Evening Briefing Friday 14th 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. This is The Times Evening Briefing for Friday the 14th of November. I'm Will Hobbs. Improved economic forecasts are behind the Chancellor's decision not to hike income tax.

0:44A week ago, Rachel Reeves had suggested a rise was inevitable in her upcoming budget, but now plans to break Labour's manifesto pledges have been scrapped. It's understood the Office for Budget Responsibility, informed to this week that the hole in public finances is now closer to£20 billion rather than£30. The extra headroom is down to increased tax income and better-than-expected productivity forecasts. Former Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has been asked on Times Radio whether the U-turn from the Chancellor means the economy is turning a corner. I hope so, but I don't think that's the reason why things are a bit better for Rachel Reeves.

1:17I think it's a much more technical reason, which is that because inflation is a bit higher than forecast, it looks like salaries are going to be a bit higher than forecast and therefore tax receipts are a bit higher than forecast. And that can make a very big difference to your receipts in three or four years' time. So I think there was a sort of technical change rather than a fundamental improvement in the fortunes of the economy. In other news, a serial rapist, who police believe to be one of the most prolific sex offenders of all time, has been jailed for life. Chao Zhu must serve a minimum term of 14 years for multiple offences, including rape, sexual assault and upskirting.

1:54A 33-year-old Chinese national from South East London pleaded guilty to 24 sexual offences. A nursery worker in Surrey, meanwhile, has been detained for 10 years for rape and sexual abuse against boys as young as three. 18-year-old Thomas Waller took advantage of his position to gain the trust of two boys in his care. Judge Claire Harden-Frost said it was heartbreaking to see the boy's parents feeling responsible for what had happened. He was found guilty of rape, two counts of causing or inciting sexual activity and taking indecent photos. An ex-counselor has been found guilty of stalking former Tory leadership candidate Dame Penny Mordent.

2:30Edward Brandt's trial heard he sent her at least 17 emails and three phone messages. She told police she feared sexual violence. The 61-year-old from Livington in Hampshire was acquitted of a more serious offence of stalking involving serious alarm or distress. NHS trusts are scrambling to keep services running in England as resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, have started their five-day strike. Thousands of medics walked off the job at 7am this morning and will return on Wednesday. Storm Claudia is already triggering flood alerts across England with nearly 100 now in force. Amber warnings for heavy rain stretch across much of England and Wales, with some areas set for a month's rain in 24 hours.

3:10He's meteorologist Joe Wheeler. Parts of the southwest, parts of Wales, looking at 100 to 150 millimetres of rainfall, which is extraordinary at any time of the year, but particularly now. And then that rainbelt spreading its way eastwards. And it's just the fact that it can't move. It's going nowhere, not north, not south. It's just hanging around that is going to give this very significant rainfall, the risk of flooding, the risk of taking out power lines, that kind of thing. You can hear more of these stories throughout the evening on Times Radio.

4:02In 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.

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