Morning Briefing Tuesday 2nd September

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. Human rights groups are criticising the Home Secretary for saying she'll suspend the scheme that lets asylum seekers bring family to the UK.

0:41Yvette Cooper said people smugglers were using the promise of family reunion to promote dangerous journeys across the Channel. She said the government would now suspend new applications under the existing family reunion route for refugees until a new framework had been introduced. Lauren Starkey is an independent social worker specialising in working with asylum-seeking children. We're talking about the family of people who are living in the UK legally, who have been recognised as refugees, who have a need to be here, who would be at risk of persecution and death potentially in their home countries, who have family members who need to join them here, and the government has chosen to close the only route that allows them to get here safely and in a managed way.

1:26It's bizarre. China has unveiled an economic vision for its allies at an economic summit, offering$1.4 billion in loans and projects to channel Western dominance. The alternative group of non-Western powers are meeting as some of the members battle a wave of sanctions and tariffs from Washington and its allies. Brett Bruin is former director of global engagement at the White House under President Obama. I do think that she is making a major play to try and expand his influence. That being said, you know, we'll see both from an economic as well as a political strength perspective, whether or not he has the ability to take full advantage of this moment.

2:09But it certainly ought to be worrying for folks in the UK and across Europe that you are seeing this level of close collaboration. The UK has announced it will send a million pounds in emergency funding to Afghanistan to help those affected by a devastating earthquake. The strong tremor that struck near the city of Jalalabad has killed more than 800 and left around 3 ,000 injured. Meanwhile, aid workers on the ground are warning the death toll will rise. And a former chief of staff to Theresa May says the reshuffle at No. 10 could create conflict within the Treasury. The Prime Minister has reshuffled his Downing Street team, bringing in a new senior minister ahead of the autumn budget.

2:53Darren Jones moves from number two at the Treasury to Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. Lord Barwell is former Chief of Staff to Theresa May. In the first year or so, the Prime Minister basically took the view that if Rachel Reeves was happy with it, he was happy to go along with it. That was true of the original decision in July to get rid of winter fuel payments for most pensioners and true of the judgments that she made in her first budget. And I think we can conclude from the fact that he's decided to strengthen the advice he's got within number 10 on economic issues, that he regrets just going along with that stuff.

3:27And he wants an ability to question the advice that he's getting from the Treasury. Sir Keir Starmer has also appointed a former Bank of England deputy governor to be his chief economic advisor. Don't forget, you can set the Times News briefing as your flash briefing on Alexa. This 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.

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