Afternoon Briefing Thursday 1st October

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 your Times Afternoon Briefing for Wednesday 1st October. Sir Keir Starmer has told Times Radio he has not put Nigel Farage nor reform supporters at risk by criticising policies they support.

0:46In his conference speech yesterday, he referred to snake oil merchants on the right and on the left, a fight for the soul of our country and said Nigel Farage doesn't believe in Britain. Mr Farage has called his comments a disgrace. But the Prime Minister told Kate McCann he stands by his words, as when the country next goes to the polls, it'll be a competition of visions. This is fundamental. This is very different to the elections we've had in this country before. This isn't just about people who traditionally vote Labour. This is a fight that matters to all of those people who love this country for what it is, love our values and do not want to see them torn apart, which is why I held out the hand to people from other parties.

1:30Zia Youssef, the head of policy at Reform UK, has told Times Radio that he wants Nigel Farage to be safe, about that his security was recently reduced by authorities. He says the prime minister is inciting violence. Keir Starmer has embarked on the most unprecedented, extraordinary campaign of demonisation and incitement of violence against the man who is the bookmaker's favourite to be the next prime minister. This is a prime minister who has clearly seen he cannot beat Nigel at the ballot box, so has decided to whip up and incite violence against him. Labour activists say Sir Keir's method of targeting reform has paid off, quoting polling for the socialist think tank The Fabian Society conducted by YouGov.

2:13It suggests that if voters were given a choice just between Sir Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage, the Labour leader would win with 45%, compared to Mr Farage's 33 % and 22 % saying they don't know. The Health Department has won its case against a company connected to the Conservative peer Baroness Mohn over acquiring faulty PPE during the pandemic. Her husband's company, PPE Medpro, now owes the government£122 million, according to the judgment. The consortium was awarded government contracts to supply surgical gowns after she recommended it to ministers. Michelle Mohn's husband, Doug Marriman, has called the judgment a travesty of justice.

2:5269 people have died so far in the Philippines from an earthquake. Rescuers are lining up body bags as they search for survivors after the 6.9 magnitude earthquake. Roads have cracked and buildings are damaged. Scientists have developed a technique which allows them to see tiny clusters in the brain which are believed to trigger Parkinson's disease. Researchers liken the breakthrough to being able to see stars in broad daylight. It's hoped this will allow experts to learn more about how Parkinson's develops and potentially find new treatments. For more stories like this, listen throughout the day to Times Radio.

3:33This 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. Do you keep hearing podcast ads like this one, for example, but always wonder how you actually get involved with them for your own brand or organization?

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