The Briefing Room

It's one of the strangest developments in a very strange election campaign. The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, says Donald Trump is "colourful and talented". For his part, the Republican nominee says Putin "is very much a leader ... far more than our president has been a leader." More than flattering words, on specific policy points - such as the civil war in Syria, the influence of NATO in Ea...

The Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has warned that his party could be taken over by old Trots - Trotskyist entryists, who have no interest in winning elections but instead see Labour as a vehicle for revolutionary socialism. But what is a Trot, who was Leon Trotsky and what do his followers in Britain actually want? David Aaronovitch is joined by: Prof John Callaghan, Salford University Amy Leath...

Jesse Morton was once a radical jihadi involved in the American offshoot of the banned British extremist group Al-Muhajiroun. Al-Muhajiroun's leader, Anjem Choudary, was convicted of inviting others to support the so-called Islamic State, and is awaiting sentencing. And Morton himself crossed the line and was sentenced to 11 1/2 years in prison for making violent threats in America. But while he w...

David Aaronovitch speaks to Milo Yiannopoulos about Donald Trump's new political base - the 'alt-right'. It's a mostly young, disparate movement which organises and congregates online, which has little in common with traditional Republicans. However, it's thanks to this new political base that Donald Trump clinched the Republican Party nomination, despite angering a long list of key groups of Amer...

Grammar schools are back on the agenda courtesy of Theresa May. Why has the Conservative party's love affair with an almost extinct system of educational selection endured? Step into The Briefing Room with David Aaronovitch to discover the history of the Conservatives' attitude to grammar schools - and the impact the system has on exam performance and social mobility. Contributors: Newsnight's Pol...

When the BBC obtained exclusive pictures of Special Air Service soldiers fighting Islamic State militants in Syria, the Ministry of Defence refused to comment. British Special Forces are now on the ground in Libya as well - although nobody ever voted in favour sending them, and there has never been a debate in Parliament about it. In fact, it's a long-standing cross-party tradition that the govern...

Britain faces big decisions when it comes to generating electricity - and ones we will all end up paying for. So what's the right choice? Theresa May surprised many by one of her first acts as prime minister: delaying a new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point in Somerset. She says she wants more time to consider the deal before making a final decision later this year. Hinkley Point C - if it's...

There was jubilation among many who were on the winning side of last month's EU referendum. But the vote, more than any in recent memory, laid bare the UK's divisions - not only in demographics but also social attitudes. Many of the 16m people who voted Remain expressed shock, sadness and even grief after the result. Two weeks ago The Briefing Room visited Wakefield in West Yorkshire to find out a...

Turkey's president put the blame on the Gulen movement for an attempted coup - but what is it? The Briefing Room explores the roots and influence of this transnational Islamic religious and social movement. More than 50,000 people in the military, the judiciary, schools and other state institutions were arrested, sacked or suspended by the Turkish government since the thwarted coup attempt and Pre...

BHS was one of the biggest names on the high street, but it is now in administration and faces an uncertain future. What exactly happened, and who is responsible for its decline? Much of the focus has been on Sir Philip Green who sold the firm a little over a year ago to a little-known group called Retail Acquisitions. BHS had undergone a period of high growth during the first part of Green's 15 y...

Why did so many people in the UK vote to Leave the EU? David Aaronovitch talks to residents in the pro-Leave city of Wakefield and finds out from experts why personal prosperity was a poor indicator of referendum voting intention. Guests include: Stian Westlake, Executive Director of Policy and Research, NEST, and author of 'The Intangible Economy' with Jonathan Haskel Ben Shimshon, BritainThinks,...

The Chilcot Report revealed that a key source of flawed intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war was a man known as Curveball. How did this obscure figure come to influence Britain's decision to go to war? David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the story of Curveball and what it tells us about why intelligence sometimes fails. Presenter: David Aaronovitch Guests: Peter Taylor, BBC reporter and pre...

Immigration to the United Kingdom remains at a near-record high - but what are the political decisions and global trends which led to its rise in the first place? Unprecedented levels of immigration motivated many Leave voters in the EU referendum and in this week's programme David Aaronovitch charts a short history of immigration over the past two decades. Joined by a panel of experts bringing un...

Northern Ireland-related terrorism now represents a “substantial” threat to Great Britain, according to MI5 - the security service. It believes that a terrorist attack is a "strong possibility" in Britain and "highly likely" in Northern Ireland itself. This reflects the continuing threat from dissident republicans. This week David Aaronovitch asks who are the New IRA? Joining him in The Briefing R...

Labour activists, councillors, an MP and a former Mayor of London have all been suspended for comments which many regard as anti-Jewish. But why might a left of centre, progressive, pro-minority party have a problem with Anti-Semitism? Joining David Aaronovitch in The Briefing Room: Professor David Hirsh - the founder of the 'Engage' campaign against anti-Semitism on the Left Owen Jones - journali...