Afternoon briefing Monday 15th September

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 The Times afternoon briefing on Monday 15th September. The Conservative MP Danny Kruger has defected to Reform UK.

0:41The Conservative Party is over. Over as a national party. Over as the principal opposition to the left. The flame is passing from one torch to another. The old torch, once so great, is guttering, spluttering, held weakly in uncertain hands. But the new torch is already alight. He's the second sitting Conservative MP to defect after Lee Anderson before the 2024 election. Nigel Farage says the former minister will head up a team preparing Reform UK for government. The Skills Minister, Jackie Smith, has told Times Radio the government is not ignoring backbench discontent after warnings from Labour MPs that the Prime Minister could be out of a job by May.

1:28I don't believe we are ignoring our MPs. I think what we're doing is getting on with the job that the British people elected us to do that they elected our MPs to do, that the vast majority of our MPs also believe that a Labour government should focus on. And that's what I've been spelling out. Sir Keir Starmer is trying to regain the political initiative and will make his first public appearance since sacking Peter Mandelson. He's promoting a partnership with the US to develop small nuclear power stations ahead of Donald Trump's state visit this week. Prosecutors have dropped charges against two men accused of spying for China.

2:05Christopher Cash, who's a former researcher with Parliament's China Research Group, and Christopher Berry had denied the accusations. Poland's president has confirmed NATO troops will be deployed to the country as part of a new mission. Operation Eastern Century was established in response to Russian drones entering Polish airspace and being shot down last Wednesday. The first trial of a former paratrooper over Bloody Sunday is beginning in Belfast today. Soldier F, who can't be identified, is charged with murdering James Ray and William McKinney and is charged with five counts of attempted murder.

2:38Thirteen people were shot dead at a civil rights march in Derry in 1972. Aldi's CEO in the UK says the upcoming budget is creating uncertainty for consumers. Giles Hurley says any measures which increase costs for employers could lead to higher food prices. And Owen Cooper, the star of the show Adolescence, has become the youngest person ever to win in the male categories at the Emmys. They're the biggest TV awards in the United States, held in LA. The 15-year-old said it was surreal to win. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple of years back, I didn't expect to be even in the United States, never mind here.

3:15But I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out of your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life. I was nothing about three years ago. I'm here now. Adolescents won six awards in total in every category it was nominated, including two awards for the co-writer and star Stephen Graham. Don't forget you can subscribe to The Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:46This 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.

4:28This week on The Business Podcast, we have a new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham. There's already been a flood of mooted new policies with big consequences for business. The UK is very unique in the fact that we pay two forms of income tax. So let's see how brave they want to be. Join me, Hannah Previtt. And me, Dominic O 'Connell, for weekly conversations from the world of business and entrepreneurship. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts or find our channel on YouTube by searching Times Business. Thank you.