Afternoon Briefing Friday 22nd May

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. Hello, this is your Times Radio afternoon briefing for Friday the 22nd of May with me, James Kitchen. Andy Burnham has set out his pitch to become the MP for Makerfield as he officially launched his campaign for the upcoming by-election.

0:46The mayor of Greater Manchester argued Labour has been too London-centric for too long. He wants civil servants to come out of Whitehall departments to share their expertise with local authorities. In his speech, Mr Burnham promised change. Change to the economy. Change to education. Change to housing. Change to transport. change to care and yes to make it all possible change to politics we need change to the economy so we don't have an economy run for people far away from here for whom life is already good but works every day for people here the head of palantir has accused sasidik khan of putting politics over public safety after he vetoed a metropolitan police contract with the u.s technology firm scotland yard says it will have to reduce officer numbers if the multi-million pound agreement collapses.

1:37The Met had reportedly been in talks about using Palantir's AI software to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations. Speaking to Times Radio, Palantir CEO Louis Moseley warned of a slippery slope. For a long time in this country, the government has bought or procured from suppliers on the basis of objective standards. A rule that applies to everyone is a rule that everyone can understand. Rules that are applied subjectively or arbitrarily are not. And values are something that we all disagree about. We can procure on the basis of value for money. We can procure on the basis of quality.

2:11Does the thing work? But as soon as we're into the realm of what are my politics, who are we speaking for? The police investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is considering potential offences including sexual misconduct and corruption. The Times has learned that officers are examining a range of possible crimes that fall under the broad banner of misconduct in public office. The former Duke of York has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing. A former Channel 4 chief executive has told Times Radio producers shouldn't be reaching down into the gutter for new formats. Michael Grade's intervention comes after the channel pulled Married at First Sight over allegations of rape and sexual misconduct on set.

2:52Speaking to Times Radio, Lord Grade said the owners should be on broadcasters to ensure contributors' safety and welfare. As a proud tradition of imaginative and brilliant creative ideas, traitors is the obvious example. You don't need to reach down below the sort of tabloid gutter level in order to get an audience. If they can't do better than that, then they should give up and make way for somebody who can do better. Amber heat health alerts have been issued across the Midlands and south of England as temperatures are expected to reach 34 degrees over the bank holiday weekend. The UK Health Security Agency says health and social care services are anticipating higher demand until Wednesday.

3:33England have named their 26-man squad for this summer's FIFA World Cup. The headline emissions are Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, Chelsea's Cole Palmer and Manchester City's Phil Foden. Brentford's Jordan Henderson is included, as is Ivan Toney, who now plays club football in Saudi Arabia. Remember, you can follow The Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

4:20further 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.

4:40Hey, Pablo Torre here. As a sports journalist, I've covered global sports for many years now, and there is one thing that I can promise you. Nothing compares to the World Cup. And this time it is even better thanks to McDonald's. You have the chance to take home one of nine legendary cups when you order the FIFA World Cup meal. The cups feature some of the biggest legends in football like David Beckham, Terry Henry and Ronaldinho, Christian Pulisic, Lamin Yamal and Alfonso Davies. Right now, get one of nine legendary cups when you order the FIFA World Cup meal only at McDonald's. At participating McDonald's only for a limited time while supplies last.

5:16All rights reserved. Copyright 2026. McDonald's at the FIFA World Cup 2026.