Afternoon Briefing Wednesday 27th August

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. Hello, this is your Times Afternoon Briefing for Wednesday the 27th of August with me, James Kitchen. The Conservative MSP, Graham Simpson, has defected from the Tories to Reform UK.

0:44Speaking at a news conference, the politician said it's an enormous wrench to leave the party he joined at the age of 15, but he wants to help Reform achieve something fresh. It comes as new YouGov polling for The Times shows that Labour has slumped to a low of 20 % in the opinion polls. Nigel Farage's Reform Party comes ahead on 28%. It has a lead on Labour in England, Scotland and Wales. trailing are the Conservatives on 17%, one point ahead of the Liberal Democrats. Times Radio's Adam Bolton shared his reaction to the numbers. Of course, the big caveat on all this is that currently Labour has a very substantial parliamentary majority.

1:23But on the other hand, this sustained lead and the ability for Nigel Farage in particular to make the political weather over the summer must suggest to some people that there is a very real possibility now of an absolute sea change in British politics. The EU relations minister has told Times Radio the government's had assurances a French maritime law change to tackle small boats will proceed. Plans for French police to help prevent channel crossings are under threat because of the potential collapse of France's government over its budget plans. The French cabinet agreed in June to change the way in which maritime law is interpreted to enable authorities to intercept migrant boats within 300 metres of the coast.

2:07Nick Thomas-Simmons told Times Radio the proposal should go ahead as planned. The ability for French police to intercept the boats within 300 metres of the shore in shallow water, that wasn't the case before. The migration pilot, the one-in-one-out deal with the French government, is hugely important as well. And that is the contrast. This government getting on with practical measures that are going to make a difference. Well, all you hear from Nigel Farage and reform is to stoke the problem and make a series of empty, unrealistic promises. Households are being urged to consider switching to fixed deals after a bigger than expected hike in energy bills ahead of the winter.

2:46Ofgems announced its price cap will rise by 2 % in October, costing the typical home an extra£35 a year. Times Radio's business correspondent is Dominic O 'Connell. It's going up in part because the government has extended the warm home discount, which gives discounted energy bills to some people. That will cost the average bill payer about£15 a year. The outlook for January, when we next have a reset, is fairly uncertain. Gas prices have been volatile. Cornwall Insight, which is the agency that does very well at predicting these things, says that at the moment it expects a small drop in January.

3:22More than 6 million new cases of cancer could be diagnosed in England by 2040. That's according to 60 charities who are warning detection rates could double from that of the 1970s. They're urging the government to commit to measures including earlier diagnosis and better support for patients in its upcoming national cancer plan. And Thames Waters agreed to pay a fifth of its record£122 million fine by the end of September. It was handed the penalties by the industry watchdog in May over sewage treatment failures and the payment of dividends. And remember, you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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4:47This week on The Business, part two of our mini-series, Power Struggle. We're asking, will Andy Burnham say yes to more oil and gas exploration in the North Sea? We've gone from an energy exporter as a country to an energy importer. I think it's a tapestry. Join me, Hannah Previtt. And me, Dominic O 'Connell, for weekly conversations from the world of business and entrepreneurship. Follow us wherever you get your podcasts or find our channel on YouTube by searching Times Business.