The Unquiet Conservative: Michael Heseltine with Polly Toynbee at Charleston Festival

Few figures in British politics have loomed as large, or proved as unpredictable, as Michael Heseltine. Under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, he was a central player in government across several decades, but rarely a quiet one. Throughout his career, he showed an instinct to break ranks and challenge orthodoxy, often at the expense of his own career.

Drawing on ideas from his recent book ‘From Acorns to Oaks’, Heseltine reflects on power, leadership and the long view of political life. A rare chance to hear from a politician shaped by government, but never entirely contained by it.