he has constantly defended every unspeakable and unsavoury move by the govt which, unlike him, is not remotely centrist. The current iteration of the Tory party has left him behind and he doesn't get it.

[@michaelmccomb2594]

Boris was not exactly traditionally on the right of the Conservative. You don’t win two elections in London if you are not socially liberal. Boris was also to the left of Cameron/Osborne economically. Peter Mandelson recently said Boris was the most left wing leader of the Tories since MacMillan. Rory and Boris might have radically different values and principles, but they probably agree on more than Rory is willing to acknowledge

[@tmarritt]

Technically there is no need for political parties, we don't vote for parties (technically) we vote for individual MPs, there is nothing to stop us from having a parliament of 100% independent MPs. Unfortunately simply by the way parliament works you need allies, so people for parties, once you have a party you need to be consistent meaning you need to be able to control your MPs, that creates whips, and then people end up voting for their favourite colour instead of for an MP that they agree with. I'm not even sure how you could reform parliament that would get rid of parties and if a parliament of independence MPs would actually be able to get anything done.

[@thesmallerhalf1968]

Its a bit like these two are in different conversations. Stewart is thoughtful and human, Neil is immured in parroting his favourite lines.

[@crazytacticsdave4017]

Rory is a red Tory.

[@TooDarnSoulful]

no such thing, no such party !

[@khar12d8]

A red Tory would be very popular. Just like blue Labour. Generally the most popular ideological position within the UK public is left of centre on economics broadly and right of centre on cultural topics i.e. lower immigration, tough prison sentences, tax the rich more and fund the NHS more. Put the native Brit first for council houses and renationalise the railways, utilities etc...

[@shuathe2nd]

and we are where we are because we can't have sensible constructive conversations with one another because....

[@mikeb7379]

What ever to the above? And he would probably be the first to admit to his mistakes? But at least he would unlike most politicians. It comes down to if you think Rory is basically honest and honourable? I think he is but once you become a minister in the cabinet you have to shut up. He should've stayed a back bencher until the time was right? Would have made a infinitely better PM than Bojo.

[@TooDarnSoulful]

@@mikeb7379 Rory is a Liberal Democrat he even admitted that he may vote for them this election lol Cameron is another one. They ruined the party from within ! Mission accomplished !

[@danielbliss1988]

Poor Rory -- where does he live? He must have had an awful choice of candidates to be that undecided just three days before the election.

[@macswad]

This guy stood to become a Tory leader & he can't decide. He's all over the place. Learned some lessons from Afghanistan & the value of decentralisation.

[@baddalmatian99]

Mr Neil ought to let his guests have a chance to put in a complete sentence once in a while.

[@ibfreely8952]

Andrew Neil bought into the brexit delusion and now is looking hard to find out who shat in his pants.

[@mattstarf4294]

I think if the right can pull the wool over Andrew Neil's eyes and he is a cynical old dog there isn't much hope really! His spat on GB News was an outstanding bad decision... Seems he's been making increasingly weird decisions since Brexit!

[@adampeckham8541]

Yep. Perfect analogy 👌

[@KiRichardTaylor]

Rejoining the Customs Union!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Even Norway in the EEA doesn't want to do that. Come on Rory - give up. You haven't got a scooby.

[@artrandy]

The last thing Im interested in is 'one nation Toryism', or 'Old school Tories' like Stewart, its simply an excuse to give ground to the woke brigade. I would like a more working class Tory party, one where old public school boys like Rory Stewart no longer tell the 'unwashed' what to do and what to think, whilst protecting big business and the wealth of their class, at the traditional expense of ordinary people. Im by no means against big business, but I want the water companies to pay for clearing up our rivers, the most environmental concern we can do something about. I want energy prices reduced by drilling our own oil, rather than importing it, and giving the public guarantees of a price cap on it, should there be more energy inflation, with industry likewise benefiting, like Steel. Net Zero can only be achieved when technology catches up with it. Im dead against taking the economy back into the Stone Age, when India and China (and Germany) are creating more coal fired power stations. Stewart is so far away from this philosophy, I fear that he is against everything, but for, nothing except the sentimentality of British history. I might have voted for him as Mayor of London, as a compromise candidate, but he chickened out of that. Yesterday's man.......

