Morning briefing Monday 16th March

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 Morning Briefing on Monday the 16th of March. Sir Keir Starmer has resisted President Trump's demands to deploy British warships to the Strait of Hormuz, opting instead to focus on defensive assistance.

0:48While the Prime Minister has refused to commit a naval presence, the UK is reportedly preparing to send mine-hunting drones and anti-drone weapons to help secure the vital shipping lane. The decision comes as Iran warns that it alone will control access to the passage, where a blockade has already sent global oil prices soaring towards$100 a barrel. Military analyst, former Air Vice Marshal in the RAF and host of the Red Matrix podcast, Sean Bell, told us that he thinks the PM made the right decision. I think this is very sensible, to be brutally honest. Let's be quite clear. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall when President Trump and Sir Keir Starmer were having that phone call, because this is the same US president that declared, we've already won its victory.

1:33He's been pilloring our Prime Minister for not allowing access to Diego Garcia and Fairfoot. He's been saying we don't need the Prince of Wales or any of your ships, it's too little too late. And he's the President who's lifted sanctions off the Russian oil fleet and therefore given a massive payday to Putin without even consulting his European allies. Speaking to us earlier, Jason Pack, who is the host of the Disorder podcast and an Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, explained that one way the UK could help shipping in the Straits was through Lloyds of London. The thing that Britain can do, not even getting into the whole naval and defending the Gulfy allies, is in the insurance and reinsurance markets.

2:10London is not a global leader in as many things as it was 50 or 100 years ago, but it is still the place where shippers are insured. And Lloyds of London could be underwritten using American money and British know-how and have this be an opportunity for a British role in trying to get ships passing through the straits with insurance. The number of young people out of work due to health problems has surged by 70 % over the last decade. That's according to a new analysis from the Health Foundation. Mental health issues and autism now account for over two-thirds of those aged between 16 and 24 who were not in education, employment or training.

2:51Experts warn that this shifting health landscape puts the current generation at significant risk, suggesting that traditional employment solutions are no longer sufficient. Sikir Starmer's efforts to reset relations with the EU face a potential setback over a dispute regarding tuition fees for European students. EU negotiators are demanding that their students pay the same£9 ,500 rate as UK residents, rather than the much higher international fees. The row comes ahead of a key summit this summer, where both sides hope to finalise a youth experience scheme to boost diplomatic ties between the UK and the bloc.

3:29There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:59processes 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. Hey everybody, it's Farnoosh Tarabi, host of the So Money podcast. This episode is sponsored by Smart Travel, a new podcast from NerdWallet. You know that one friend who always finds the best travel deals, picks the right cards, and somehow ends up in first class for the price of coach, Smart Travel is like that friend, but in podcast form. They cover things like which travel cards earn their keep and which are just heavy, shiny metal, and the smartest ways to book flights without playing Guess the Cheapest Day.

4:42Travel smarter and spend less with help from NerdWallet. Follow Smart Travel wherever you get your podcasts.