Afternoon briefing Monday 2nd February

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 Radio afternoon briefing on Monday 2nd February. A tax lawyer and investigative journalist has told Times Radio the Crown Prosecution Service should consider whether there's a criminal case against Peter Mandelson.

0:46Dan Needle argues emails published in legal files about Jeffrey Epstein show the then-Business Secretary sending Epstein government discussions which would have benefited the paedophiles' clients. This was in 2009, around August 2009. so around the same similar time to the payments of the osteopathy course of course years after the initial£75 ,000 payments but it all looks like a very corrupt arrangement the question is is this just scandalous or does it go beyond that is this actually misconduct in public office which is a criminal offence. Times Radio has not been able to independently verify the claims Lord Mandelson says he has no idea about them and says he has no recollection of payments from Epstein.

1:25The Times' political editor Steve Swinford says the problems could grow. Dan Needle has raised questions about whether there could be criminality involved. Now, we don't know that, so it's difficult to say at this stage. And also, we should say that we don't know that Lord Mandelson himself leaked these emails. That is a supposition and it's not established as facts yet. But given that Lord Mandelson was a close friend of Jeffrey Epstein's, it is clearly serious and it's a potential problem. A serial killer from Suffolk has pleaded guilty to a sixth murder. Steve Wright, who was convicted in 2008 of killing five women in Ipswich, now admits murdering 17-year-old Victoria Hall in 1999.

2:04He has also admitted kidnapping a 22-year-old woman the night before. Zakir Starmer has told Times Radio Angela Rayner can still come back after she told her supporters she's not dead yet. I've always said that Angela has not only played a big part in Labour politics, in our country's politics, but it's got a big part to play in the future. That's not new. I said that on the day that she stepped down. And I don't doubt that that's true. She's certainly not dead yet. She's got a huge contribution to make and I look forward to her making it. The former Deputy Prime Minister's allies have complained the slow pace of a tax investigation is delaying her political comeback.

2:41Last month saw the lowest number of channel crossings in January for five years. 933 people arrived in the UK on small boats. Bad weather from Storm Chandra is thought to be part of the reason, with no crossings in the final 12 days of the month. Israel's reopened the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt. That was meant to happen during the first phase of the ceasefire with Hamas, but the Israeli government blocked that until the body of the final Israeli hostage was returned last week. House prices grew more than expected in the year to January. Nationwide says there was a 1 % rise on average after a lull in the build-up to the budget.

3:16And there was British success at the Grammys, where multiple winners protested against immigration rates in the US. Olivia Dean was named Best New Artist. I guess I want to say I'm up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I wouldn't be here.

3:32Yeah, I'm a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.

3:40The Cure won two awards, while there were also wins for Lola Young, Cynthia Erivo and Youngblood. Don't forget to subscribe to The Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

3:56This 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