Evening briefing Tuesday 7th July

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 This is your Times Evening Briefing on Tuesday 7th July. Nigel Farage has resigned as an MP, forcing what he's calling a people versus the establishment by-election in which he will stand.

0:46The former UK leader has come under intense scrutiny over his personal finances after investigations by the Times and the Sunday Times. He says he's not broken the law in relation to parliamentary rules and expenses and investigations were being used to attack him. Speaking without any audience or journalist present, he spelt out his intentions. Today I will resign as a member of Parliament for Clacton-on-Sea, thereby forcing a by-election. This will be a people versus the establishment by-election. It's a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment and that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.

1:26I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that reform has started. Our reporter in the Times newsroom has been looking at the reaction to the announcement. Sir Keir Starmer has said the triggering of a by-election by Farage is a desperate stunt from a man up to his neck in sleaze. A spokesperson for the man looking to replace him in number 10, Andy Burnham, has called it a gimmick designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage's funders. Other party leaders have got a little more personal. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davies described Farage as a team you Trump, whereas Kemi Badenoch from the Conservatives has said Nigel Farage is having a hissy fit.

2:04In other news, Prince Harry's final legal battle against the British press has ended in defeat. The Duke of Sussex has lost his claim against the publisher of the Daily Mail for alleged unlawful information gathering. A High Court judge found he and his co-claimants failed to prove their allegations against associated newspapers. A decision who pays legal costs in the case, estimated to total£50 million, will begin with a hearing on July 29th. The Court of Appeal in Paris has upheld Marine Le Pen's embezzlement conviction. She was also originally handed a five-year ban from running for public office, which has been reduced today, meaning Le Pen can technically run for the French presidency next year.

2:42John Litchfield is a veteran foreign correspondent based in France and explains it's unclear what her plans are. She has been given a three-year jail sentence, including one to be served by wearing an electronic tag. But the five-year ban on running for office has been reduced to the 15 months, which is less than she's already served since the original trial. That has been removed. But she has said, as recently as four days ago, that she will not run if she has to run wearing the electronic tag and report to the authorities every day. There's a warning the UK's debt will grow explosively if governments fail to address it.

3:16The Office for Budget Responsibility says an ageing population and economic trends are putting pressure on spending. It claims debt moved onto an unsustainable and ever-rising path in almost every scenario it looked at. And at Wimbledon, Coco Gauff has fought back to win her last eight match out on centre court. Coming from one set down, she's booked her place in her first Wimbledon semi-final. Meanwhile, defending champion Yannick Sinner is also into the last four again at the All England Club. You can follow The Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online. That's your Times Evening Briefing on Tuesday the 7th of July.

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