[@JohnFallas-z9u]

What the Tories cannot be pardoned for is bringing about the Brexit referendum after years of Euroscepticism and making a total botch of the resulting "will of the people".

[@BiggusDiggusable]

Austerity is pretty unforgivable

[@SlowhandGreg]

@@BiggusDiggusable It wasn't just Austerity which drove it over the line was millions of eastern European GiG economy workers disrupting established UK workers. We have had over the last 14 years economic policies that have driven migration through the roof

[@BiggusDiggusable]

@@SlowhandGreg Absolutely zero evidence for that.

[@thesmallerhalf1968]

@@SlowhandGregDisruption? If you mean filling vacancies British people wouldn’t take, that is a sort of disruptor. But the fact those miserable low pay jobs exist is a different issue, and people in the UK benefited at the supermarket. This line that migrants put Brits out of work is a chimera.

[@skatergirlskatergirl2486]

@@SlowhandGreg I miss those European gig economy workers doing a reliably thorough job. Unfortunately now we are back to the British cowboy shitshow, for which the punter gets ripped off into the bargain. Your second sentence makes no sense as migration over the last few years has not been European.

[@muirislandjim453]

Rory is simply too intelligent to be a current day Tory

[@Mallarkey]

Or politician of ANY party.

[@mercian1030]

Hope so. F..k him and the Torys.

[@chiseledplanet6608]

I was not aware that Willem Dafoe worked on the radio.

[@pabs8345]

Just two sycophantic dinosaurs in Jurassic Park.

[@RichardEnglander]

Because hes Blair 😂

[@mercian1030]

Nice to know that Rory is a Tory, another reason not to vote for them.

[@1050cc]

THAT is the whole point. Andrew Neil doesn't have to vote. He doesn't have to worry about politics, he lives above it. Both he, the self appointed arbitor, and the self appointed Shakir of politics, Rory Stewart. You'll never live like common people You'll never do what ever common people do Never fail like common people You'll never watch your life slide out of view Don't give them air 👿

[@TheDrexelUK]

Woah - quoting Pulp - edgy.

[@howtoappearincompletely9739]

I really like what I hear in Rory's description of his one-nation Toryism at 12:32-12:56 and 19:30-19:43. Unfortunately, I don't really see much of that in the present Conservative Party, which is probably why I've never voted for them. I'm also not a Unionist, which is one point of difference between Rory and me.

[@rosiecesareo8092]

Rory Stewart is the best politician in the UK today. If he had won the Tory leadership election instead of Boris Johnson, the country would be much better off today than it is, in every way. I think it is inspiring that he is still so positive about Britain despite everything.

[@seanoconnor8843]

I would be voting Tory instead of Labour if he were leader

[@paulbird3235]

"Inspiring" or foolish!...

[@brianc7023]

He voted for austerity policies that resulted in the deaths of over 300,000 people. He's culpable along with the rest. .

[@whysa4]

Nope Nigel Farage is the best

[@paulbird3235]

@@whysa4 😅😅😅😅😅.

[@elizabethleesimpson1077]

It is easy for ANDREW Neil to attack and criticise and it is hard for Rory Stewart to defend. The latter is trying to find answers. The Demolition Wrecking Ball is the easy option

[@ronpeel1878]

There are not many interviews as revealing as that one, astonishingly illuminating. Like all the comments in the comment section, I too am immensely impressed by Rory's apparent clear thinking, his ability to express his thought, his patriotism and the calmness of his voice. I, too, love my country, it's landscape it's history and, most of all, the generosity in spirit of it's people but, Rory! You have just told us that, apart from your fondness of the European single market and, no doubt your fear of being branded far-right, your natural political home, at least at this point in history, in in The Reform Party. In this piece, I am not attempting to 'tarnish' youour allege

[@ronpeel1878]

Sorry, I cocked up when typing and posted accidentally before making my final point. I imagine that Rory would not want to be 'tarnished' by association with The Reform Party but it appears that, except for his love of the Europen Common Market, that is where he belongs. Rory, the vast majority of people who voted Reform are ordinary, hard-working people. If there had been a true Tory Party to vote for, none of us would have voted Reform including Nigel Farage.

