Evening briefing Thursday 25th June

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0:35This is the Times Radio evening briefing for Thursday 25th June. Britain has broken a 50-year record for the hottest June day for the second day running. The Met Office says 36.7 degrees has been recorded at Merrifield and Somerset, beating yesterday's high in Hampshire. A red warning for extreme heat has been extended as London Ambulance Service records its highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies and several NHS trusts in England declare critical incidents. Desi Powell-Chandler from the consultancy Public First says more long-term preparation is needed. The immediate priority is obviously keeping people cool and safe and keeping critical services running.

1:13But we do have to be aware of the financial impacts of things like schools closing and the drop in productivity that we see in most offices when they get really hot. So this is an immediate safety issue, but there is an ongoing economic issue as this becomes more common. A former senior NATO officer has warned Britain could lose its leading role in the alliance unless defence spending rises faster. Admiral Sir Keith Blunt, who's just retired as Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told The Times that waiting until the next parliament to hit the 3 % target is too late and risks leaving the UK as a follower.

1:45But Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer says the country will emerge stronger militarily from an upcoming NATO summit. The defence investment plan is looking at the next generation capability, making sure that we're fully equipped across all of our armed forces. that will be additional money on top of the increase I've already put in place. That plan is being finalised and we will publish it before the NATO summit which is a week on Tuesday. Prosecutors say a child rapist who attacked a 12-year-old and groomed a 9-year-old girl lacked English moral values. 20-year-old Bangladesh-born Tarek Mia has been jailed for 15 years after pleading guilty to eight offences.

2:23Portsmouth Crown Court heard Mia, who moved to the UK aged three, play down the attacks as a silly mistake. The former newsreader and convicted sex offender Hugh Edwards appears to have started posting on Substack. He says he aims to rebuild some kind of worthwhile life with posts about mental health, trauma and current affairs. A barrister who led government inquiries into health scandals has told Times Radio that abuses happen where there's a lack of managerial scrutiny. It comes as the underfire Nottingham NHS Trust insists it's already made improvements after a report found horrific maternity care failings and bodies in its mortuary were found in a state of advanced deterioration.

3:02Michael Redphone-KC, who led inquiries into the Alder Hay and Sellafield scandals, says it comes down to culture. People under pressure cut corners. Expediency rather than principle can become the rule. accountability can be difficult to achieve in a large organization i came across a situation at alder hay where somebody could avoid their disciplinary record by moving to another hospital i don't know whether that has been stopped remember you can follow the times radio news briefing on spotify and listen live to times radio online

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