Morning briefing Tuesday 21st 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

0:37This is the Times Morning Briefing for Tuesday 21st October. The Free Speech Union is hailing an announcement that the Metropolitan Police will no longer investigate non-crime hate incidents as a tremendous victory. Scotland Yard's announcement came soon after a decision that gender-critical activist Graham Linehan would face no further action after his arrest at Heathrow over social media posts. The spokesperson for the force said it would allow officers to focus on criminality. They'll still record incidents that may be motivated by hostility over race, identity or religion. Shabnam Chowdhury, a former detective superintendent at the Met, spoke with Times Radio.

1:13It's about time, 60 ,000 hours or so that are wasted every year on non-crime hate incidents. To be honest with you, this isn't anything new. Back in the day when I was serving, when I managed community safety commands or safeguarding units, hate crime incidents were reported, but they were not investigated. and somewhere along the way policing has lost its way. There's more pressure on Prince Andrew as the Times reveals he's paid no rent on his Windsor mansion for two decades. A leasehold agreement shows he's only paid a peppercorn amount for the seven-bedroom Royal Lodge. It comes as the posthumous memoir of Andrew's sex accuser is published.

1:50Virginia Giffray's 400-page book refers to three alleged encounters with the former Duke of York that he has always denied. Nigel Cawthorn is author of Prince Andrew, Epstein and the Palace. He must be in breach of his lease if he's not been paying the rent on it. And surely he should be evicted. But as Virginia Goufray says, he has a sense of entitlement. The poor man is living on his naval pension. The government says it's deeply saddened that Maccabee Tel Aviv is to turn down tickets to a match in Birmingham next month. A spokesperson says ministers have been working around the clock to make sure fans could attend safely.

2:28But the Israeli football side said a toxic atmosphere meant they feared for supporters' safety. The Defence Secretary says putting UK troops on the ground in Ukraine could cost over£100 million. It comes as Sir Keir Starmer is due to host Volodymyr Zelensky in London on Friday. In a speech in the City of London, John Healy said he's preparing for a post-ceasefire stabilisation force. So as President Trump leads the push for peace, here in Europe we are ready to lead the work to secure it in the long term. And for our armed forces, I'm already reviewing the readiness levels and accelerating millions of pounds of funding to prepare for any possible deployment to Ukraine.

3:11The Defence Secretary also announced new powers to allow the military to shoot down drones near bases. And a woman with Parkinson's disease has played the clarinet during surgery for the condition.

3:2665-year-old Denise Bacon from East Sussex continue to play during the four-hour procedure, allowing surgeons to see and hear instant results. You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio Online.

3:44This 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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