Evening briefing Thursday 19th 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. Welcome to the Times Radio evening briefing on Thursday 19th February. King Charles says the law must take its course after his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office relating to his time as a UK trade envoy.

0:48The King also says the authorities will have his full and wholehearted support and cooperation. Andrew, who's 66 today, was held this morning on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Neither he nor the King were given advance warning. Addresses are being searched both in Norfolk and in Berkshire. The legal commentator Joshua Rosenberg says this is unprecedented. There was an incident more than 20 years ago when the Princess Royal was charged with, I think, allowing her dogs to roam free. So the royal family are not above the law, something which I think politicians and indeed the king has been emphasising today.

1:24But we've not seen a member of the royal family arrested, having his homes searched, that sort of thing, in modern times. It's pretty shocking. Di Davis, a former head of Royal Protection, has told Times Radio the King needs to be investigated as well. I'd be looking at his role and those who have been advising the King for the last number of years. That's going to have to come out, unfortunately. And if it shows that courtiers and others, police officers, you name it, those travelling, knew about some of these actions. Perhaps they did, perhaps they didn't. It's an allegation, but it has to be investigated.

2:00There's no going back now. The historian A.N. Wilson says Andrew's arrest is something new. There's nobody in the history of the royal family as clod-hoppingly awful as Andrew Mountbatten Winter. That's not to say he's guilty of any offence. We don't know yet. It's never happened before and it's in a way unimaginable. When you think of the quite boring, if we're being honest, royal family going about their duties very well and everybody's cheered up if they come to open a hospital or your school or whatever it may be. This throws an absolute bomb into the whole idea of the monarchy. Andrew's always denied any wrongdoing.

2:36In other news, the Times understands the UK has yet to give permission for the US to use the military base on Diego Garcia and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire in the event that Donald Trump orders a strike on Iran. Trump said last night he wants the UK to scrap the Chagos deal with Mauritius. A man's been arrested after a woman was found dead in a freezer in Wales. Officers were called to a property in Porth Call on Tuesday afternoon where they discovered the body of an 80-year-old woman. A 60-year-old man is being held on suspicion of preventing a lawful burial. And a lobbying firm founded by Lord Mandelson has gone into administration.

3:12Staff at Global Council have been told it's no longer a going concern. Clients removed their business following revelations in the Epstein files. Mandelson denies all wrongdoing. 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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