Evening briefing Monday 18th May

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 Evening Briefing on Monday the 18th of May. Sir Keir Starmer says he will not be stepping down as Prime Minister.

0:43Asked if he would set a timetable for his departure if Andy Burnham wins the Makerfield by-election, he said he would not do that. But he says he will be backing whoever the Labour candidate is 100%. Sir Keir, who has a huge majority in Parliament, would still like to serve two terms in office. I do want to fight the next election. Obviously I recognise that after the local election results, the elections in Wales and Scotland as well, that the first task is obviously turning things around, making sure that my focus is in the right place. The last ten days there's been a lot of activity which hasn't been as focused in my view as it should have been.

1:21And I remind myself every day that I was elected into office to serve the people, to serve the country. That's what I believe in and that's what I'll be getting on with. Andy Burnham says he does not want to take Britain back into the EU. The mayor of Greater Manchester, who has called for closer ties in the past, says re-arguing the case could damage democracy. My view is that Brexit has been damaging, but I also believe the last thing we should do right now is rerun those arguments. Britain will be stuck in a permanent rut if we're just constantly arguing and people are pulling away from each other.

2:01It is time, surely, isn't it, to bring people back together, to focus on what we've got in common. Parents could be jailed if their children repeatedly break the law and they fail to stop them. The maximum fine will also go above the present£1 ,000. Figures from the Ministry of Justice show 8 out of 10 prolific offenders committed their first crime as a child. The Justice Secretary David Lammy has told Times Radio he's very keen to implement the plans. So that we can deal with those 14 ,000 or so young people who are prolific offenders in our neighbourhoods, that's raised on the doorstep, every town, every city, people are worried about these young people, often traumatised, often got mental health issues and often no parent in sight.

2:45That's what they want us to see us doing and that's what I'm determined to deliver. And the World Health Organization says an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has not yet met the criteria for a pandemic. But there is a global risk to public health because of travel and trade. 80 suspected deaths have been reported in the Central African country. Paul Hunter, Professor of Health Protection at the University of East Anglia, has told Times Radio it's an extremely serious disease. It is highly lethal. It causes catastrophic bleeding and death. It always comes from wild mammals, usually bats, and then spreads person to person.

3:24And for it to spread person to person, you've got to have fairly close contact, which is one of the reasons why in many outbreaks, the group that suffers most is healthcare workers. And 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.

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