Afternoon briefing Friday 10th July

0:00This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwCWC. Staying competitive means getting ahead, not just keeping up. So how do business leaders cut through the noise and focus on what really matters. PwC takes you further with tech, from optimising the systems that put your data to work, to scaling AI from proof of concept to competitive edge. PwC helps you meet tomorrow's tech demands, so you can compete at a speed that rewrites the rules. Discover more at pwc.co.uk This is Times Radio's afternoon briefing on Friday the 10th of July. Detectives investigating Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are preparing to travel to the United States to speak with the family of his accuser Virginia Dufresne.

0:48The Times has learned that Thames Valley Police want to talk to relatives of Dufresne, who died in April of last year, about her allegations of sexual assault against the former Duke of York. Andrew's former role as a trade envoy is at the centre of Thames Valley's investigation into alleged misconduct in public office. The Clacton-on-Sea by-election, which was triggered by Nigel Farage's resignation as an MP, will take place on the 13th of August. Farage announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing a Sunday Times Insight report on the support of the convicted fraudster George Cottrell, as well as questions over a£5 million donation from the billionaire Christopher Harbourn.

1:27Frankly, there shouldn't just be a Clacton by-election going on, there should be a general election going on. We've got a new Prime Minister coming in, you know, who's got no mandate of any kind at all. And I think the public are pretty sick of this game of musical chairs that goes on in number 10. The Metropolitan Police have launched a criminal investigation into at least£500 ,000 of donations made to reform by George Cottrell's mother Fiona. The Times has learned that officers are examining whether they were intended to conceal a donation by an impermissible donor. The former MP and MEP Anne Woodicombe has died at the age of 78.

2:05A long-time Conservative politician, she first entered Parliament in 1987, although she stood down in 2010. She re-entered politics almost a decade later with the Brexit Party for the UK's final elections to the European Parliament, where she repeatedly advocated for Brexit. There is a pattern consistent throughout history of oppressed people turning on the oppressors. Slaves against their owners, the peasantry against the feudal barons, colonies, Mr Verhofstadt, against their empires. And that is why Britain is leaving. Confirmation is expected later that Andy Burnham will be the next Labour leader and Prime Minister after the vast majority of Labour MPs nominated him to replace Siqueir Starmer.

2:57Burnham's Labour leadership bid has been backed by 322 Labour MPs, one short of the required number, before it is mathematically impossible for a rival to run against him. Officials in Spain are investigating whether four Britons are among the 11 people to have been killed in Spain's worst wildfire for more than two decades. Spain's Health and Emergencies Minister has described the situation in the southern region of Andalusia as an unprecedented tragedy. And Arthur Ferry will be hoping to inflict another upset and book his place in Sunday's men's final at Wimbledon. Ferry faces the French Open champion Alexander Zverev in the first semi-final on centre court today, having beaten the world number 10 Flavio Caballi in the quarterfinals.

3:42Whatever the outcome, Ferry's guaranteed£900 ,000 in prize money. There's more on the stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:58This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by PwC. AI is everywhere. In the news, in our hands, but return on investment, not so much. So how do you get beyond the hype and deliver AI that powers reinvention and growth across your business? Strong foundations unlock AI's potential. That's why PwC takes you further with tech, strengthening the data quality, processes and workflows that shape how well AI performs. PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk. Hi, I'm Katie Prescott from the Times Tech Podcast.

4:42For two weeks each summer, Wimbledon becomes one of the biggest sporting events in the world. But behind every match is a vast operation of data, digital tools and live fan updates. In a special episode recorded the week before the championships, in paid partnership with IBM, I look at the technology behind the championships and how AI and data are helping fans follow the action in real time. Listen to the Times Tech podcast wherever you get your podcasts.