Afternoon briefing Friday 24th 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 Welcome to the Times Radio Afternoon Briefing for Friday the 24th of July. A lawyer representing the families of the children murdered by Southport killer Axel Rudicabana has accused the 19-year-old of trying to manipulate the system.

0:48Rudicabana has been transferred from prison to Broadmoor Psychiatric Hospital. More details from Times Radio's Alex Dibble. Rudicabana's transfer to Broadmoor has taken place just ahead of the two-year anniversary of his attacks next Wednesday. Lawyer Chris Walker says the families of his victims only became aware of this development in the last 48 hours. He says the move so close to the anniversary appears to be an attempt by Rudicabana to manipulate the system. Walker says his firm has been given the barest of details and he's trying to get a meeting with the authorities. French authorities have ordered the complete evacuation of the Cap Ferret Peninsula as firefighters battle a large wildfire there.

1:30Boats have been sent to pick up residents and tourists. The fire has ravaged more than 25 ,000 acres and is still alight. Times correspondent David Chazan has told us where people are being taken. Initially, I think most of them are going to the Bordeaux area, which is very close to the Cap Verre Peninsula, which is a very popular tourist spot. Of course, right now we're in the middle of what the friends call Les Grandes Vacances, so there's a lot of holidaymakers, There's a lot of campsites and very vulnerable people. The Times understands that Andy Burnham is ready to move quickly to scale up production of North Sea oil and gas, possibly within weeks.

2:10The new Prime Minister wants to use the initiative to cut the cost of living this winter. The North Sea still provides over half of the UK's oil and gas requirements. Burnham is deciding whether to give the go-ahead for drilling at two sites, Rosebank and Jackdaw. The Times' political correspondent for Scotland, John Boothman, has the background. Thousands of jobs are at stake in an industry where in Scotland, at least over the past decade, something like 60 ,000 jobs have been lost. And the projections are in future that there's 1 ,000 jobs a month in the UK between now and 2030 going from that industry as it winds down effectively.

2:49And there could be an£800 million shortfall in Andy Burnham's promise to build more council houses. The Prime Minister has pledged the biggest building programme since the post-war period, but the funding gap could mean 5 ,000 fewer homes are built each year. The Resolution Foundation has written a report on this. Its chief executive, Ruth Curtis, has told Times Radio what Burnham needs to be exploring. There are some things he can do. He can reallocate money. We think there might be interesting things he could do with something called the National Housing Bank, which is going to provide cheap loans to housing associations.

3:23But if his ambition really is this kind of highest since the post-war, then that's such a big shift that it would undoubtedly need more money. You can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. This 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.

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