Evening Briefing Tuesday 2nd December

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. Hello, this is your Times Evening Briefing for Tuesday 2nd of December with me, James Kitchen. The courts minister has told Times Radio the removal of juries in some cases will put the criminal justice system on a more sustainable footing for the future.

0:47It comes after the Justice Secretary, David Lammy, announced juries will be scrapped in England and Wales for defendants facing a sentence of three years or less. Magistrates will also be handed more powers in a bid to reduce court backlogs. Speaking to Times Radio, Sarah Sackman insisted the reforms were necessary to improve the system. Is it right that a defendant accused of a crime, say like stealing a bottle of whiskey, can insist on the right to a jury trial and be placed in the same queue as the victim of rape? So with all the taxpayer's expense, with all the delay, can they insist or should we have a system where where your trial is heard is triaged by an expert, namely the judge, the court themselves?

1:28Vladimir Putin has accused Europe of hindering US efforts to end the war in Ukraine, calling its demands not acceptable. In a speech in Moscow, the Russian leader said we're not going to fight with Europe, but if Europe wants to fight with us, we are ready right now. President Putin is meeting the US envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin for negotiations on the draft peace plan. Roger Boyes is The Times' diplomatic editor. The truth is that Putin is not a great war leader. He's captured very little over a long period of time, lost a lot of money, lost a lot of people. and hasn't really won the war militarily.

2:07But there are political goals that he can achieve and still emerge as some kind of victor at the end of it. And one of them is splitting Europe. Ministers have delayed a decision on a proposed Chinese super embassy in London until the new year. Some MPs have urged the government to reject the application on the site of the former Royal Mint for security reasons. The planning inspectorate is written to a cross-party group saying a decision will be made on 20 January. The Commons Public Accounts Committee is to launch a wide-ranging inquiry into Crown Estate property leases held by the royal family.

2:41It follows questions over the organisation's lease of the 30-room Royal Lodge to Andrew Mountbatten, Windsor. In October, the Times revealed the former prince had been paying a peppercorn rent for the Windsor mansion for two decades. He is now to live on the Sandringham estate at the king's private expense. Clive Betts is the Labour MP for Sheffield South East and a member of the committee. Speaking to Times Radio, he refused to be drawn on whether Mr Mountbatten-Windsor would appear at the inquiry. There aren't, I don't think, precedents, there aren't rules. The committee will look at the situation as it is.

3:15It will look at the situation with regard to the individual who's been renting the Royal Lodge. His status has clearly changed. Now, whether that therefore changes how the committee may deal with that is a matter the committee will deal with at the time. And a report into the 1989 Hillsborough disaster has found police were guilty of complacency, failure and a concerted effort to blame fans. 97 Liverpool supporters were killed in the stadium crush, considered the most catastrophic event in British sporting history. The police watchdog says 12 officers would have faced misconduct proceedings if they hadn't retired before investigation started.

3:53And remember, you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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