Evening briefing Monday 27th April

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 27th of April. MPs are to vote on whether Sir Keir Starmer should face a parliamentary sleaze inquiry over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to the United States.

0:47The PM's accused of misleading the Commons by claiming the due process was followed and no pressure whatsoever was applied to the Foreign Office. Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has been updating members. I've decided to allow the House to come to a view on whether the Committee of Privileges should look at the matter. It is not for me to make any decision or view. Therefore, the leader of the opposition will have the opportunity to put the matter to the House tomorrow. Starmer denies misleading the Commons. The leader of Birmingham City Council says an end to the bin strike there is within sight.

1:24John Cotton says he believes a new, improved offer can be made. One Kassab from Unite has told Times Radio it's a victory for the union. We're back to the ballpark that we were talking about in the summer when we were at ACAS. And we've been demanding, let's get back to those talks and start those again. And the deal that we've got in front of us is exactly that. It's the ballpark that was talked about at that point. It gives our members an increased cushion so that they can deal with the new grades. It also deals with the issues around agency staff. Victims of Geoffrey Epstein plan to protest outside the White House during the King and Queen's visit.

2:01They're expected to demonstrate in Washington, D.C. after the royals declined an invitation to meet them. The brother and sister-in-law of Virginia Dufresne, one of Epstein's most prominent accusers, said Charles should meet victims. It means something to look into a survivor's eyes and say, I promise to give you a fair and thorough investigation in this. We're hoping that just that one thread of acknowledgement, it would set an example to our own president and to the rest of the leadership in the world that we need to take this seriously. The King's brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was friends with Epstein and denies all wrongdoing.

2:36And Sir Keir Starmer says the tide could be turning against shoplifting. He says the£200 threshold for investigation has been scrapped and there are 3 ,000 more neighbourhood police officers on the streets. Edward Woodall, chief exec of the Association of Convenience Stores, has told Times Radio that coverage, though, is patchy. It really depends where retailers are trading. I think different police forces have a different approach. Some are doing a really good job. Others are still on a pathway to sort of addressing this. When we look at our figures, the numbers are pretty stark. 5.8 million shop theft incidents reported in convenience stores.

3:13But what we've seen for the first time this year is that number starting to level off. 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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