Afternoon briefing Thursday 22nd January

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 Radio News Briefing for the afternoon of Thursday the 22nd of January. Donald Trump's unveiled his vision for his Board of Peace in Davos, with willing world leaders sitting on stage behind him.

0:46I think the combination of the Board of Peace with the kind of people we have here, coupled with the United Nations, can be something very unique for the world. It's for the world. This isn't United States. This is for the world. So as everyone can see today, the first steps toward a brighter day for the Middle East and a much safer future for the world are unfolding right before your very eyes. The US president said they are in a position to end decades of suffering, bloodshed and hatred. The leaders of Bahrain and Morocco were the first to sign on in front of the audience. The Board of Peace started as a group to rebuild Gaza, which he said they still will do.

1:22We're committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarised, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt. It's going to be a great plan and that's where the Board of Peace really started. And I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza. We're going to be very successful in Gaza. The UK has held off joining the group yet because of fears that Vladimir Putin will be part of it. Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride was asked on Times Radio whether he thinks the UK should join. I think the short answer is no. It appears, well, certainly Vladimir Putin has been invited to participate in this and take one of the seats on this board.

2:00And, you know, this is the man who willfully invaded one of his neighbours in Ukraine. He is not the sort of person that should be having a seat at this particular body. And therefore, I don't think that we should have anything to do with it. The Prime Minister said it's a good thing Donald Trump has dropped his threat of tariffs against European allies over their disagreement over Greenland. A provisional deal has been made between President Trump and NATO, although negotiations are continuing, that would allow America access for security reasons but keep the territory under Danish sovereignty.

2:33Sir Keir Starmer said they all agree that the Arctic region needs better security. America's peace envoy Steve Wyckoff has said negotiators have got a Ukraine deal to end the war down to one issue. Mr Wyckoff and fellow envoy Jared Kushner are due to meet Vladimir Putin later. The Labour MP Andrew Gwynne is set to stand down, potentially clearing the way for Andy Burnham to win a seat in the House of Commons. The MP for Gorton and Denton has already been sacked as a health minister for offensive messages in a WhatsApp group. He's been away from Parliament on sick leave and is expected to make a formal announcement this afternoon.

3:07Government borrowing. The difference between spending and income through taxes was£11.6 billion in December. that's 38 % less than the December before but business correspondent Adam Shaw told Times Radio that the general picture is that borrowing is still costing the government huge amounts of money in the long term. Even if you're not interested in the numbers this has a big political impact it's about the amount of money we're now paying in interest on the debt that we have raised. So if we look just at last month's figure we expect debt interest spending of something over£111 billion a year.

3:43That is more than we spend on education. For more stories like this, listen throughout the day to Times Radio. 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. PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale.

4:28Discover more at pwc.co.uk.

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5:10All rights reserved. Copyright 2026. McDonald's at the FIFA World Cup 2026.