Morning Briefing Tuesday 15th 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 Good morning. Vladimir Zelensky says he's grateful the US is sending more weapons to Ukraine. Donald Trump says they'll be sold to NATO before being passed on to Kiev in the fight against Russia.

0:45President Trump also warned Russia that the US will impose secondary tariffs of 100 % in 50 days if no Ukraine peace deal is agreed in that time. Karen von Hippel is former Director General of the Royal United Services Institute. She told Times Radio there's political backing for this move. He's under pressure by some Republican senators and members of the House, Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Blumenthal, who is a Democrat. Lindsey Graham's a Republican. The two of them together have been pushing quite hard. I mean, I was in Ukraine last summer and I saw the two senators, including Lindsey Graham, the Republican, promising the Ukrainians, We won't leave you.

1:25We're there to support you. So I think some Republicans are quietly behind the scenes lobbying Trump very hard. The government is bringing back green grants in an effort to meet its net zero targets. Motorists will be given up to£3 ,750 to switch to electric cars. Motoring journalist Quentin Wilson told Times Radio, he thinks the move could backfire on the government. People buy second-hand cars much, much more than they buy new cars. I mean, it's 1.5 million new and 8 million used. So I think this subsidy is not a great look for the government. It's£650 million, and there's all that trouble over the winter fuel payments and the welfare bill.

2:08And now we're giving money to essentially car makers, not all of whom will be British ones. You know, very few electric cars are made in the UK, and it will go to Chinese car manufacturers. Masterchef presenter John Turode says an allegation he used racial language was upheld in a report as part of a review into the behaviour of his former co-presenter Greg Wallace. The report upheld 45 of 83 allegations against Wallace. There were also two standalone allegations made against other people. Turode said he was one of those people but added that he had no recollection of the incident and said he did not believe that it had happened.

2:47Meanwhile, the Culture Secretary says confidence in the BBC under Director-General Tim Davey has been called into question by a series of what Lisa Nandy called catastrophic failures. The broadcaster apologised yesterday for misleading viewers of a Gaza documentary. A review found the BBC breached its editorial guidelines on accuracy by failing to disclose that a narrator of a documentary on the conflict in Gaza was the son of a Hamas official. A couple have been found guilty of the manslaughter of their newborn baby after being on the run for 54 days. Constance Martin and Mark Gordon had four other children who'd been taken into care.

3:29The remains of baby Victoria were found in a shopping bag in Brighton in 2023. Details of Gordon's criminal past, including a rape conviction in the US, were revealed to the jury. First-time buyers are set to see an instant impact from a new drive to kick-start economic growth. In a speech later, Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to welcome recent Bank of England recommendations that some lenders can offer mortgages at more than 4.5 times a buyer's income. The government expects it will open up 36 ,000 additional mortgages for first-time buyers over the first year. The US Justice Department has rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's Supreme Court bid to review her sex trafficking verdict.

4:17The decision by the Trump administration yesterday ends the disgraced British socialites' attempt to overturn her 20-year federal prison sentence for recruiting girls and young women for Jeffrey Epstein to abuse. Children will be taught how to combat misogyny and resist so-called incel culture under new guidance for schools. It'll focus on relationships, sex and health education, helping boys find positive role models amid the increasing spread of sexist online content from Manosphere influencers. And two former friends are due to be sentenced later after chopping down the famous Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw.

5:00Daniel Graham and Adam Caruthers vandalised the Northumberland landmark in pitch darkness after driving from Carlisle in September 2023. They also filmed it and caused tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage. Remember, our news podcasts are on the Times Radio app. Look for the Times News Briefing and The World in 10.

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