Morning Briefing Tuesday 21st April

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

0:35This is The Times morning briefing on Tuesday 21st April. MPs will question Ollie Robbins this morning, the man Zakir Starmer has accused of deliberately hiding Lord Mandelson's failed vetting status. The Prime Minister fired the top Foreign Office official last week after finding out the Labour peer was given security clearances for the role of US ambassador. Laura Kirk-Smith is Labour MP for Aylesbury. She says Ollie Robbins made the wrong decision. I used to work for the Foreign Office and I've been through these developed vetting processes and they are very detailed. There's a lot of sensitive information in there and it's right that they're detailed, it's right that they're confidential.

1:11But the fact that he was aware that the conclusions of that process were borderline and from the information that we've had so far didn't then flag that up to a minister, I do find really surprising and I can see why the Prime Minister is frustrated about that. Iran's lead negotiator says the country does not accept negotiations under the shadow of threats, and in the past two weeks they've prepared to reveal new cards on the battlefield. Donald Trump says the US will not lift its blockade on Iranian ports until a deal has been reached with Tehran. The ceasefire is due to expire tomorrow. Major General Randy Manor was formerly the Deputy Commanding General of the US 3rd Army in Kuwait, responsible for all army forces in the Middle East.

1:58The sad part about this when we step back a moment is there are three components of the power of a nation, diplomatic, economic and military, and they should be used in that order in order to influence other nations to be able to find compromise. Unfortunately, this president and administration have abandoned diplomatic very rapidly. One day of negotiation does not count. Schools across England could be forced to ban mobile phones under an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Guidance currently says that phones shouldn't be allowed, but schools can ignore the advice. The amendment was backed by the House of Lords and it will now be put to a vote in the House of Commons as early as tomorrow.

2:40Dave Lee Allen is a head teacher and education consultant. He says some schools already have a system in place. The students, as they enter the school gate, put the phone into their pouch. and it's locked on a magnetic lock. But of course that costs£16 ,000. Now the government at the moment hasn't announced any funding. Certainly headteachers would be saying, listen, if you see this as a massive safeguarding issue and something that's so important that officers are going to start reporting on it, well then give us the money to do it and we'll do it. The king has said his darling Mama would be deeply troubled by the times we now live in, as he paid tribute to her on what would have been her 100th birthday.

3:19He also praised her lifelong commitment to duty. And there's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:34This 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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4:55McDonald's at the FIFA World Cup 2026.