Morning briefing Thursday 2nd July

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 Thursday 2nd July. England are preparing for a meeting with the World Cup co-host Mexico in the round of 16 after beating the Democratic Republic of Congo 2-1.

0:47Despite trailing after just seven minutes in Atlanta, England bounced back to win their first match in the knockout phase. Still trailing with 15 minutes of the 90 remaining, they were rescued by two goals from their captain and all-time leading goalscorer.

1:18The England manager Thomas Tuchel, however, has said it will be impossible for his players to fully acclimatise ahead of their last 16 encounter in Mexico City, a match that will kick off at 1am UK time on Monday. The altitude of the Azteca Stadium, at more than 7 ,000 feet above sea level, is one of the reasons why Mexico have lost just two of 89 competitive games played there. And with less than four days at his disposal, Tuchel knows there is so much more to contend with. We will not be ready. Body cannot adapt in three days' time. It's just impossible. We need 12 days' time, 14 days' time.

1:55We don't have it, so it is a big disadvantage, of course. Let's see how much travelling takes, if it would be as smooth as here in the US. So I think there will be a lot, a lot of obstacles. We play against the home nation, we play in altitude, we play in heat, so in humidity, yeah, they will throw it at us. MPs and independent experts have raised concern about the transparency of Nigel Farage's property portfolio. Land registry records obtained by the Times show that the leader of Reform UK Kay and his partner own at least five homes across Surrey, Essex and Kent, but Farage has declared only two homes under the Land and Property section of the MP's Register of Interests.

2:35Michael Crick is a political journalist and author. He says it could have an impact on reform's supporters. Well, I mean, he's always made out that he's a man of the people, that he understands the ordinary bloke. He's authentic and all of that. And, I mean, a lot of the people that are attracted to reform are people who are not that well off, who may have lost their jobs, who may be insecure in their jobs. And most reformed voters can't imagine what it's like to be suddenly given£5 million. A spokesperson for Farage, the MP for Clacton, said everything had been checked by the registrar. Obese middle-aged adults now have a similar risk of heart attack to those who are slim and healthy.

3:14That's according to a study by researchers at Imperial College London, who say it's because of the mass rollout of heart drugs, including statins. The study examined a million people between 1990 and 2024 in seven wealthy nations, including England and the United States. And the seven-time champion Novak Djokovic secured his passage into the third round at Wimbledon. After a late-night straight sets win against the former world No. 3 Stefano Sitsipas, Djokovic is targeting a record 25th Grand Slam singles title. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:54This 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