Morning briefing Thursday 5th February

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 the 5th of February. Sakhir Starmer's premiership is under significant pressure from Labour MPs, angry at his decision to approve the appointment of Peter Mandelson to the role of British ambassador to Washington, despite knowing about his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

0:54MPs last night approved the release of documents relating to Mandelson's appointment. The relevant paperwork will be referred to Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee. The ISC, a cross-party panel of MPs and peers, will then decide which files, if any, will be redacted on the grounds of national security and international relations. Speaking to Times Radio, the Labour MP Clive Efford also questioned the role of Starmer's Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeney. The conflict that we're creating is deflecting from the messages that we need to get across about what this government is achieving.

1:27Because what this government has achieved in the last year and a bit is quite substantial and we need to start focusing on getting across just exactly what we're achieving. No one knows because we're just looking incompetent because we keep blundering into these internal rows. The Metropolitan Police say they want the committee to withhold some information in case it hampers the investigation into possible misconduct by Mandelson while in public office. The Prime Minister will today take a stand in defence of what he calls a decent and tolerant Britain that is built on common values. In his speech, he will say that his pride in the country runs deep within him.

2:06He's also expected to outline the government's£5 billion Pride in Place programme, which will rejuvenate more than 330 of the most deprived communities. President Zelensky says an estimated 55 ,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in battle during his country's war with Russia. In an interview broadcast on French television, Zelensky said that estimate did not include those who are considered officially missing. Trilateral talks featuring delegates from Ukraine, the US and Russia will resume in Abu Dhabi later. William Courtney is a former presidential special assistant on Russia and Ukraine.

2:42There's no sign based on Russia's military continuing to pound civilian targets. So on the main issues, there's no reason for progress. Russia's rigidity suggests that it believes that it can still persist in the fight. And England's Rugby Union World Cup winners stole the show at last night's Sunday Times Sports Women of the Year Awards. The main individual accolade went to Ellie Kildun, who scored the opening try in the final against Canada. And the Red Roses also won the Team of the Year Award. Speaking to Times Radio, Holly Aitchison said she hopes she and her teammates will inspire the next generation.

3:22As a team, we kind of just think about what the opportunities are for young girls growing up. So it's not about, you know, definitely coming into rugby, football. It's just about having the opportunity to be who you want to be. So, you know, if we kind of show ourselves as role models in that way, then we can only hope that the girls coming through will have the same opportunities. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:49This 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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