As the United States celebrates its independence from Britain on July 4th, Britons will head to the polls to oust their current government. The Conservative Party, which has been in power for fourteen years, is facing widespread discontent and economic decline. Despite this, a majority of Britons now believe that the decision to leave the European Union was a mistake. However, the Labour Party has shown no intention of reversing or mitigating Brexit. This raises questions about the future direction of the U.K. Is the country beyond hope?
In an exclusive interview with David Remnick of The New Yorker Radio Hour, Rory Stewart, a former Conservative Member of Parliament and co-host of the podcast “The Rest Is Politics,” shared his insights on this matter. Stewart left government before Brexit and wrote a best-selling memoir titled “How Not to Be a Politician” in which he candidly describes the challenges of serving in office. He speaks about feeling like an impostor in politics, constantly having to appear knowledgeable and in control of situations that are often beyond one’s grasp.
As we listen to our daily newsletter on Apple, Spotify or Google Podcasts and sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best of The New Yorker directly in your inbox, we can only wonder what lies ahead for Britain and its people.