Why does Alastair Campbell say he needs to stay relevant?

Alastair Campbell told Rory Stewart that the depression after he left Downing Street was among his three worst, and he links it to suddenly losing purpose after years at the centre of government. He admits he has a relevance issue, feels a duty to use the skills built across education, journalism and politics, and says podcasting alone does not fill the gap. He now sees books and children as forms of lasting relevance.

• Rory Stewart recalls David Petraeus saying Henry Kissinger's greatest fear was no longer being relevant.
• Campbell told John Prescott he never wanted a boss again and wanted to shape his own life.

▸In their words

“Because ultimately, I think everybody has a need to be relevant.” Alastair Campbell · at 39:49 — open in the transcript →

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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