[@user-xm7vj9it7s]

Rory needs to be the next Tory leader and then onto Prime minister 🎉

[@peterkirby7546]

Good interview. Bear in mind that Andrew's style has historically been to lean-in to the challenging and confrontational (but still aim for a good humoured) tone. He has acknowledged this publicly on several occasions

[@andrewmcewan8081]

his idea of good humoured is sadly lacking however so he just comes across as annoying ,added to that he doesn't listen to the answers most of the time.

[@davidatkins111]

I can't think of a politician I'd rather have as PM than Rory Stewart

[@Bobmudu35UK]

He's much better than Sir Ed Davey!

[@MazdaChris]

I've got a lot of time for Rory Stewart. I'll be honest, I've never voted Tory and can't see any alignment of circumstances that would compel me to do so in the future. But he strikes me as someone who has a very clear vision of his political position, one which is at the same time emotive, principled, and yet pragmatic. I do feel like, had he won the leadership contest, the country and the Tory party would be in a much healthier position than it is in now. Someone who sees through the populist nonsense, and would do the things he believes are right, rather than do the things he thinks will simply win votes. We've had such a sad lack of people trying to construct a compelling political argument and Rory really does highlight this. However, this conversation got so close to touching on something really important - western countries across the world, whether their governments are right, left, or anywhere inbetween, are all experiencing the same thing - stagnant growth, huge increases of cost of living, and a collapse of living standards. Ordinary people are unhappy, unsatisfied, and looking for answers. It's a situation ripe for the rise of populism and extreme political ideologies. Something seen repeated through history. But sadly while we can see it happening, so little is really being said about the true cause of so much of it. Specifically, that our legislature and our economies are geared toward an upward redistribution of wealth. While living standards for the average person are falling, the extremely wealthy are seeing their wealth grow exponentially. People who are gaining hundreds of millions every year in passive income. Nobody ever considers the impact this has on the economy - enormous sums of money effectively taken out of circulation and becoming economically stagnant. Nobody joins the dots and points out where all of this money and wealth comes from - it doesn't spontaneously generate in their bank accounts. It comes from regular people spending, or selling assets like houses. It doesn't matter your political alignment. Doesn't matter if you care about monarchy and green fields, or want to toss statues into the harbour. None of that matters. None of that really makes any difference to the enormous issue affecting Western economies which are now in the stranglehold of the ultra-rich. The only way to genuinely improve things, driving up standards of living and lowering costs, is to change the rules so that money stays active in the economy. So that the pounds spent by the ordinary person don't end up forever in the bank accounts of the rich. Nobody is having that conversation. Nobody is making that argument. And that's what's so depressing about everything happening in politics at the moment.

[@mercian1030]

he's no Tory. And neither am I.

[@nickscott6139]

By his own admission, he is a One Nation Tory or basically a Lib Dem. That's why the Party will lose this GE.

[@msimms-lp5qw]

Right, its been successful in the past, but the rise of reform has blown it apart

[@SleepingTurtle1]

Andrew Neil's angry, dismissive attitude was genuinely embarrassing. Is he always like this?

[@jimoconnor2594]

And you went against what the majority of the people voted for, we won't forget

[@user-jr2fm1sg6b]

Well said!

[@tommystevenson2921]

Great well done Rory...you had principals....well done.. the majority in Scotland voted stay.....what majority are you referring to

[@martinhill8896]

Really enjoyed that. Wish Andrew interviewed Rory more often.

