Evening briefing Wednesday 22nd October

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 Wednesday 22nd October with me, James Kitchen. The government says it's disappointed after the last remaining candidate to be named chair of the grooming gang's inquiry pulled out.

0:46The former police officer Jim Gamble said survivors were being disrespected by people abusing their position. He added he felt there was a lack of confidence among some victims about his previous job. Four survivors have withdrawn from the panel helping to establish the investigation over concerns about its focus, scope and trust in those leading it. Natalie Fleet is the Labour MP for Bolsova and a survivor of abuse as a teenager. Speaking to Times Radio, she said any chair needs to be truly independent. It cannot be seen as any kind of whitewash or have any kind of stitch up. We all deserve absolute transparency here and that means that it's taking a little bit longer than we'd all like.

1:27The government and the ministers, the secretaries say they're not going for quick fixes where they say right we'll get my mate to do it and then we'll have a two-month inquiry and and then we'll give you all what you want to hear. What they're saying is we're going to do this thoroughly and forensically. A teenager will spend more than 15 years in prison for murdering a fellow pupil, Harvey Woolgoose, at a school in Sheffield. 15-year-old Mohammed Umar Khan stabbed him in the chest with a knife in front of other students in February. During sentencing, Mrs Justice Ellenbogan said his senseless acts have had a devastating effect on Harvey's family.

2:00You heard his older sister, Sophie, speak movingly on behalf of them all. She and her family struggle to comprehend that the teenage boy has died as a result of your actions. A new report has found students at British university campuses in China being forced to swear allegiance to the ruling Communist Party. Researchers at the China Strategic Risk Institute analysed policy documents to reveal large-scale ideological control. They claim students are being subjected to pervasive propaganda, surveillance and indoctrination. At least 45 universities in the UK have partnerships with Chinese institutions to teach and award British degrees.

2:42It's understood the number of people who have come to the UK on small boats so far this year has surpassed the total who arrived in 2024. Following a number of crossings this morning, it's thought the figure is now higher than the 36 ,816 who made the journey last year. The government has vowed to take action to bring illegal migration down. A man who was deported to France as part of the one-in-one-out deal has returned to the UK on a small boat. The migrant told The Guardian he was a victim of modern slavery at the hands of smugglers in northern France. It's understood he's been detained by the Home Office and will be sent back across the Channel.

3:18And Storm Benjamin is expected to hit the UK with heavy downpours and winds of up to 70 mph. The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings covering most of southern England, the East Midlands, parts of Wales and Yorkshire tomorrow. It says flooding, power cuts and damage to buildings are all possible. And remember, you can follow the Times News Briefing on Spotify and you can listen live to Times Radio Online.

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