Morning briefing Thursday 18th 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. This is the Times Morning Briefing for Thursday the 18th of September. The King has spoken of the UK's enduring bond with the United States in a speech at a state banquet in honour of the US President Donald Trump.

0:48In his address at Windsor Castle, the King said he has long cherished the close ties between Britain and the United States. He also celebrated the economic ties between the two countries in an apparent reference to a tech deal worth£150 billion that was agreed just before Trump's visit. and he praised Trump's commitment to finding solutions to some of the world's conflicts. Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, our countries are working together in support of crucial diplomatic efforts, not least of which, Mr President, is your own personal commitment to finding solutions to some of the world's most intractable conflicts.

1:33In return, the US president said the word special in the oft-described special relationship does not begin to do it justice. We're joined by history and fate, by love and language, and by transcendent ties of culture, tradition, ancestry and destiny. The bond of kinship and identity between America and the United Kingdom is priceless and eternal. It's irreplaceable and unbreakable. Sakhir Starmer will this weekend formally recognise a Palestinian state after President Trump has returned to Washington. The Prime Minister will host Trump for talks at Shekhar's later, but has delayed the official announcement because of concern the issue could dominate their joint news conference.

2:18Trump has previously said a recognition of Palestine would only reward Hamas. Alistair Burt is a former minister for the Middle East. Speaking to Times Radio, he said he expects both leaders to skate over the issue. I think the fact that the United Kingdom is going to go ahead and recognise the state of Palestine, it was obvious when they set out their intention to do so a few weeks ago, it will not be news. And I don't think that it will be in the interest of either the President or the Prime Minister to make a lot of it. The Home Secretary has launched an urgent review of Britain's modern slavery laws after blaming what she called vexatious last-minute claims for the government's failure to deport a single migrant to France this week.

3:00Shabana Mahmood is said to be furious with the High Court for its decision to delay the deportation of the migrant from Eritrea for at least 14 days. He claimed he was a victim of modern slavery before he arrived in Europe. Marley Morris is an Associate Director for Migration, Trade and Communities for the Institute for Public Policy Research. Obviously there's a strong political pressure to move quickly, but it is important for the government to consider properly the individual cases of individuals that they are looking to return to France. But I don't think that fundamentally jeopardises the overall deal when we know that France, according to the courts, is expected to be considered a safe country.

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