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British Scandal

The Aitken Affair | Interview - Journalist David Leigh on uncovering Aitken | 4

British Scandal

Wondery

Scandal, Alice Levine, Great Britain, Society & Culture, Exhibit C, British, England, History, Matt Forde, Documentary

4.56.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 December 2023

⏱️ 49 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Rob Delaney and Alice Levine sit down with the reporter at the heart of our story, David Leigh. Leigh takes us inside the explosive investigation that led to Jonathan Aitken's imprisonment, from the moment he knew he was about to bring down the former Cabinet minister, to the vitriol he received from Aitken himself. Plus, he tells us why he believes the Aitken affair had a lasting impact on British journalism.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

From Wonder, I'm Rob Delaney.

0:14.0

And I'm Alice Levine.

0:15.0

And this is British scandal. So Alice, that's it. We've finished the series about Jonathan Aiken, the disgraced

0:30.4

Tori MP turned priest. What have you learned from these past episodes?

0:34.0

One of the things I've realized is that I've not been open-minded about my career options.

0:38.0

In his peak, Jonathan Aiken looked like he was going to be the country's next prime minister, his record frankly

0:44.7

unblemished, and then suddenly it turns out he's got a very shady past going back decades.

0:50.7

And then he becomes a man of the cloth, So Rob, actor now, Marine biologist tomorrow, don't limit yourself.

0:56.0

How does it all come to light though? A simple hotel bill.

1:00.0

Well, you said shady pass, but I don't think that does his time in Parliament

1:04.0

justice because it included arms dealings with Saudi businessmen making sure they were

1:08.8

supplied with booze and women of course the two necessities but all way through, everything he did was driven by his career

1:15.3

aspiration. All he wanted was the top job in number 10. And who could blame him? And he was willing

1:20.4

to basically do anything to get it and by anything I mean

1:23.6

willing to make his wife and daughter, teenage daughter, stand up in court and lie

1:28.4

in order to save his reputation. Now that is ambition so if anybody out there is

1:32.1

saying that they are striving for the job they want,

1:34.0

you're not unless you're doing this.

1:35.6

Yeah, I mean I want to caution our listeners because this is going to sound like a how to become a CEO of psychopath.

1:41.1

I mean these are like daily meditations for the scumbag

1:45.2

trampler of people both strangers and those that you love so don't take notes on

1:50.5

this just use it with a pinch of salt with a pinch. Big shovel full of salt.

...

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