Rafael Behr is an award-winning political columnist for the Guardian and a regular commentator on TV and radio. He is a former political editor of the New Statesman, chief leader writer at the Observer. He began his journalism career as a foreign correspondent for the Financial Times. He has also written highly regarded long-form political essays for Prospect magazine. Rafael is a well-respected figure in Westminster, considered one of the most insightful and articulate commentators of his generation. He has a network of contacts across the party spectrum, developed over more than two decades. He is an engaging and lively public speaker with many years of experience chairing and appearing as a panelist at conferences and literary festivals. Since April 2020, Rafael has also hosted Politics on the Couch, a podcast with a loyal following that looks at the psychological processes and biases that operate beneath the surface of day to day politics.