Afternoon Briefing Wednesday 11th June

0:00The youth mental health crisis is growing, and social media is a major driver. Kids are spending up to nine hours a day on screens, often unsupervised, and studies show a direct link to anxiety, depression, and social media, and social media, social media. parent-enabled apps for teens, each device allows kids to more safely grow their independence. Visit gab.com slash getgab and use code getgab for an exclusive offer. That's g-a-b-b dot com forward slash getgab. Gab, tech in steps, independence for them, peace of mind for parents.

0:54Hello, this is your Times Afternoon Briefing for Wednesday the 11th of June with me, James Kitchen. The Chancellor will promise to invest in Britain's renewal when she reveals her spending plans later. Rachel Reeves' spending review is expected to include£113 billion of investment thanks to looser borrowing rules. The Times' political editor Stephen Swinford described this afternoon as a make-or-break moment for both the Chancellor and the Prime Minister. They have had a really difficult first year in office. It's seen their popularity in the polls Plummet, Rachel Reeves' reputation personally has been pretty much shredded.

1:29She's had that U-turn on winter fuel payments. She did a big package of tax cuts in the autumn. And this is their chance to tell our listeners and our readers more broadly, what is it all for? What is this government about? And can Rachel Reeves actually retain her authority? Despite receiving a spending boost, it's understood the NHS won't come close to meeting Sir Keir Starmer's waiting list pledge. The government's own modelling suggests 80 % of patients will have surgery within 18 weeks by the end of the current parliament. That's 12 % short of the Prime Minister's target. The Labour MP and member of the Treasury Select Committee, Dr Cheven Sander, told Times Radio there will always be trade-offs.

2:08This is a government that was elected to make us better off. This is a spending review that will make us better off. Getting energy bills down by investing in clean energy. The waiting lists, they are coming down on the other side. And of course, on the other bit, investing to get wages up, trams, trains, make sure we can get to work more easily. We are elected to make people better off and the spending review today will have more detail about how we're going to do exactly that. Elon Musk says he regrets some of his social media posts, criticising Donald Trump. The pair had a spectacular public falling out last week with the Tesla founder branding the US president's spending bill a disgusting abomination.

2:45Taking to X, the tech billionaire said his comments went too far. Five men have been arrested after bricks and petrol bombs were thrown at police in County Antrim for a second night, leaving 17 officers injured in violence condemned as racist thuggery. The protests stem from an alleged sexual assault. Some homes in Ballymena displayed signs reading British Household, and families were seen with suitcases in the early hours. And in inquiries recommending signs displaying no ballgame should be banned to encourage children's play. Leading experts claim smartphones have an addictive grip on too many youngsters who are doom-scrolling while their health deteriorates.

3:23Speaking to Times Radio, the founder of the Centre for Young Lives, Baroness Longfield, said positive change wouldn't require huge amounts of funding. For relatively modest amounts, we can look at reclaiming our parks, helping parents play with their children, building play into the school day. But it needs that leadership across all of those different departments. We also want to see restrictions on smartphones for children under 16. And actually, for the most addictive smartphone apps, we'd like to see a health warning there so children and parents know what they're getting into. And remember, you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

4:05The youth mental health crisis is growing and social media is a major driver. Kids are spending up to 9 hours a day on screens, often unsupervised, and studies show a direct link to anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts. That's where Gab comes in. Gab offers safer phones and watches for kids with no social media, tailored to every age, offering the right tech at the right time, or tech in steps. From GPS tracking enabled watches for younger kids to phones with parent enabled apps for teens, each device allows kids to more safely grow their independence. Visit gab.com slash getgab and use code getgab for an exclusive offer.

4:47That's gab.com forward slash getgab. Gab, tech in steps, independence for them, peace of mind for parents. Russell! Russell! Russell Brand is currently standing trial on charges of rape and other sexual offences. He has pleaded not guilty to them. Reporters from The Times and The Sunday Times will be in the courtroom every single day to watch what happens. Then they'll join me, Luke Jones, in the podcast studio to unpack everything they have heard. Search for The Trial of Russell Brand wherever you get your podcasts.