Morning Briefing Friday 26th 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 Good morning. Political parties are criticising government plans to make it compulsory for all adults in the UK to have a digital ID.

0:41It would verify a citizen's right to live and work here. The Tories call it a gimmick while the Lib Dems say people shouldn't be forced to turn over their data. But Julie Kirkbride, a former Conservative MP, is in favour of it. We expect so much of the state nowadays that we expect us to educate us, to keep us healthy, to pay us benefits and pensions and you name it, we expect the state to do it. And I think the state has the right to know that you are entitled to all those benefits. And so I think there is a very good case for ID cards, however they are done. Sir Keir Starmer has suggested a comparison between Andy Burnham and Liz Truss on economic policy.

1:24It's as the Mayor of Greater Manchester claimed Labour MPs are privately urging him to challenge the Prime Minister for his job. The police watchdog is facing questions about its independence. It's after allegedly telling officers its inquiry into failings in the Nottingham attacks was politically motivated and they would get off with words of advice, the lowest form of sanction. Investigators are said to have told officers who failed to arrest the triple killer Valdo Calacaine that disciplinary case was being driven by the families of the victims. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is promising to fight to the end after being jailed for five years for criminal conspiracy.

2:06The court case in Paris centred on a plot to finance his 2007 presidential election campaign with funds from Libya in exchange for diplomatic favours. Claire Pagalan is a France 24 reporter. She was in court. Investigating judges, professional magistrates, as they know here in France, they did the work, they did what they could to make this watertight. So will the French really believe Sarkozy's pleas that the judges have something, they want to get him, you know, they have him in his sight? Perhaps some, but we have been hearing support from some right-wing politicians coming out tonight expressing concern about this, the fact that this prison sentence is happening and that the former French president will go behind bars.

2:49But will that be a feeling among the general public? I think that remains to be seen. The US president thinks a deal to end the war in Gaza is close. Donald Trump's met with several key Middle East leaders while at the United Nations this week. He now says he'll have discussions with Israel but thinks an agreement could be on the way. Meanwhile, the Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has told the UN what's happening in Gaza is indefensible. Sir Tony Blair is understood to have offered to lead the interim governing body of Gaza. After presenting his plans to President Trump last month, he's said to have the support of senior figures close to Trump to oversee the proposed Gaza International Transitional Authority.

3:32And ex-FBI director James Comey has been charged with making a false statement and obstruction in a criminal case. Comey was fired months into Donald Trump's first presidency in the middle of an investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Don't forget you can set the Times News Briefing as your news service on Alexa. This 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.

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