Alastair Thomas

Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance has shocked the world. The Saudi journalist was caught on camera entering the country's consulate in Istanbul, but he never left. The world is outraged; why was he killed and what happens next? In this week's Spectator, John Bradley says that Khashoggi's crime was to fall foul of the Saudi ruling family. What does this mean for Saudi Arabia’s global reputation? Bill Law, a journalist who knew Khashoggi, joins Lara Prendergast, alongside Akbar Shahid Ahmed, foreign affairs reporter at Huffington Post, to discuss. In Ireland, the Europhiles seem to reign supreme, but could Ireland ever join Britain in leaving the EU? In this week's magazine, John Waters wonders whether the Irish are actually less keen on the EU than we might think.

The debate over rights for transgender people rumbles on in the wake of proposed reforms to the Gender Recognition Act. Is there a so-called ‘trans orthodoxy’ shutting down debate on this issue? Meanwhile, across the channel, French socialist Jean-Luc Mélenchon is aiming to unseat an increasing unpopular Emmanuel Macron. Does Mélenchon have a chance of becoming president? In this week’s cover piece, James Kirkup argues that there is no room for dissent within what he calls the trans orthodoxy, that concerns over changes to the Gender Recognition Act are too quickly labelled ‘transphobic’.