What happened between Abdul El-Sayed and Sky News reporter James Matthews on election night?

Alastair Campbell described Abdul El-Sayed, the new Michigan senator, holding Sky News's James Matthews by the shoulders and asking why he should waste time on a channel nobody in America watches. Matthews kept insisting it was his job to ask questions and asked whether the election mattered to the rest of the world. Campbell took it as a sign of indifference to the outside world in both parties, and said El-Sayed is now a global figure who should lean into that.

• Alastair Campbell recalled using a 'no votes TV' label in 1997 to turn down foreign media bids for Tony Blair.
• El-Sayed's mainstream rival Haley Stevens switched sides before the vote and endorsed the Republican ticket.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-11-04). Read the whole episode summary →

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