Morning briefing Monday 10th November

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 the Times Morning Briefing for Monday the 10th of November. After the resignation of Director General Tim Davey, the chairman of the BBC, Samer Shah, is expected to issue a full apology today.

0:47It follows impartiality allegations and, in particular, criticism over Panorama report of a speech made by Donald Trump in 2021. It's edited together two separate sections, giving the impression that he told supporters he'd walk with them to the US Capitol to fight like hell. It was broadcast by the BBC in the week before last year's US election. The American president has accused those involved of being very dishonest. Recently, Tim Davies spoke to Times Radio about running an impartial public news organisation. The challenge for the BBC is to maintain its editorial guidelines and impartiality and accuracy.

1:28We're not perfect. We make mistakes. Often in this world people say, oh look, that mistake shows you're this or that. It doesn't often, if you like, an honest mistake. You've got all kinds of people ascribing a gender. You've just got to hold your standard. Stephen Barnett is a professor of communications at the University of Westminster and he's told Times Radio that pressure on the BBC has been building for some time. We have a press that has been trying to undermine the BBC for many, many years, particularly a press that wants to do serious damage to the BBC as we run up to the renewal of the BBC charter in two years' time.

2:07It's understood that Cabinet ministers have privately warned Rachel Reeves that increasing income tax in this month's budget may spell electoral disaster for the Labour Party. Senior colleagues of the Chancellor are increasingly concerned about breaking a manifesto promise. John McTernan is a former advisor to Tony Blair. He told Times Radio that it's a matter of trust with the electorate. Breaking a manifesto pledge is disastrous. Once you do that, you lose the trust of the voters. Once you've lost the trust of the voters, you end up like the Liz trust government, the Sunni government, the Tory government.

2:40Trust is fundamental. You have it or you don't have it. The US Senate has voted to take forward a compromise funding plan to end the longest government shutdown in American history. It's a key breakthrough in the stalemate, but still has to go back to the House for final approval before it's signed off by the president. It paves the way to end the 40-day shutdown and reopen the government as early as this week. The UK will provide military support to Belgium after repeated instances where suspected Russian drones entered its airspace. There's been a spate of sightings near airports. Flights had to be temporarily halted at two hubs there last week.

3:18And world leaders are in Brazil for the official start of the COP30 climate summit. Many countries are expected to publish emissions-cutting plans to help meet global targets. And you can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

3:42This 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