Michael Gove, who has been a prominent presence in British conservatism for over 30 years as a journalist, cabinet minister and now editor of the Spectator, said on the Radical Thinking podcast that austerity is "inevitably painful" as he sought to justify aspects of his political record.
On the programme, hosted by Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty, Gove defended the choices he has made in public life and addressed questions about the direction of the British right. The interview examined his role in shaping conservatism even as the political right in the UK has, by many accounts, shifted further to the right.
Discussion ranged across a number of key issues, with Gove reflecting on his record on Brexit and on years of spending restraint. He also took questions about the editorial position of the Spectator on Islam, and how the magazine now navigates cultural and political debates.
The episode is presented as part of a broader effort to probe the ideas and personalities remaking the Conservative movement. Listeners are invited to watch the full interview to hear the complete exchange between Gove and Chakrabortty.
Further reading
Chakrabortty suggested several works for listeners interested in the topics covered: an essay by Gove in the 1998 collection The Moderniser’s Dilemma: Radical Politics in the Age of Blair; Richard J. Evans’s piece "The Demented Dalek" in the London Review of Books; Chakrabortty’s own column on the changing British right for the Guardian; and Phil Burton‑Cartledge’s book The Party’s Over: The Rise and Fall of the Conservatives from Thatcher to Sunak, along with his political blog.