[@paulaa.8586]

Andrew Neil exposed Stewart for the prat he is

[@Gramsci]

It's a bit ludicrous hearing Neil laugh are Stewart's positions when his ideals are the exact ones that got us in this mess in the first place.

[@robertjohn6354]

Rory says he's for decentralising Gouverment , we started that with Brexit ;)

[@xanderreyno]

I think Andrew Neil has forgotten people are already getting sick of "the heather being on fire" boring peaceful politics is going to have to come back. People are sick of populism not delivering. Big, bold,. exciting... Failed. Make politics boring again. More Rory Stewarts less "firebrands". Water the heather for heaven's sake.

[@B-Heff-M3]

I really can't understand how anyone can supports monarchy... Unless they are juiced into the system or they like doffing the cap to their 'betters'

[@simonfoster7288]

I think there is a strong argument for having a head of state separate from the head of government. But that could be a non-executive president, such as they have in Germany or Ireland. The trouble with those is they often seem to be non-entities, so not very inspiring to the nation.

[@icedreamer9629]

I support them because I cannot think of a superior method for how a nation should choose a head of state. Crucially, to me, a head of state occupies a very narrow, very particular role in a nation, one which requires long-term stability, far-future thinking, and an ability to draw the population together beyond political division. Democracy cannot do that. Democracy is a competitive incentive structure which encourages the wrong people for the role of head of state. Meritocracy can't really do that either, because the measure of merit can only be found after decades of service. Monarchy actually fits, **as long as it has no real power**. That is essential. The second they have real power, they no longer fit my vision for what a head of state does, and therefore monarchy is no longer a good option. But while they have no power... I think having people who are raised from birth to put national unity, national identity, and public good before all else and beyond politics is the best way to create a good head of state.

[@sfactory8253]

@@icedreamer9629 we've got people like Prince Andrew who would still be there if it hadn't of been for the Americans. The hereditary principle is wrong . I think it should be held in the speakers chair. That will save a few quid . Of course it's all set up via the crown estate that nothing can ever change in the UK. Doomed to decline .

[@cricketerfrench7501]

Republicanism is fine in principle but the issue is what powers to give and who to elect. Go on try to think of the name of the first President of the UK. Better to have a random person than to elect one?

[@steveknight878]

Yep, we could have someone like Trump. Oh, wait...

[@williamvorkosigan5151]

Rory Stewart: He believes in Democracy but only if you agree with him.

[@Peter-ov6xh]

Indeed, but many people seem to be taken in.

[@keesqwert285]

rory regrets not having succeeded as lawrence of arabia blabla communist

[@AitkenSteele]

Keir Starmer centre-left! 😂Thanks Andy, needed that laugh this morning. Absolute clown.

[@AZhangETH]

If he’s not centre left what is he?

[@user-ll5ss4lc4g]

Hello Rory hows the LibDem campaign going ?

[@jmcw9632]

How did the Tory pick Boris over this guy?

[@DJquatermass]

He has no leadership qualities, you don't pass exams to be a leader. Leaders are born and raise. Penny Mortent has it.

[@mercian1030]

Because the electorate would have realised he's complete bell end

[@drdoolittle5724]

Lovely Man, just 6th form politics do not run countries!

[@rasco1521]

For all the wets complaining about Neil’s questions. This is what interviews should look like. Politicians/political figures deserve no deference, only scrutiny from journalists. Hard hitting questions, which need proper answers.

[@Contraster671]

Rory Stewart being his normal two faced self dependent on who his working with. That’s why he was hopeless in govt. Just likes the sound of his own voice.

[@lennytheleopard]

Why is it no Tory is concerned about freedom of speech?

[@FionaJane-vc2tw]

There is much that I like about Rory but he voted for austerity which started all the problems we have been through. I would urge him to focus on the most recent 14 years of history and reflect.

