What does Alastair Campbell mean by persevilience?

Alastair Campbell told Rory Stewart on The Rest Is Politics that persevilience is the ability of a person, group or country to turn any setback into an opportunity to grow and move forward. He built it from perseverance, resilience, persistence and patience, but says it is more positive than any of them. He first used the word while writing about depression, and a publisher then asked him to write a whole book on it.

• Campbell argues resilience alone is not enough and contrasts Keir Starmer's two years in office with Tony Blair's ten.
• Campbell says the quality must rest on values and integrity, not just stamina.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Rest Is Politics (2026-10-15). Read the whole episode summary →

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