Best of the Spectator

This week, Michael Gove is joined by historian Simon Sebag Montefiore to discuss the rulers, revolutionaries and nation builders who shaped one of the world’s most turbulent regions.From Ibn Saud’s dramatic conquest of Riyadh and Atatürk’s creation of modern Turkey to Ben-Gurion, Reza Shah and Nasser, Simon explores the extraordinary personalities who built states from the ruins of empire. What made these leaders so successful – and why did so many of their projects end in dictatorship, war or collapse?They also discuss Nasser’s rise as the champion of Arab nationalism, Gaddafi’s obsession with his Egyptian hero, and the strongmen who tried to remake the Arab world in their own image.And looking at the Middle East today, Simon explains why the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, the failure of nationalism and the rise of political Islam still shape the region’s conflicts.Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Henry Lloyd.

Nigel Farage is heading back to the polls in Clacton after resigning to trigger a by-election over questions surrounding his £5 million gift. With the main parties refusing to stand, Farage looks set for a comfortable victory – but will his popularity in Clacton translate to the rest of the country? And have voters simply stopped caring about the controversy?Meanwhile, Andy Burnham is facing the first major tests of his premiership. As questions mount over how he will pay for his ambitious domestic agenda, Burnham has intervened again over plans to release prisoners early, insisting that the killers of PC Andrew Harper should remain behind bars. Is his willingness to respond to public pressure a sign of how he intends to govern?Oscar Edmondson speaks to Noa Hoffman and the Financial Times’s Lucy Fisher.

In this week’s episode of Holy Smoke, Damian Thompson is joined by Madeline Grant to dive into the contentious topic of Project Spire, the Church of England's ambitious plan to allocate £100 million in reparations for its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade. They will shed light on the Church's insistence on proceeding with this plan despite significant opposition from both the public and its own parishioners.Produced by Henry Lloyd

This week’s episode of Spectator Out Loud is a tribute to Rod Liddle, The Spectator's Associate editor, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 66. In this special episode, we hear from those who knew him best as they share some of their favourite columns written by Rod over the years. Produced and presented by Henry Lloyd

Oliver Shah is a former journalist at The Sunday Times and now runs Newcome Advisory. On this week's Reality Check Oliver and Michael discuss why Labour can't build trust with the businesses, how the National Insurance tax hike was the poison pill for the private sector and whether it is still worth being an entrepreneur in Britain today.This episode is brought to you by Alliance Witan investment trust. To learn more about the trust and how we’re helping investors find their comfort zone, please visit Alliance Witan (ALW) | Investment Trust.

For this week’s Edition, Lara Prendergast is joined by The Spectator’s editor Michael Gove, deputy editor Freddy Gray, and associate editor Toby Young.This week the episode and magazine is dedicated to our beloved Rod Liddle, who died aged 66. The Spectator journalists reflect on some of their favourite memories of Rod, what his legacy will be and how is writing, wit and intelligence will be irreplaceable.

Gus Carter is joined by Geoffrey Cain to speak about the ongoing developments in Chinese AI, and how it stacks up to its American rivals. Gus and Geoffrey talk about the emergence of Kimi K3, and how Chinese models will become inherently more competitive to global audiences, not just those the United States. They also discuss the OpenAI model that went rogue, and how other US models refused to undertake research to prevent the same from happening again.Learn how to earn yield on gold, paid in gold, at Monetary-Metals.com/AmericanoProduced by Henry Lloyd

On this week’s Spectator Out Loud: Lara Brown explains the ongoing dissolution of the British private education sector; Patrick Kidd asks whether sporting curses are actually possible, or simply just a fiction; Tali Fraser goes to a death cafe to explore the world of positivity after death; and finally, Ella Veakins outlines why we should all stand in opposition the the potted plastic plant. Produced and presented by Henry Lloyd.

Amid rising backlash over the early prisoner release scheme, Kemi Badenoch has called for emergency legislation to stop the plans going ahead. The new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has already halted the plans until a review has been conducted. The situation with prison overcrowding is a ticking timebomb – what options are available? To alleviate the risk, some suggest women should be prioritised as candidates for early release, and women's prisons repurposed. To discuss, Michael Simmons is joined by the CEO of the Prison Reform Trust Pia Sinha.This episode is brought to you by Alliance Witan investment trust. To learn more about the trust and how we’re helping investors find their comfort zone, please visit Alliance Witan (ALW) | Investment Trust.