The Briefing Room

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 Policy Editor Chris Cook Sir David Bell, former Department of Education Permanent Secretary and now Vice Chancellor of Reading University Social historian David Kynaston Laura McInerney, editor of 'Schools Week' Nick Hillman, former special advisor to David Willetts and now director of the Higher Education Policy Institute. Producers: Matt Booker and Wesley Stephenson Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

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 government doesn't comment on the operations of the Special Air Service, the Special Boat Service, and other Special Forces units.In this edition of The Briefing Room, David Aaronovitch calls on expert researchers and former military offers to trace the development and current activities of Britain's Special Forces. Who are they and how many of them are there? Why, when we talk about military operations, do Special Forces not count as "boots on the ground"? And why are their activities so secret?CONTRIBUTORS:Mark Urban, Newsnight's defence and diplomatic correspondentRobin Horsfall, former SAS memberAnthony King, Professor of War Studies, University of WarwickEmily Knowles, Project Manager of the Remote Control Project, Oxford Research GroupDr Jon Moran, Reader in Security, University of LeicesterLt Col Stephen Grenier, author and former US Special Forces officerPRODUCER: Mike Wendling.

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 ever built - would be the first UK nuclear power plant to be constructed in more than 20 years. But the French-built, Chinese-funded project has been beset with delays since Tony Blair first pushed for new nuclear plants in 2005. David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts outline Britain's nuclear dream, find out what went wrong along the way, detail the alternatives and try to answer the question: what should we do next?Guests: Peter Atherton, energy analyst, Cornwall Energy Malcom Grimston visiting senior research fellow, Imperial College London Steven Thomas, professor of energy studies, Greenwich University Lisa Waters, economist, Waters Wye Associates Producers: Joe Kent and Mike Wendling Researchers: Alex Burton and Kirsteen Knight.

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 about those who voted Leave. In this programme, David Aaronovitch takes the opposite tack and visits Lambeth, the south London borough that stretches from the banks of the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament to the Capital's suburban fringes. He talks to long-standing residents and relative newcomers to find out what Remainers feel now. In in area where nearly four-fifths of those who voted backed Remain, is there a still a sense of upset over the result? And having been outvoted in one of the UK's biggest democratic experiments, what do they plan to do now?Interviewees in Lambeth include: Devon Thomas chair of the Brixton Neighbourhood Forum, local Green Party candidate Rashid Nix, Labour Party volunteer Gareth Rhys, Rosamund Urwin of the London Evening Standard, Tom Shahkli general manager of the Brixton Pound project, and Rui Reis, vice chair of the Portuguese cultural and football club in Stockwell.Studio guests: Cordelia Hay of Britain Thinks and Stian Westlake of NESTA.Producer: Mike Wendling Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

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 President Erdoğan pointed the finger of blame at the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers. Gulen has denied all involvement - but who is he, and what is his influence? David Aaronovitch talks to experts about the enigmatic movement Fethullah Gulen has inspired and asks how credible his claims of his involvement in the failed uprising are.CONTRIBUTORS Edward Stourton, BBC broadcaster and presenter of Islam Inc, a Radio 4 documentary about the Gulen movement.Firdevs Robinson, London-based journalist and former editor with BBC World Service.Gareth Jenkins, writer and analyst based in Istanbul.Ismail Mesut Sezgin, UK-based Fethullah Gulen supporter.Producers: Phil Kemp and Helen Grady Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

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 years of ownership, but its subsequent decline was accelerated by the economic crisis of 2008, and in recent years it racked up huge losses. Many accuse Sir Philip Green of trying to offload the company to duck its growing pension liabilities - one MP even called him the "unacceptable face of capitalism" - but there have also been suggestions that he's being unfairly tried in the court of public opinion.Green and the owners of Retail Acquisitions will face questions in front of a parliamentary select committee next month. Meanwhile the administrators are entertaining offers for BHS assets. Hanging in the balance are the company's 11,000 employees and more than 20,000 members of the company pension scheme. David Aaronovitch asks what happened to the retailer, and who's responsible for its decline?Producer/Reporter: Michael Wendling Researcher: Alex Burton

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, market research and communications consultancy Molly Crockett, Associate Professor of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford. Producer: Joe Kent Researchers: Alex Burton and Kirsteen Knight.

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 AaronovitchGuests: Peter Taylor, BBC reporter and presenter of "Panorama: The Spies Who Fooled the World"; Stephen Grey, author of The New Spymasters; Valerie Plame, former CIA officer and author of "Fair Game"Producer: Joe Kent.

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 unique insight into the issue, they explore claims that the Labour party wanted to increase immigration to build support, through to the causes of the asylum spike in the early 2000s, and the impact of an expanding European Union. CONTRIBUTORSEd Owen, Former Special Advisor to Labour Home Secretary Jack StrawMadeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of OxfordDavid Goodhart, Journalist and commentator, former director of the thinktank DemosTony Smith, former Director General of the UK Border ForceProducer: Richard Fenton-Smith Researcher: Kirsteen Knight.

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 Room: Suzanne Breen - journalist at the Belfast Telegraph Henry McDonald - Ireland correspondent at The Guardian Peter Taylor - the writer and veteran BBC journalist Producer: Joe Kent, Researcher: Alex Burton, Editor: Innes Bowen (Image: Nationalist youths protest in their home town of Lurgan, Northern Ireland. Credit: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty)