Evening briefing on Tuesday 21st October

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0:35This is your Times evening briefing on Tuesday 21st October. A third survivor of child sexual abuse has withdrawn from the National Inquiry into grooming gangs. Downing Street is denying the situation is in crisis. The Conservatives accuse the government of diluting the scope of the investigation. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour has never supported this inquiry. When calls for a National Inquiry became public in January, The Prime Minister smeared campaigners as jumping on a far-right bandwagon. Comments like that are a disgrace. He also asked the government to appoint a judge as chair, not someone from policing or social care.

1:15Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said allegations of intentional delay in dilution were false. The Times can exclusively reveal that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is planning to raise money in the budget by targeting limited liability partnerships. They're used by lawyers, particularly in Magic Circle firms. It's believed the money raised could amount to around£2 billion. In today's episode of the State of It podcast, Stephen Swinford explains how the money will come from the partnerships. By some weird anachronism of the tax system, they're not subject to employers' national insurance. So our companies are, our businesses are, but they're not.

1:52And they're also treated as self-employed people. And Rachel Reeves is looking at that, and I'm told her view is, that is fundamentally unfair. You have some of the richest people in the country that are paying less tax as a proportion of their income than other people. And she wants to address that with a kind of national insurance tax rate on those very wealthy people. Preparations for talks between presidents Trump and Putin remain undecided following a call between Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov. President Zelensky and European leaders, meanwhile, have said that the current line of contact should be the starting point for negotiations after Trump reportedly pressured Ukraine to surrender the Donbass.

2:30Elsewhere, Defence Secretary John Healy said the UK would provide £100 million worth of funding for the coalition of the willing. Times Defence editor Larissa Brown explained why there's some unwillingness amongst European nations. It's not clear whether the UK troops on the ground would be able to fire back. You know, would they just leave? In fact, Healy was asked about this a few months ago and he didn't provide a certain answer to that. So that was quite worrying. Putin will know this. He knows that he could test these forces. He could send in drones, claim that they're not actually Russian, attack some British troops and see what our response is.

3:03So it's an incredibly potentially volatile situation. And I think that's what the Europeans are really, really afraid of. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has been accused of fomenting division and anger after he backed a ban of women wearing the burqa. Mr Jenrick, who ran against Kemi Badenock in last year's Conservative leadership contest, departed from her position with his remarks on talk. Well, I probably would ban the burqa. I think there's definitely a strong argument for it. There are basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them. Labour Party spokesperson described it as another open challenge to Kemi Badenock's authority from her wants and future leadership rival.

3:41The former Chief Constable of Northamptonshire Police has been charged with fraud and misconduct in public office after allegedly lying about his military service. The Independent Office for Police Conduct, said Nick Adderley, is accused of making false claims of being a decorated Navy officer while applying to work for the force. The Crown Prosecution Service, said Adderley, is also alleged to have lied about his education achievements. He'll appear at Westminster Magistrates Court next month. You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. That's your Times Evening Briefing on Tuesday 21st October.

4:18Thank you.

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