Evening briefing Thursday 5th February

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0:36This is the Times Radio evening briefing for Thursday 5th February. The Prime Minister is insisting he'll carry on, despite mounting pressure on his leadership over the Mandelson affair. Sir Keir Starmer apologised to victims of Jeffrey Epstein, saying he's sorry for believing Mandelson's lies and appointing him ambassador to the US. Opposition parties are calling for a vote of confidence in Starmer. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch told reporters he'll have to be dragged out of No. 10. He is backtracking now because he's a coward. The fact is he saw security vetting that had information that every single person in this room would have realised made Mandelson unsuitable.

1:14And he still went ahead and appointed him because he thought he was being clever. He should be apologising for ignoring the security advice rather than apologising for believing Mandelson. It comes as the government's being forced to hand over information about Mandelson's appointment to a parliamentary committee after a revolt by senior backbenchers. The Times' political editor Stephen Swinford says tens of thousands of messages are likely to be included. You've got this now unexploded bomb. I am told there is a unit in the Cabinet Office that is desperately trying to scope out the scale of this challenge.

1:45They are now legally bound to give everything that Mandelson did, except on some narrow national security grounds and international relations grounds. This will be a treasure trove of information, the most intimate communications from Lord Mandelson to everyone in government. Meanwhile, the king has been heckled by members of the public over his brother's relationship with Epstein. During a walkabout in Essex, Charles was asked whether he'd asked police to investigate and whether the royal family would assist the investigation into the disgraced financier. In other news, a 15-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after an incident locked down a school in Wales.

2:22Lifford Powers Police say a teacher was attacked by a pupil with a weapon at Milford Haven Comprehensive in Pembrokeshire this afternoon. An e-bike rider has died after a collision with a horse and cart in London. Police say the driver of the cart has been arrested on suspicion of wanton and furious driving. A 26-year-old cyclist was pronounced dead at the scene in Chingford last night. Detectives are appealing for witnesses. A family of a university student fatally stabbed in Leicester have thanked emergency services and members of the public who tried to save him. Police say an 18-year-old man is being questioned over the death of Khalid Oladipo.

2:55The 20-year-old was a cyber security student at De Montfort University. And the Bank of England has held interest rates at 3.75 % as forecasters had predicted. However, an unexpectedly close vote in the Monetary Policy Committee, 5-4, has raised expectations of future rate cuts. Andrew Bailey is the central bank's governor. As inflation has fallen, we've been able to ease our foot off the brake, making monetary policy less restrictive by cutting bank rates six times, including at the meeting we held in December. Recent developments provide more confidence that inflation is on track to return to the target soon.

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