Morning Briefing Tuesday 14th October

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 Good morning. Sir Keir Starmer says what happens next really matters if there's to be lasting peace in the Middle East.

0:39Donald Trump was joined by world leaders to sign the Gaza peace plan at a summit in Egypt yesterday. The plan requires Hamas to give up its weapons. Hamas members who commit to lay down their weapons will be given amnesty. Michael Oren is a former Israeli ambassador to the US. Hamas without guns is like saying ISIS without guns or Al-Qaeda without guns. It is very, very difficult. But that doesn't mean it's impossible. I don't think there's a major military option that Israel will retain right now. But there are other tools at the disposal of President Trump and his teams. For example, making sure that Hamas does not have access to the humanitarian aid, because in the past, Hamas would steal 60 % of that aid and enrich itself.

1:20There'll be no more arms flowing in from Egypt, no more money coming from Qatar. So Hamas will be cut off and isolated. With the last 20 living hostages held by Hamas have been reunited with their families in Israel after two years in captivity. Ministers have proposed a raft of extra pro-developer reforms in an effort to boost headroom in next month's budget. They're promising to stop councils and campaigners blocking building. Steve Reid, the housing secretary, has pledged to bulldoze through the barriers that have strangled growth for decades. The aim is to make it easier to press ahead with housing and infrastructure projects.

1:59MI5 has issued a rare public warning to MPs. The intelligence agency says British politicians are being targeted by spies from China, Russia and Iran who are trying to undermine democracy. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister insists he has full confidence in his national security adviser following the collapse of the trial involving two alleged Chinese spies. The director of public prosecution says the case was dropped after the government failed to provide necessary evidence. British ministers have won the backing of 16 countries to reform the European Convention of Human Rights. It has governments across the continent search for ways to curb illegal migration.

2:40The proposal would reduce the court's powers to prevent asylum seekers from being deported. Daisy Eastlake is a Times political reporter. she explains one issue the reform could overcome. The right to the family life, and that is normally what's brought up in these appeals against deportations. And this kind of change would mean that that is less applicable in certain cases, particularly in interest to the government, cases for foreign national offenders and also people who have overstayed their asylum. So it would give more powers to countries to put changes in place around those things rather than prioritising the personal right, such as the right to the family life.

3:20The number of highly significant cyber attacks has risen by 50 % over the past year. The National Cyber Security Centre says these sorts of crimes have worsened for the third year in a row. It's warning businesses to prepare for hacks following large-scale disruption at Jaguar Land Rover, Marks and Spencers and Co-op. And a special dinner has been held to mark 100 years since the birth of Margaret Thatcher, veteran Conservative grandees and celebrities gathered at the historic Guildhall in London to celebrate the anniversary, including Dame Joan Collins. The Iron Lady's life will be marked by a programme of events over the next few weeks.

4:00For a round-up of the news on demand, subscribe to The Times News Briefing on any podcast platform.

4:14hands, 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.