Afternoon briefing Wednesday 4th February

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. This is your Times Radio news briefing for the afternoon of Wednesday the 4th of February. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has told Times Radio that there are lessons to be learnt from how Peter Mandelson was appointed US ambassador, but also that the former Labour politician has betrayed his party and his country by his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

0:53I mean, the fact is what we know today is that Peter Mandelson has badly betrayed two prime ministers. He's betrayed our country and its national interest by passing highly sensitive, in some cases, market sensitive information to outsiders. He's betrayed Epstein's victims by being part of a culture that doesn't take the voices of victims seriously. Peter Mandelson is being investigated for misconduct in public office, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. He's always said he regrets his association with Epstein. Files suggest he forwarded information about the sale of assets after the financial crash to the convicted paedophile financier.

1:35The Conservatives will seek to get all files relating to his appointment published in what's called a humble address. Political editor of the Times, Stephen Swinford, explains how it'll work. There will be some kind of vote, but it looks like there is no whip, so it's going to pass. The government has tabled an amendment to the humble address so that it limits what could come out on the grounds of national security and also if it creates international issues. And that is hugely contentious in its own right because the Tories are saying that means you could stop information coming out that should be in the public domain.

2:09Meanwhile, Andrew has moved out of his home in Windsor to an undisclosed location in Sandringham. Royal correspondent Sarah Hewson told Times Radio it's understood this followed pressure from the King. Given the furore over the latest Epstein files and the damage that is being done, and given the reaction to those images that we saw earlier this week of Andrew riding a horse around the Windsor estate, waving to passers-by from his car, a decision was made that it was time to go and to go quietly. Thames Valley Police is assessing a claim that a woman was sent by Epstein to Andrew at Royal Lodge in 2010.

2:48Andrews always denied wrongdoing. Leicestershire police say a very serious incident has occurred at a university campus with roads being closed since 6pm yesterday. The local NHS Trust warned patients with appointments today of disruption due to the incident but details have not been confirmed. The Universities of Greenwich and Kent have confirmed they have now got approval for a formal merge. The new entity will be the third largest higher education institution in the UK and is consulting on being collectively named as the London and South East University Group, but will also still keep their separate identities.

3:24The university said the merge will provide a strong financial foundation for getting through economic challenges. The snooker player John Virgo has died at the age of 79. He won the UK Championship, but was also known for his work as a broadcaster on the snooker show Big Break. For more stories like this, listen throughout the day to Times Radio.

3:46This 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 I thought, what if I've scaled businesses? What if I scaled my philanthropy?

4:33What if I did as much in one year as I've done in my whole life? See how your wealth could have even greater meaning at creativeplanning.com slash impact.