Afternoon Briefing Wednesday 26th November

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, the 26th of November. A middle-class family with two earners could be£1 ,600 a year worse off after Rachel Reeves' budget this afternoon.

0:45That's because income tax thresholds will be extended and extra national assurance will be added to pensions contributions. The Chancellor is expected to announce more than a dozen tax rises in all. Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, has told Times Radio the government is prioritising economic stability. We had years of chaos under the Conservatives, from Boris Johnson's parties and rule-breaking to Liz Truss's mismanagement of the economy when family finances were deeply challenged. That's obviously all changed under this government. We've brought stability back to the economy, albeit an economy that has many challenges we recognise that we have to face and deal with.

1:24First and foremost, we have families in our minds and family finances at a time when we know many are struggling to make ends meet. Farmers have arrived in central London to protest against the government. They're demonstrating about changes to inheritance tax announced in the budget last year. Police put restrictions in place yesterday asking farmers not to bring tractors, but many have done that anyway. Dan Willis from Berkshire Farmers says they have the right to be there. The Met unfortunately have scored an own goal here and created carnage. We know it's come from government. We know they don't want to listen to us, whether in the house or on the street.

1:59and we need to exercise our right to protest. At the end of the day, that's what's happening today. The British Army has been forced to stop the use of its Ajax armoured fighting vehicle after dozens of soldiers fell ill because of vibration and hearing problems. An exercise took place on Salisbury Plain over the weekend. That was just weeks after a defence minister, Luke Pollard, showcased the vehicles and declared them safe for operations. More details from The Times' defence editor, Larissa Brown. Yesterday we found out that 31 soldiers had been affected during training over the weekend and it was so serious that soldiers leaving the vehicles were vomiting on Salisbury Plain and some of them were shaking so uncontrollably that they couldn't control their bodies at all and they all had to be assessed medically.

2:48Donald Trump's special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff, has been accused of coaching the Kremlin on how to get a deal past the US president. Bloomberg's been given a recording of a call between Whitcoff and one of Vladimir Putin's advisors. It's thought Vladimir Zelensky may visit. The White House of a deal gets close to a resolution. Nina Dos Santos, CNN's former Europe editor, says this revelation is likely to change the atmosphere. You can imagine the conversation is going to be a bit tenser now that Bloomberg appears to have published a transcript that shows Steve Witkoff essentially coaching the Kremlin on how to ask for the most and get Donald Trump, the US President, to agree to it.

3:27And you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. This 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.

4:09Discover more at pwc.co.uk. Hey, everybody. It's Farnoosh Charabi from the So Money Podcast. Today's episode is sponsored by NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, the show that breaks down financial decisions with a team of trusted journalists. You'll get research-backed insights and clear pros and cons, whether you're planning a big purchase or just want to grow your wealth. They explain the why behind decisions like investing, home buying, and choosing credit cards with clear research-backed insights. Make your next financial move with confidence. Follow NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast on your favorite podcast app.