Afternoon briefing Tuesday 24th June

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1:22This is the Times afternoon briefing on Tuesday 24th June. Donald Trump says both Israel and Iran have violated a ceasefire he put forward. The US president says he's not happy with either side, but says he's really unhappy with Israel. He's posted in all capital letters on his Truth social media platform telling Israel, do not drop those bombs and bring your pilots home now. Former Foreign Secretary William Hague told Times Radio there is still hope the ceasefire will hold. That doesn't mean it's completely doomed. Cease fires in the Middle East often take two or three attempts before they really take hold.

2:00So it does look like the situation is improving in the short term. That still leaves us with all the long term questions about what will happen on Iran's nuclear programme. The Times' correspondent in Tel Aviv, Gabrielle Weininger, doesn't think that it's in Israel's interest to keep fighting. We have heard last week, for example, that Israel is running out of interceptors. How long can they fight a war of attrition and to what end and for what aims? At the end of the day, Iran, as Netanyahu said this morning, their nuclear and missile program have taken a huge hit. The Israeli public are fatigued.

2:34They haven't got any sleep for 12 nights. There's been no work, no schools, you know, everything's on hold. Elsewhere, a senior cabinet minister has told Times Radio the government's promise to spend 5 % of GDP on defence by 2035 is not a con. The UK and other NATO members are expected to sign up to that pledge at a summit at The Hague But only 3.5 % of GDP will go towards weapons and troops The other 1.5 % will go towards infrastructure, for example things like Wi-Fi The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, argues though that is also legitimate security spending Well look at the way our opponents behave They regard, for example, our telecoms infrastructure very much as part of our security.

3:20That's why they attack it. That's why we have to defend it. So it's not that it's a con, it's a recognition of the modern realities of what is involved in security. The government says it won't reveal how the pledge will be funded until a review in 2029. 108 Labour MPs, including 10 select committee chairs, have signed up to an amendment which would kill the government's disability benefit cuts. That would be enough rebels to defeat the government if all opposition MPs vote with them next Tuesday. The Chancellor says there will be no U-turn. The owner of Glastonbury has potentially avoided a huge inheritance tax bill by transferring most of his financial interest in the festival to his daughter and a family trust.

4:0389-year-old Sir Michael Evis could potentially save his daughter Emily nearly£80 million, according to expert valuations. The festival says that is wildly speculative, though, and says Sir Michael Evis is happy to pay any due tax. And the architect behind the Gherkin and the Millennium Bridge in London has been chosen for a new memorial to the late Queen. Lord Foster's designs include a statue of Elizabeth II on horseback, overlooking the Mall by Buckingham Palace, as well as a statue of her walking with Prince Philip. Don't forget to subscribe to The Times News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.