[@SlowhandGreg]

Austerity was widely believed in 2010 to be the answer to the post banking crisis, its not that he voted for it it's the fact that i 2012 when it was proved to be shrinking the economy and should have been junked. Even the IMF abandoned it

[@Mickyway]

Rory talks of love of Britain, its history and traditions yet in his book he shows contempt towards any actual conservative Conservatives and is pro immigration. It makes no sense.

[@douglasfielder4621]

You don't think that Labour are going to do this or do that, without any evidence. Just because the Tories didn't want to do any of it doesn't mean Labour don't want to. Rory is a Tory right or wrong and disguises himself as a caring person but does nothing about anything.

[@schofield4836]

Read his books you may change your mind

[@steveknight878]

I think that is a truly caring person. I recommend reading his books - they are very interesting on many levels.

[@SlowhandGreg]

There are a range of political views tbh I could debate Rory I couldn't debate Sunak or Farage because of all the bullsh1t and alternate facts

[@elkpaz560]

Starmer, Rayner, Lammy, Dawn Butler are not caring. They wrap themselves in the language of caring but they are all driven by hatred and seek power and enrichment. Starmer who had the privileged education of a grammar school and then a fee-paying school apparently harbours a grudge because someone at a party didn't know what to say to his father when he said he was a toolmaker. In any case, he will be put aside and replaced when he's served his purpose. Meanwhile, he enjoys a world of unaccountable billionaires at Davos, playing games at how to control the little people.

[@elkpaz560]

@@SlowhandGreg Well, try harder. Sunak is a con man but Farage clearly believes in what he is saying and cares about his country and likes its people.

[@kevinhenry116]

Patriotism isn’t being Tory. Plenty of Labour Party members (old school Labour) are monarchist, deeply respectful of the services and past servicemen and extremely proud of this nations history. This guy is a limp lettuce metro who shouldn’t be let anywhere near power.

[@ussromantics]

Metro?! Yeah, like we need more testosterone. Vive les bonobos.

[@ytsm]

LOL. I think he's actually a decent chap. I interacted with him during his Mayoral run and he seems pretty clued up with the changing face of industry, and also sensible re immigration.

[@toffeecrisp2146]

Yeah, I feel like Rory is still too much part of the London/Westminster bubble. I've listened to him talk about several cultural issues and he just doesn't grasp the working class attitude that is prevalent amongst the community I am part of.

[@DiiGiiTAL]

@@toffeecrisp2146 "I feel like Rory is still too much part of the London/Westminster bubble." then it shows just how little you know about him. If you didn, you would know how much he despised Westminster.

[@paulaa.8586]

Couldn't agree with this more. He is a misty eyed fool always looking back to an era that never existed with no solutions for current and future problems. It was right he did not win the Tory leadership. He should be kept out permanently. We don't need more entitled Eton attention lovers who think being PM is a professional development opportunity

[@blackcoalboy]

To come BACK into a party one has to be voted back.

[@backgammonbacon]

That's not actually how it works, the MP's only make up a small fraction of all of the parties themselves.

[@quokkapirquish6825]

One has to be given the candidature first, though

[@philipbaker4840]

Rory deepest feelings are Socialist inclined. It will never be the socialist working class that attack the monarchy its the right wing Conservative who incite lesser minds to revolt. Socialism is based on serving your community and foregoing mindless superiority. The experts in our country are those who actually service the community.

[@blackcoalboy]

You can see now what Rory really stands for he comes across as this lovable Tory but he’s like the rest of them.

[@jons9721]

When has he ever claimed otherwise. The reality is in a functioning 2 party system the left wing of the Tories should overlap over the right wing of Labour with no room for the Lib Dem's. If neither of these parties cover your views then you are the problem for being extreme not those 2 parties

[@JelMain]

@@jons9721 Wrong, both Parties went for the extremes leaving nobody speaking for the huge majority in the centre ground.

[@GOGS-zg7rd]

Did you suss that out when he said "I am profoundly Tory"?

