Evening briefing Tuesday 2nd September

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

0:36This is the Times Evening Briefing for Tuesday 2nd September. The Father Ted writer Graham Linehan was arrested at Heathrow Airport yesterday in connection with his social media posts. Linehan says it relates to tweets he made about transgender issues, including one where he suggests punching trans people in the crotch. Police say he's now been bailed after the arrest on suspicion of inciting violence and was taken to hospital over fears for his health. Times Radio's Alex Dibble says Linehan has been writing about his experience. He says he was treated like a terrorist when he arrived in Britain.

1:08He said the moment I stepped off the plane at Heathrow, five armed police officers were waiting. He said that the stress of the arrest and what happened ended up threatening his life, which is why he ended up in hospital, although the Metropolitan Police say that his condition was not life-threatening. The Prime Minister is considering a rollout of digital ID cards as part of measures to tackle illegal immigration. So Keir Starmer hasn't decided whether identification cards could be made compulsory. Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden told The Times the UK is behind the curve in digital ID. We believe in the power of public services and the public sphere to do good.

1:46Precisely because of that, there's a duty on us to modernise the state, to make it as efficient as it can, as it can be, to make it better for the future and not allow it to be caught in time as a technological revolution proceeds elsewhere in people's lives. New Green Party leader Zach Polanski has told Times Radio there's no point in setting an arbitrary limit on immigration. A 42-year-old self-described eco-populist has been elected in a landslide with 84 % of the vote. He's promised left-wing economic policies and to boost the number of Green MPs from four. The value of the pound has sunk as the cost of long-term government borrowing reached its highest rate this century.

2:27It ramps up pressure on the Chancellor, but finances already tight ahead of her budget this autumn. Katie Prescott is The Times' technology business editor. People in the city have been talking about little else. This is because the UK government's long-term borrowing costs have hit a level not seen since the 1990s. Why is this important? Well, when government borrowing costs rise, it means higher interest on debt for the Treasury. That leads to higher bills for taxpayers. They have less money to spend on things like schools and hospitals. There's pricier mortgages for households, and it's also a bit of a warning sign that investors are losing faith in Britain's finances.

3:03Sainsbury's is bringing in facial recognition to catch people who shoplift. An eight-week trial is underway in select stores in London and Bath, and if successful, the technology could be rolled out nationally. Privacy campaigners have called the move chilling and are urging the supermarket chain to drop plans. And the Met Office is warning of flooding and travel disruption in parts of the UK with heavy rain and strong winds forecast. A yellow rain warning is in place from late tonight for southwest England and much of South Wales. You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:37This 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. PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk.