Daily briefing Sunday 21st June

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 Radio Daily Briefing on Sunday, the 21st of June. The cabinet minister has denied reports that the prime minister could set out a timetable for his departure as soon as tomorrow.

0:46Andy Burnham is due to arrive in Westminster following his victory in the Makerfield by-election. The prime minister has been talking to cabinet ministers and others. Peter Kyle, the business secretary, has told Times Radio the PM is focusing on the country and not on personal ambition. Kyle spoke to Starmer on Friday. I found it really quite moving the way that he led through that conversation and I suspect the way he's led through other conversations at the moment. And I find it quite moving how he is at this moment in time still thinking to himself what does the country want and what would the country benefit from most at such a challenging moment in our politics.

1:22Starmer has been Prime Minister for almost two years. Sunday Times journalist Jason Cowley says he's never caught the imagination of the voters. What people see actually is a knight of the realm, a former director of public prosecutions, a North London human rights lawyer. They don't see a kind of spontaneous, charismatic, relaxed public speaker, public operator. And I think that's been really problematic for Keir Starmer. Who he thinks he is and what the public see, there's a contradiction there or a tension. Conservative leader Kenny Badenoch says her party will never do a deal with Reform UK.

2:01She claims Nigel Farage's party is focused on a bigger state, more spending and nationalisation. The shadow Chancellor, Mel Stride, claims the tide is turning and people could leave reform and return to the Tories. I've started to be asked about whether I would have people back into the Conservative Party rather than what was happening a year ago, which was who do you think is going to jump ship next? Things are changing, I think fairly fundamentally at the moment. And I think we're making good progress based on being the serious grown-up party that's doing the deep thinking that's required to come up with the solutions to the deep and difficult challenges that our country faces.

2:35The King and Prince William will reveal on Thursday how much tax they are paying. Buckingham Palace will disclose how much his majesty and the heir to the throne sent to HMRC on income from the Duchy of Lancaster and the Duchy of Cornwall. Roya Nikar is the Sunday Times' royal editor. The whole point of this is to try and improve transparency around royal finances, which are under huge scrutiny now, with everything that came out in the National Audit Office report a couple of weeks ago about the former Prince Andrew having sublet cottages at his former home royal lodge, with a cosy arrangement with the Crown Estate, his daughters never having paid any rent at their Grace and Favour homes.

3:13And the Met Office has issued an amber warning for extreme heat with temperatures expected to reach 35 or 36 degrees this week. The alert covers much of southern England and parts of Wales. You can follow the Times Radio 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.

4:00PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk. At Brookfield, we believe you can own wealth that's measured in generations. For 125 years, we've built long-term wealth through expertise, discipline, and a clear vision for the future, providing investors access to alternative strategies built for what's next. Brookfield. Own what's next. Learn more at brookfield.com. This is not an offer to sell or investment advice. Investing involves risks, including loss of capital. Past performance is not indicative nor a guarantee of future results.

4:40Please review performance and offering materials before investing.