Afternoon briefing Tuesday 15th July

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 Tuesday the 15th of July. The BBC's chairman says the corporation continues to be an unbearable place for some staff to work.

0:45Samir Shah's foreword in the BBC's annual report insists it's a wonderful place for most staff, but says some powerful individuals abuse their power. On Monday, a report upheld 45 of 83 allegations about Greg Wallace's behaviour on MasterChef. Former Times Radio Breakfast presenter Asma Mir was one of those who complained about him. She says it will be difficult to show the final series which he filmed. I think it's really difficult when you've got 83 allegations, 45 of which were substantiated. And then last week, I think there were another 50 allegations. And I know he denies a lot of them. That's too many, isn't it, really?

1:21The BBC's report reveals its top paid presenters were Gary Lineker and Zoe Ball, both of whom have since left. Thames Water's bosses have again apologised to MPs after reporting big losses and an increase in sewage spills. The country's biggest water company revealed this morning it lost£1.65 billion last financial year. That drove its debt to£16.8 billion. At the same time, pollution incidents increased by a third. Thames Water's chief exec Chris Weston says that'll take time to fix. We are taking huge steps to improve our position around pollutions. We are cleaning the network more than we ever have and we are investing more than we ever have in our sewage treatment works.

2:03but it is going to take a while. I think the work that KKR done backs up the view that to turn around, transform this company is going to take between five and ten years, maybe a bit more. The number of people on universal credit in England, Scotland and Wales was 7.9 million last month. That's up from 6.8 million the year before. 42 % had no requirement to seek work, another increase and for the first time the stats reveal the immigration status of claimants. 84 % had UK or Irish residency. The government is introducing taxpayer-funded subsidies for people to buy electric cars. Drivers will be able to get£3 ,750 off EVs worth up to£37 ,000.

2:49Andy Palmer, the former Aston Martin CEO, who's been described as the godfather of EVs, told Times Radio it will have some effect. It is a fact that car pricing is very elastic. And by very elastic, I mean that if you reduce price, volume will go up. And it's a fact, as we know, that electric vehicles are priced higher than internal combustion cars. So if you bring the electric car closer to the price of an internal combustion car, naturally volume will increase. And the Veterans Minister is expected to resign if the government presses ahead with plans to repeal a law giving immunity to servicemen from the Troubles.

3:28Al Karnes, who's a former Royal Marines Commando, is understood to have said he can't support any plans which would leave veterans more vulnerable to prosecution. The current Legacy and Reconciliation Act gives a conditional amnesty to all suspects in historical cases of violence, including Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries. Don't forget to subscribe to The Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

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