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Times Radio News Briefing

24 Jan 2026 · 4m · 7 chapters

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Daily Briefing Saturday 24th January

In short

Times Radio Daily Briefing (24 Jan) covering UK intergenerational welfare/jobs policy, Labour leadership politics, Ukraine energy outages and US-Russia-Ukraine talks, Afghanistan troop claims by Donald Trump and responses from Prince Harry and Falklands veteran Simon Weston, and Iran-US tensions after Iranian warnings.

Guests

Alan Milburn (former UK health secretary; argues governments invested in older people over youth, warning of a moral/social/economic crisis). Angus Hanton (co-founder, Intergenerational Foundation; says funding and pay-as-you-go politics drive the problem). John Luff (former NATO representative to Moscow; expects war and parallel “peace process” to continue).

Key claims/examples

“WorkSell” warns of a lost generation of nearly one million under-24s not in work/education/training; Chernihiv region power cuts and ~6,000 Kiev buildings without heat; Trump falsely claimed British troops weren’t on Afghanistan front line; Iran says any attack triggers all-out war.

Written by AI. May contain mistakes.

Chapters

0:39

Concerns about Youth Employment

Discussion on the warning of a lost generation of young people in the UK.

“normal mental health conditions to a life on benefits.”
1:03

Funding Issues in the UK

Analysis of funding challenges affecting younger generations in the UK.

“The co-founder of the Intergenerational Foundation think tank, Angus Hanton, told Times Radio the problem comes down to funding.”
1:38

Political Moves of Andy Burnham

Update on Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's potential return to Parliament.

“Andy Burnham has until five o 'clock this afternoon to decide if he wants to seek a return to Parliament.”
2:07

Ukraine Power Cuts Amid Conflict

Reports on power cuts in Ukraine's Chernihiv region following a Russian attack.

“Hundreds of thousands of homes in Ukraine's Chernihiv region are reported to have suffered power cuts following a Russian attack on an energy facility.”
2:28

Continued War Dynamics

Insight into the ongoing Ukraine conflict and international discussions.

“John Luff is a former NATO representative to Moscow.”
2:50

Trump's Controversial Comments

Reaction to Trump's remarks about British troops and their implications.

“Donald Trump's facing growing pressure to apologise after falsely claiming British troops weren't on the front line in Afghanistan.”
3:38

Iran's Military Response Warning

Iran warns of severe consequences for any attack amidst rising tensions.

“And a senior Iranian officials warning the country will treat any attack as an all-out war against us.”
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Transcript

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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 Radio Daily Briefing for Saturday the 24th of January, with me, James Kitchen. Sir Keir Starmer's WorkSell has warned Britain is writing off a generation of young people with normal mental health conditions to a life on benefits.

0:47Alan Milburn says the UK faces a lost generation of nearly one million under 24s who are not in employment, education or training. The former health secretary told The Times successive governments had made the wrong choice by investing in older generations rather than younger people. He warns Britain faces a moral, social and economic crisis. The co-founder of the Intergenerational Foundation think tank, Angus Hanton, told Times Radio the problem comes down to funding. The idea that we pay in all our life and take out when we're older is all very sweet and sounds good, but the reality is we live in a pay-as-you-go or beggar-thy-neighbour sort of world.

1:25So what the government's considering is not what to do with some pot of money that's been paid in, because that's all been spent. The government are considering what to do with the limited amount of tax revenue that they get at the moment and how to allocate that. And their decisions, as Alan Milburn says, have been driven, I think, probably through political expediency. Andy Burnham has until five o 'clock this afternoon to decide if he wants to seek a return to Parliament. Labour's executive body, which contains many loyalists to Sir Keir Starmer, will rule whether the current Greater Manchester Mayor can stand in May's Gorton and Denton by-election.

1:59The Times understands that former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner will throw her weight behind Mr Burnham at the party's Northwest Conference later. Hundreds of thousands of homes in Ukraine's Chernihiv region are reported to have suffered power cuts following a Russian attack on an energy facility. Meanwhile, the mayor of Kiev says around 6 ,000 buildings are without heat after heavy overnight bombardment in which one person was killed. It comes as trilateral talks between the US, Russia and Ukraine continue for a second day in Abu Dhabi. John Luff is a former NATO representative to Moscow.

2:33For now, I suspect the war is going to continue and a so-called peace process will continue in parallel until perhaps the point is reached where President Trump loses interest because he frankly has other things to do at the moment, whether it's Greenland, Venezuela, Cuba, Gaza. I think the bandwidth for dealing with Ukraine is diminishing by the day. Donald Trump's facing growing pressure to apologise after falsely claiming British troops weren't on the front line in Afghanistan. Prince Harry, who served in the conflict twice, has joined Sakhir Starmer in criticising the remarks, saying the sacrifices of NATO allies deserve respect.

3:10The Falklands War veteran Simon Weston told Times Radio the President's comments exemplified ignorance. What does he know about the front line? What does he know where the front line is? When has he ever been on the front line? That man has only ever fired a secretary or somebody on The Apprentice. He's never actually shot anything or anybody or had to do anything in the way of being in the sights of somebody. I think it's just sheerly insulting. And a senior Iranian officials warning the country will treat any attack as an all-out war against us. The US aircraft carrier strike group is heading to the region which Donald Trump's calling an American armada.

3:50Thousands of Iranians have been killed in recent demonstrations. The officials told Reuters the military's ready for the worst-case scenario but hopes the US fleet isn't intended for real confrontation. And remember, you can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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5:05Really? And you just put in your info and boom. Cars in your budget. Mom needs a second, honey. You can really have it delivered? Really. Or I can pick it up at the dealership. One sec, sweetie. Mommy's buying a car. Mommy, look. Uh, I think your kid is walking up the slide. Kyle, again? Really? AutoTrader. Buy your car online. Really?

From the publisher
The Times Radio briefing for Saturday 24th January. For more on these stories throughout the day tune into Times Radio - on DAB, online, through your smart speaker or on the Times Radio app.

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