Evening briefing Friday 20th 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 the Times Radio evening briefing on Friday 20th February. The Metropolitan Police says it's assessing whether London airports were used for human trafficking and sexual exploitation by Jeffrey Epstein.

0:46Times Radio's Hugo Chambrae has been looking at their statement. The police say they're working with law enforcement in other countries, including the US, after the release of the Epstein files. They also say they're identifying and getting in touch with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's former and serving close protection officers, telling them to come forward with any information they have. The Met says at the moment there are no new criminal allegations about sexual offences. This is separate police action to the investigation under which Andrew was arrested yesterday on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.

1:15The former prince has always denied any wrongdoing. The government is considering bringing legislation to remove him from the line of succession, though, once the police have finished their investigations. It would require an act of parliament, and it would need the agreement of any other countries where the king is head of state. Valentine Lowe, a former royal correspondent for The Times, thinks the monarchy will be able to pull through this scandal. I do think that in the long term, 10 years down the line, it will probably be seen as an Andrew problem rather than a monarchy problem. I think the monarchy will survive.

1:50But I don't say that with huge confidence. The US Supreme Court has ruled that many of Donald Trump's tariffs, including from Liberation Day, are illegal. Judges voted at 6-3 that the president overreached. He's then lashed out at two of his own appointees who voted against him. I'm ashamed of certain members of the court, absolutely ashamed for not having the courage to do what's right for our country. The Democrats on the court, they also are a, frankly, disgrace to our nation, those justices. But you can't knock their loyalty. you can do with some of our people. The president says he will impose new 10 % global tariffs to make up for that, but that will be under a different law which only allows import taxes for 150 days.

2:42The Times' assistant US editor David Charter says he is allowed to do that, but it's not really the same. It's a massive setback, I would say, for Trump. And that's an admission that he's been hurt and defeated by this ruling. That's why he's been so vitriolic. I mean, I've never heard an American president, frankly, slag off the US Supreme Court in this manner. The Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has urged the US to keep negotiating with Iran rather than launch military action. She's met the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the British government refused to let the US use RAF bases for airstrikes.

3:19and two teenagers have been sentenced to a combined 32 years in prison for murdering a father in an unprovoked racist attack in South Wales. 38-year-old Kamran Aman was stabbed in the heart after dropping off groceries at his mother's home in Barry. Don't forget you can subscribe to the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify or listen live to Times Radio online.

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.