Phil Tinline Keynote Speaker

Journalist and speaker on government and politics.
Written for The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Engelsberg Ideas, Economics Observatory, Unherd, Prospect and The New Statesman.
Author of 'The Death of Consensus: 100 Years of British Political Nightmares', chosen as the Times Politics Book of the Year (2022).

Phil Tinline's Biography

Phil Tinline is a journalist and author, and a speaker on government and politics.

His book The Death of Consensus: 100 Years of British Political Nightmares was chosen as the Times Politics Book of the Year 2022. Matthew Taylor, former Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts, described it as “one of the best books on politics I’ve ever read.” His latest book, Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax That Duped America and Its Sinister Legacy, was named a New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice.

In the course of a twenty-year career with BBC Radio 4, Phil presented many acclaimed documentaries about how political history and ideas shape the present. He has written for publications including The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Engelsberg Ideas, Economics Observatory, Unherd, Prospect and The New Statesman.

Much of his recent work has focused on the unfolding crisis in British politics, and how a range of issues can be interpreted as signals of a long-term political transition process, in the wake of the 2008 Crash. He also writes about the fear of authoritarianism, and about the political role of conspiracy theory. His Radio 4 series, Conspiracies – The Secret Knowledge, returned for a second run in summer 2023.

He contributes regularly to Times Radio, on topics from political protest to the timing of general elections. He has been interviewed about his analysis of Britain’s current political troubles by ITV, German news channel ZDF, and a wide range of podcasts.

He is currently writing a book about the roots of America’s current political turmoil, for publication in the UK by Head of Zeus, and in the US by Scribner, in spring 2025.

Britain's political crisis

The emerging political consensus

The role of fear in politics

Conspiracy theory

He brings two decades of BBC Radio 4 experience to explain how political history, ideas and institutional change are shaping today’s government and public mood.
He translates Britain’s post-2008 political transition into clear strategic insight, helping audiences make sense of volatility, fragmentation and the end of old assumptions.
He draws on award-winning authorship, including The Death of Consensus and Ghosts of Iron Mountain, to connect deep research to compelling, audience-ready storytelling.
He unpacks the growing influence of conspiracy theory and fears of authoritarianism, helping leaders understand how mistrust spreads and how to communicate through it.
He equips organisations to interpret the signals behind protest, elections and policy shifts, informed by regular commentary across Times Radio and major national and international media.