Rory Stewart is a writer, broadcaster and popular speaker. He was an independent candidate for the Mayor of London and served as Member of Parliament for Penrith and The Border from 2010 to 2019. In May 2019, he was appointed Secretary of State for International Development. Before this, he held various ministerial roles, including Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, Minister of State for Africa, and Minister for the Environment and Rural Affairs. Following the December 2015 – January 2016 floods, Rory was appointed Flood Envoy for Cumbria and Lancashire, overseeing recovery efforts and chairing the Cumbria Floods Partnership. Before becoming a minister, he served on the Foreign Affairs Committee and was elected Chair of the Defence Select Committee in 2014.
Rory's earlier career focused on foreign affairs, military intervention, and international development. He briefly served as an infantry officer before joining the UK Diplomatic Service, working in Jakarta, Montenegro, and Southern Iraq. During a leave from the Foreign Service, he walked for 21 months across Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal, staying in 500 village houses.
From 2005 to 2008, Rory was Chair and Chief Executive of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Kabul, where he led efforts to restore a section of the old city, establish a clinic, primary school, and Arts Institute, and promote Afghan crafts internationally. In 2008, he became the Ryan Family Professor of the Practice of Human Rights and Director of the Carr Centre of Human Rights at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Rory has authored four books: "The Places in Between," "Occupational Hazards" (also known as "The Prince of the Marshes"), "The Marches," and "Can Intervention Work?" He has presented three BBC documentaries and written over seventy articles on parliament and UK politics. Today, he hosts The Rest Is Politics podcast alongside fellow journalist and speaker Alastair Campbell.
He has received numerous awards, including the Order of the British Empire, the Gold Medal of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, the Ondaatje Prize, the Spirit of Scotland award, the Radio France award, the Prize del Camino del Cid, a Scottish BAFTA, and honorary doctorates from Stirling University and the American University of Paris. Rory was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, and was a Fellow at Harvard before his professorial appointment in 2008.
Rory Stewart discusses the rise of populism, which began in 2015 with leaders like Narendra Modi, Brexit, Trump, and Bolsonaro. This shift has intensified political division, eroded the centre ground, and led to decreased democracies, increased conflict, and civilian casualties. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine further exemplifies this trend. Attendees will explore how to respond to these threats, the potential for a revitalised centre ground, and the roles of hope, reality, and truth in shaping democratic politics.
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