[@alst4817]

Like the rest of who? You come across as about as politically knowledgeable as a London cabbie

[@JelMain]

@@alst4817 The rest of the political system. Rory's early career built on my work completing Gandhi's work, creating an environment in the Indus which was mutually amenable to all involved. What you're doing here is called reflection, passing your own prejudice as mine. In fact, Rory knows me well, as Dana's companion.

[@Ridersonthestorm8899]

Well no he isn't, in fact he isn't a Conservative at all. He does like a lot of attention though.

[@TheDrexelUK]

You do realise that he is now a media figure? - it's his job to get a lot of "attention".

[@davidellis2182]

If he's not conservative then define conservatism.

[@camerondeans9056]

As an Australian, I always struggle to get my head around the term "One nation" being used to describe a moderate political philosophy 😵

[@whysa4]

Liberal remain bedwetters is a more apt term than one nation

[@emilymaitlislaptop]

think patrician and paternalistic.

[@windywindmill98]

How come? Genuinely interested

[@camerondeans9056]

@@windywindmill98 There's a "One Nation" party in Australia. They're a bit like Reform UK

[@HasanSIM14]

Great interview. People are too soft and only like softball questions. I liked the slightly adversarial questioning and i think Rory's answers were perfectly reasonable and well thought out

[@unblessedcoffee1457]

He's not a Conservative, just wanted to be in Politics and this was the easiest route.

[@mercian1030]

Truthsayer

[@stevebell6057]

Once a tory - always a tory. Don't be fooled.

[@logic-o1s]

We need Rory back in politics. Super bright and ethical. Loved his book. Politics on the Edge: A Memoir from Within

[@AycliffeGardens]

Andrew Neil isn't half as intelligent as he thinks he is, can't seem to identify that the same factor might be important for one outcome or negligible for another.

[@thehealinggame]

I wasn't a massive of New Labour, but they didn't bring the country to its knees like Johnson and Truss

[@Moneymaster-op8fl]

They did - they ran out of money

[@skatergirlskatergirl2486]

@@Moneymaster-op8fl No, they didn't. The financial crisis was a global event and, iirc, Gordon Brown saved the day. Obv an ungrateful nation promptly booted Labour out and the Tory party didn't hang about before laying waste to the nation's finances while claiming there was no money (there's always money; the Tories have *tripled* the national debt over the last 14 years). We live with Cameron's hubris to this day.

[@MrLockie7]

It's a shame Rory Stewart isn't in politics anymore, he's a breath of fresh air compared to with the current bunch.

[@leeeeee286]

Are you voting Labour this GE? Presumably you won't be voting Tory?

[@schofield4836]

@@leeeeee286 who people vote for is highly personal …. We live in a democracy and don’t need to justify or tell our choices to anyone.

[@chrismcmahon5922]

Andrew Neil is depressingly confrontational. I wish we could move away from this type of discourse. Well done Rory, for not taking the bait.

[@user-jr3eb5oo3g]

Anybody, but anybody, that makes common cuase with Alistair Campbell must have something wrong with them. Oh and by tthe way there is no third way , it gets nothing done. Thats why people are revolting against it. Problems just fester.

[@thomasullmann7447]

Rory Stewart is more left wing than the current Labour party leadership and has his finger on the pulse of many of the current problems. That said knowing what the problems are and having solutions are two quite different things.

[@FredScuttle456]

Tory Rory is a good example of why nobody's voting for them.

[@RichardEnglander]

correct Andrew. Rory is deluded about Labour ambitions. He lives in a parallel reality 😂

[@carnivaltym]

22:28 I'm probably to the left of Corbyn, save on the Palestinian issue, but I like this man. He's a genuine old-school conservative with integrity. I may not agree with many of the policies he'd advance, but I'd trust him to make decisions, as he believed them to be in the be genuinely in the interests of the country as a whole. That's a lot more than can be said about Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, or, for that matter, Tony Blair.

