Evening briefing Friday 9th October

0:03This is The Times News Briefing for Friday 9 October. The UK has issued a joint statement with allies reaffirming its continuing and unwavering support for the International Criminal Court. It comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it a rogue court and called on international partners to join the American boycott. A senior Liberal Democrat MP, Charlie Maynard, has resigned from the party's frontbench in what's reported to be an effort to remove the leader, Sir Ed Davey. The MP for Whitney has quit as a Treasury spokesman. Anna Mihailova is Times Radio's political editor. There has been a debate internally over where Ed Davy is taking the party.

0:45Some of the decisions that he's been making, including over the triple lock recently, his position on that, that's been criticised. And mostly, frankly, there's a frustration that having won very well in 2024 from where they were at, there's just been a situation of stasis and an inability really to make the news and climb in the polls at all. King Charles is believed to have paid the£1.5 billion bill for restoration costs to Royal Lodge for his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Andrew had been granted more than£300 ,000 in compensation after surrendering the lease on his former home. It came off the overall repair and restoration costs, which added up to£1.8 million.

1:26The king is thought to have paid this bill from his private income and offered the money to his brother on a loan basis. Here's The Times' royal editor, Kate Mansey, speaking to Times Radio. Charles has struck a new deal with him after he left Royal Lodge and he pays for his security, his lifestyle, it affords him a valet, a chef. And we understand that the king has also helped to clear some of his bills in this way as well. A South African judge and human rights champion who defended Nelson Mandela and led a UN inquiry that concluded Israel committed genocide in Gaza has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

2:04Navanatham Pillay, who was named this year's laureate for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Israel's condemned the Norwegian Nobel Committee after it announced this, claiming it's rewarded the biggest lie of the 21st century. Jane Flanagan is the Times Africa correspondent. She says Pillay is unlikely to be phased by the comments. I cannot think that she is going to be very bothered by the very severe criticism she's had, including from Donald Trump and also very strong criticism from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and also the Israeli Foreign Ministry who have condemned her as a bigot.

2:42And even saying that the news of this award would make Joseph Goebbels applaud from hell. I don't think she's going to be very bothered by those sort of comments. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner says that criminals are taking advantage of courts at breaking point. In an interview with The Times, Mark Rowley said we're seeing the consequences of an overloaded system. On October 1st, 700 eligible prisoners across England and Wales were released early as part of Labour's scheme to ease overcrowding in prisons. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.