

The Times Radio News Briefing (Wed 2 July) covers: UK politics, a US celebrity criminal case, UK COVID-19 inquiry evidence, and sports.
none named in the transcript.
A Chancellor spokesperson says Rachel Reeves was upset over a personal matter and was seen crying during PMQs; Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle allegedly pulled her aside beforehand. Conservative leader Kemi Betenok argues the government’s welfare bill “climb down” risks Labour losing the chancellor. Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted of two prostitution-related offences in New York; sex trafficking and racketeering charges were cleared, with evidence cited from ex-girlfriend Cassandra Ventura and “Jane.” Matt Hancock told the Covid inquiry care homes got PPE as soon as possible, but data gaps may have delayed response; national plans were “wrong” and local plans “useless.” Rugby: British & Irish Lions beat Queensland Reds 52-12 in a warm-up, scoring eight tries; Reds scored no points after the 26th minute.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes.
Explore the political drama involving the Chancellor and Labour MPs.
“when she was seen crying during Prime Minister's questions.”
Discussion on the conviction of Sean Diddy Coombs and related charges.
“He said the entire country was unprepared.”
Recap of the British and Irish Lions' recent match performance.
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0:38Search IG.com to find out more. IG. Trade. Invest. Progress. Your capital is at risk. Other fees may apply. Welcome to the Times Evening Briefing on Wednesday 2nd July. The Chancellor's spokesperson says Rachel Reeves was upset over a personal matter when she was seen crying during Prime Minister's questions. The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, is said to have pulled her aside before PMQs, after which she was reportedly in tears. The Conservative leader, Kemi Betenok, focused on the massive climb down on the government's welfare bill last night. She claims the Chancellor is in danger of losing her job.
1:14She looks absolutely miserable. Labour MPs, they can point as much as they like. The fact is Labour MPs are going on the record saying that the Chancellor is toast. And the reality is that she is a human shield for his incompetence. in January, in January, he said that she would be imposed till the next election. Will she really? The Prime Minister dodged the question and said the Tory leader was unlikely to keep her job. She certainly won't. Mr Speaker, I have to say, I'm always cheered up when she asks me questions or responds to a statement because she always makes a complete mess of it and shows just how unfair and irrelevant they are.
1:54Sean Diddy Coombs has been convicted of two prostitution-related offences following his trial in New York, but the rap has been cleared of the more serious charges against him, sex trafficking and racketeering allegations. The case centred around evidence from his ex-girlfriend, Cassandra Ventura, and another woman referred to as Jane. Prosecution lawyer Doug Wigdor has been speaking outside courts. We're pleased that he's finally been held responsible for two federal crimes, something that he's never faced in his life. He still faces substantial jail time. Of course, we would have liked to have seen a conviction on the sex crimes in RICO, but we understand beyond a reasonable doubt is a high standard.
2:35And we're just pleased that he still faces substantial jail time. Former Health Secretary Matt Hancock's insisted the government's got PPE into care homes as soon as it could after the outbreak of coronavirus. He's told the In the Covid inquiry, he was extremely concerned about a lack of data in the care sector, which may have delayed his department's response. He said the entire country was unprepared. The national plans were based on the wrong doctrine. And I realised that between the end of January and the middle of February. And the local plans were as good as useless. The British and Irish Lions have made it two wins out of two in the warm-up matches down under as they build up to the Test series against Australia.
3:18It was a 52-12 victory for Andy Farrell's side over Queensland Reds. Talk Sports' Andrew McKenna was watching. So it is an eight-try performance from the British and Irish Lions. They run up 52 points to win by a margin of 40 against the Queensland Reds. We thought they might win. We probably weren't expecting them to be this dominant. The Reds didn't score a point after the 26th minute. Queensland Reds 12 British and Irish Lions 52 And you can follow the Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online This episode of the Times Radio News Briefing is sponsored by IG If you're serious about building your wealth you already know the markets don't wait around Whether you're a hands-on trader wanting full control over every single move or you're actively scaling up your portfolio and looking for a platform you can trust you need a partner that backs you.
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