Best of the Spectator

This week: Lara Prendergast is joined by Michael Gove, Tali Fraser and Tim Stanley.
Has Labour lost control of Britain's prisons? As the government's early release scheme comes under increasing scrutiny, Michael Gove diagnoses the failures of the prison system and the growing strain on probation services.
Meanwhile, following a bruising set of US midterm results for Donald Trump, what next for the American right? Tim Stanley discusses the Republicans' increasingly nasty politics, the battle to succeed Trump and whether the president could escalate the war in Iran.
Plus: are lab-grown diamonds unbearably tacky? And why are the posh flocking to Poundland?

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In this week's Book Club, Sam Leith is joined by Marina Litvinenko, widow of former Russian FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko, to discuss her new book, A Life in Fragments: Our Love, His Murder, My Resistance.

In 2006, Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with radioactive polonium in London, in an assassination executed by the Russian state. Marina recounts their life together, from meeting in post-Soviet Russia and Sasha's growing disillusionment with the FSB, to their dramatic escape from Russia and his eventual murder.

How did an officer who once served the Russian security services become one of Vladimir Putin's most outspoken critics? Why was he targeted, and what does his killing reveal about the Kremlin's reach? And, nearly 20 years on, has Britain done enough to hold Russia to account?

Marina reflects on her fight for justice, the personal cost of speaking out against Putin, and her hopes for Russia's future.

Produced by Abigail Brierley.

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As Commonwealth leaders demand slavery reparations from Britain, Michael Gove and Madeline Grant ask whether the UK should pay for the sins of its past. Has the government opened the door to an endless stream of demands? And is the Commonwealth becoming more trouble than it's worth?
Also: is Labour retreating on its immigration crackdown? Michael reflects on his own mistakes in government and warns against opening new migration routes. Plus, following the Budget, has Labour declared war on Britain's businesses?
Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.

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In this episode of Americano, Freddy Gray and National Review columnist John Fund analyse the upcoming U.S. midterms, exploring how systemic polling flaws distort voter data, how JD Vance balances loyalty to Donald Trump against his 2028 ambitions, and how persistent inflation and cabinet family ethics scandals expose the administration to congressional oversight.

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On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Noa Hoffman’s Tel Aviv dispatch explains the state of the Israeli elections; John Power looks at Miatta Fahnbulleh’s remarkable family history; Martin Vander Weyer wonders what the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street will mean for London; and Olivia Potts looks at beignets in New Orleans.

Produced and presented by Abigail Brierley.

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