Evening Briefing Wednesday 11th March

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 Radio evening briefing for Wednesday the 11th of March with me, James Kitchen. Its emerged Sakhir Starmer was warned that appointing Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US could be a reputational risk.

0:45Newly released files reveal the National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell warned the appointment was weirdly rushed and unusual. The documents also show Lord Mandelson asked for more than half a million pounds as a severance payment when he was sacked from the role in September last year. The former cabinet minister received£75 ,000 instead. The Times' policy editor is Oliver Wright. Some of them talk about Mandelson's views on China, which he was quite favourable towards the fact that his business had connections in Russia. All those kind of things are uncomfortable for the government. They are things which we broadly know before.

1:21But the point about this, I think, is that these are official documents telling Starmer this, warning him, and he went ahead with the appointment anyway. So I think that's where the political difficulty is. Lord Mandelson also suggested the Prime Minister could use Nigel Farage as a way to better UK connections with the Trump administration. The chief secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, told MPs that Keir Starmer takes full responsibility for the appointment, admitting the due diligence process fell short of what was required. The government says it's ordered an overhaul of standards in Whitehall to boost ethics and integrity in political and public life.

1:56Elsewhere, the 32 members of the International Energy Agency have agreed to their largest ever release of oil reserves in an effort to calm markets reacting to the Iran war. The IEA, which includes the UK and US, will release 400 million barrels. It has more than a billion barrels in reserve. The move comes after three commercial ships were damaged by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier, Tehran warned the world should prepare for fuel costs to double. Meanwhile, the Home Secretary has confirmed a ban on the Al-Quds Day march in London will last a month. Shabana Mahmood said the Iran conflict had created clear challenges for police, arguing officers can't guarantee the capital's safety without a ban.

2:37Earlier, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, which is behind the protest, said it will go ahead on Sunday as a static demonstration. Addressing MPs this afternoon, the Home Secretary insisted the restrictions were limited and specific. Peaceful and lawful protest, whether for Palestine or for Israel or for any other cause, must be cherished and protected, and this government will always defend that sacred freedom. At the same time, as Home Secretary, I have a solemn duty, and it is my first duty, to keep the British people safe. The government has lost its appeal over a terror charge against a member of the Irish-language rap trio NICAP.

3:17Liam O 'Hanna had been accused of showing support for the prescribed organisation Hezbollah following a gig in London in 2024. Last year, the case was thrown out over a legal timing issue, but the government appealed the decision. Police have arrested a 16-year-old boy after a teenage girl was stabbed at a Norfolk secondary school this morning. The victim was taken to hospital with minor injuries after the incident at Thorpe St. Andrews School near Norwich. Norfolk police says the boy was arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily with intent after searches of the area. And remember, you can follow the Times Radio News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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