[@rob19632]

This conservative government wasn't right wing in the slightest

[@guymankowski3358]

I'd bet Neil is voting Tory.

[@Lindowman888]

Would make conservatives strong if Rory would rejoin. Sadly, sweep the bullies away and introduce real policies including empowering most people

[@michaellewis3747]

Norway have been doing wealth funds and state ownership for years and there one of the most stable countries

[@edwardmiller3859]

He is part of the reason I am voting reform

[@aaroninky]

rory stewart's 'profound' conservatism basically comes down to victorian sentimentality and vibes. when challenged on all the odious policies he has voted in approval during his time in parliament, he complains about party-political machinations and the whips office. he eschews all responsibility for the actual policies implemented in the name of conservatism, and talks in a vague and misty-eyed way about the royal family and marching with veterans. like most of the mandarin class to which he was born into, it's all a schoolyard game. the saddest thing is that he is undoubtedly intelligent, an excellent public speaker/thinker, and basically sincere; but he's been born into a sclerotic, superannuated system.

[@steveknight878]

Have you read any of his books? I recommend that you do before you judge him.

[@aaroninky]

@@steveknight878 i do rate him, he's undoubtedly better than the latest cohort of politicians. but his worldview is terminally public school and 'boys' own', and his progress through parliament has been every bit as frustrating as, say, corbyn's has from the other direction. both seem to be idealistic political duds.

[@Tannhauser62]

@@aaroninky I think that's a bit of post-hoc reasoning. If he was as 'Boy's Own' as you claim, surely he'd have a rosier view of imperial hegemony over Asian countries? Whereas actually, one of his greatest frustrations is the imposition of British/American policies on Iraq and Afghanistan that ignore local complexities. He also deeply disagreed with his father on the record of the British Empire.

[@adamabbas1487]

I like Andrew Neils lines of questioning, but henhas to understand that solutions or correlations that do or don't work out in other countries moght work for the UK as the conditions are different.

[@theaussiewhinger]

I haven't watched an Andrew Neil interview in years. I quite liked his style when he was on the mainstream media. Now he's all about point scoring and condescension. It's possible to be a fair interviewer who asks difficult questions without being a pr.... Just look at his old stuff for proof of that. Loved Rory's thoughtful, reasoned and calm responses.

[@DavidBrown-ts2us]

Rory's usual avoiding the elephant in the room is comical. The rise of the right populist movements mentioned is pretty much down to one issue, you could be centrist on all the rest of your policies, but be on the right on this one issue and you will be popular with the voters. I don't even need to say what the issue is, we all know.

[@jameswhitfield1375]

If you are going to take on Andrew Neil you should do your homework first.

[@jenniferholden9397]

Life long Labour Party member, but if you want the truth I’d listen to Rory Stewart over Campbell, Blair and Starmer every day of the week. He s one of the few honest politicians. I nearly didn’t vote because none of the leaders are worthy of my vote, I went with Green Party.

[@luke-alex]

Oh dear, Rory has drank the AI coolaid, get him some hydroxycobalamin stat!

[@mr.mayhem7402]

Rory's not a Tory and never has been.

[@markmcnulty7736]

On the contrary, the conservatism he describes in this interview is traditional Burkean conservatism - what the Tories have traditionally been for 200 years. The Tory party of the last 40 years is destructive reckless Thatcherism, much closer to libertarianism than genuine conservatism. It is telling that you and many others do not seem even to be aware of this distinction, so complete has been the dominance of Thatcherite ideology.

[@mercian1030]

@@markmcnulty7736 Well, then f..k the Tories

[@alphabetaxenonzzzcat]

Precisely. He was part of the Cameroon intake(when Cameron wanted to be "the heir to Blair" and him and Osbourne called him : "the Master"). Heavily steeped in the establishment : Eton, Oxbridge, Black Watch - very much part of the metropolitan liberal elite and can't see outside of that bubble.