Afternoon briefing Wednesday 23rd 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. Welcome to the Times Afternoon Briefing on Wednesday 23rd July. The Shadow Community Secretary has told Times Radio, if Sir Keir Starmer is more interested in housing asylum seekers than in finding somewhere for British people to live.

0:46I was furious. I genuinely couldn't believe he said this when the Prime Minister was at the Liaison Committee and blithely said, oh, there are plenty of houses around the UK for asylum seekers. When there are people telling us and telling him that they're struggling to get on the housing ladder and he dismisses their concerns in one line and once again demonstrates he is more interested in finding accommodation for asylum seekers than for hard-working young people here in the UK. And that is toxic. Sir James Cleveley, who's just taken a job in the Tory shadow cabinet, was speaking after Downing Street officials warned that Britain is fraying at the edges.

1:25Sir Keir Starmer is demanding urgent action from cabinet ministers to avoid a repeat of last summer's riots. The Prime Minister has told the cabinet it's vital to repair Britain's social fabric and improve integration in regions experiencing high levels of migration. Luke Trill from More In Common has done research on community tensions. He's told Times Radio there are some serious concerns. On an issue like asylum hotels, from our research, I have no problem saying I think there's been a disaster for social cohesion on lots of different levels, and people don't feel like the government has listened to their concerns around them, nor have they followed through on other promises around stopping the boats.

2:04Companies like Deliveroo are to be told which hotels asylum seekers are in. The idea is to make it easier to spot people delivering takeaways illegally. Home Office Minister Seema Malhotra says people and businesses are being exploited. Sharing of accounts with people who do not have the right to work that is undermining honest businesses and exploiting vulnerable people. That's why it's really important that we get a grip on this because we want to see an end to illegal working. And a co-chair of the BMA's Resident Doctors' Committee has told Times Radio that if NHS trusts try to continue routine care during a five-day strike, it could amount to dereliction of duty.

2:43We need to be very careful that we're not double booking consultants to do both elective care and also cover the acute take in hospitals. Because if they're not covering the acute care, like in A &E, for example, and saying that clinics should go ahead instead, then they're making a dereliction of their duty. They need to ensure safe care above all else. And if they're unwilling to do that, then that's a really concerning thing to hear. Dr Ross Nevote, during previous strikes, thousands of operations and appointments were cancelled, but this time NHS England wants to maintain some regular care.

3:18Doctors say the strikes starting on Friday are likely to go ahead. And you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

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