Afternoon Briefing Wednesday 10th December

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. Welcome to the Times Afternoon Briefing on Wednesday 10th December. The National Audit Office says the Home Office doesn't know how many asylum seekers have disappeared.

0:42The NAO has looked at 5 ,000 asylum cases lodged almost three years ago and found 56 % still had no final outcome. It's estimated that supporting asylum seekers has cost taxpayers almost£5 billion over the last year. Earlier this week, two 17-year-old Afghan boys were sentenced for the rape of a 15-year-old girl. The Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was asked about that on Times Radio. People come to this country from all over the world and many make a really significant contribution. We've always been a country that prides ourselves on providing a welcome environment for people who need sanctuary, and we shouldn't forget that.

1:19But when it comes to the attitudes of a minority that put women and girls at risk, we absolutely won't tolerate that. We will stand up for the values of an inclusive, diverse country. Australia has implemented a ban on social media for under-16s. It means millions of kids will lose access to sites including TikTok and Instagram. Companies could face hefty fines if they fail to block children. 12-year-old Ava Chanel is a fashion and fitness influencer. Her mum Zoe says she has mixed feelings. I sit on the fence with the band, so I actually have agreed with some of it. And both my children have had Snapchat removed.

1:58As for Instagram, I feel that's a creative outlet for Ava that is also a source of her income. That's her pocket money. That's her job. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch says Britain's at risk of becoming a welfare state with an economy attached. In an article in The Sun, she says that lifting the two-childs benefit cap is unfair on working people. She's also not ruling out teaming up with Nigel Farage at the next election. I will guarantee that I will do right by the British people. The best option is the agenda that the Conservatives have. Reform has a slightly different agenda. They say things, but they don't really understand.

2:33They don't do the work. They want more benefits. They're telling everybody everything. And the number of police forces in England and Wales could be cut to as few as 12 in the biggest shake-up since the 1960s. There are currently 43. The idea is to make forces more effective by pooling technology, procurement and expertise. Victor Olesa, a former commander in the Met, has told Times Radio he backs the proposed changes. We'll get consistency in the way our police services are actually delivered. If you were to take a journey from one end of the country to the other, and you travel through maybe three or four forces, you can't expect the same level of service at the different forces.

3:13That can't be right. Policing should have a remarkable similarity in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. And you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

3:27This 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.

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