Morning briefing Friday 8th May

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 Times Radio's Daily Briefing on Friday the 8th of May. Labour has lost control of its first councils in the local elections as Reform UK continues to make gains across England.

0:47Zakir Starmer's party no longer has a majority in Tamworth, Redditch and Hartlepool, where reform won every seat that was contested. Nigel Farage's party has now secured more than 100 councillors while also taking seats from the Conservatives in parts of Essex. The Liberal Democrats and Greens are also expected to make gains in what could mark a major shift in British politics. Independent MP Carl Turner, who is currently suspended from Labour, told Times Radio the Prime Minister himself is the party's biggest problem. Look, these results are bad for us, but they're always going to be bad at mid-parliamentary turn.

1:24But I think it's much worse in this situation because the leadership of the party does come up constantly. Donald Trump says American strikes on Iranian targets yesterday were a defensive response after US Navy destroyers came under fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The US president claims great damage was inflicted on Iranian vessels, while insisting the ceasefire between the two countries remains in effect. We're negotiating with the Iranians. We have, you probably heard, we took our three destroyers and we rammed them through some pretty big stuff today and we knocked the hell out of them. Iran has accused Washington of breaching the truce, which Mr Trump denies.

2:12A man's been charged following reports that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was harassed at his new home in Norfolk. Police were called to the Sandringham estate last night where the former prince moved to after being stripped of his title. 39-year-old Alex Jenkinson is accused of two counts of harassment. He's been remanded into custody and is due in court later. The World Health Organization says the wider public health threat from the Hantavirus outbreak remains low. Passengers on board a cruise ship will arrive in Tenerife over the next few days and officials in Spain insist they'll be completely isolated from the public.

2:50The beloved environmentalist, Sir David Attenborough, is celebrating a special milestone today. I had rather thought that I would celebrate my 100th birthday quietly, but it seems that many of you have had other ideas. I've been completely overwhelmed by birthday greetings. The Prime Minister has described him as a true national treasure, while fondly remembering how he grew up watching the veteran broadcaster's programmes. A live event will be held at the Royal Albert Hall later, marking the occasion. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:33This 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. That's why PwC takes you further with tech, strengthening the data quality, processes and workflows that shape how well AI performs. PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk.

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4:51All rights reserved. Copyright 2026. McDonald's at the FIFA World Cup 2026.