Afternoon briefing Monday 22nd 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. Welcome to the Times afternoon briefing on Monday, the 22nd of September. Nigel Farage has announced a major policy he says Reform UK will implement if it wins the next general election.

0:43We will abolish indefinite leave to remain as a category in this country. But he says there would still be a route to citizenship. And he said during a press conference in central London there will be a big change in the benefit system. Under a reform government, welfare will be for UK citizens only. It will not be for foreign-born nationals. Indeed, we'll become like most normal countries in the world. 100 ,000 extra flights a year and 14 ,000 jobs are being promised as the government gives the green lights for a second runway at Gatwick. The£2.2 billion project means the current standby runway will be moving 12 metres north so it can operate simultaneously with the main one.

1:28Ministers say it's vital for economic growth. But Rachel Millwood, deputy leader of the Green Party, has told Times Radio it's a bad move. It's completely reckless and it's topsy-turvy thinking. You think it might create more jobs, but actually what this creates is more climate catastrophe, which ends up hitting the poorest people the hardest and, you know, really denting ordinary people's lives. What we need is sort of 2.7 million new jobs with a green economy that actually build a future worth having. The families of Israeli hostages have accused Sir Keir Starmer of handing Hamas its greatest prize.

2:00The Prime Minister says his recognition of a Palestinian state can help to revive the hope of peace in the Middle East. He also insists he's not rewarding Hamas. But the Sunday Times columnist Matthew Syed says it's a disastrous move. If this was a strong government making a really powerful and eloquent statement to the world, I would support it. What it is, and I think this is being seen by the Americans and by Israel, is a weak Prime Minister who is not making any sort of an eloquent statement, but seeking to manage his own backbenches. And in those circumstances, I think like many Times and Sunday Times readers, and I hope many listeners, I'm appalled by this decision.

2:40The widow of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk has told a memorial in Arizona she forgives his killer. On the cross, our saviour said, Father, forgive them for they not know what they do. That man, that young man, I forgive him. But Donald Trump said, I hate my opponents and I don't want the best for them. He then apologised to Erica Kirk and said perhaps he could be convinced to change his mind. And you can follow The Times 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.

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