Morning briefing Tuesday 30th 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. This is The Times Morning Briefing for Tuesday 30th September. December. President Trump says he's close to achieving what he calls eternal peace in the Middle East and has challenged Hamas to accept a plan brokered by Washington to end the war in Gaza.

0:49Speaking alongside Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Trump set out a 20-point plan involving an immediate end to the fighting if both sides agree. It also includes the exchange of all remaining Israeli hostages for 2 ,000 Palestinian detainees within 72 hours of the deal's acceptance. Trump warned Hamas, however, that failure to accept would lead to Israel being given his full backing to eliminate the group. I hope that we're going to have a deal for peace. And if Hamas rejects the deal, which is always possible, they're the only one left. Everyone else has accepted it.

1:29I have a feeling that we're going to have a positive answer. But if not, as you know, Bibi, you'd have our full backing. to do what you would have to do. Hamas delegates, however, have reportedly told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that they will review the plan in good faith. But Hamas would be expected to disarm and would have no role in the future governance of Gaza. David Schenker was an assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs during Trump's first term of office. Speaking to Times Radio, he said it's unlikely that Hamas will accept. this is a bitter pill for Hamas to swallow. I think that too is a very remote possibility, and perhaps that's why Prime Minister Netanyahu was so solicitous and accepting very quickly of this deal, which has a lot of problematic elements for him and his coalition partners.

2:24Under the terms of the plan, Trump would share an international body that would run Gaza on a temporary basis. Known as the Board of Peace, it would also include a role for the former Prime Minister, Sir Tony Blair. The Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has told Times Radio that Sir Keir Starmer is the right man for our time. The Prime Minister will deliver his speech to the Labour Party conference later amid questions over his leadership and amid speculation that the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, could challenge for the party leadership. I'm a Keir guy. I'm Keir's guy. Look, I've known him for nearly 20 years.

3:00I think he's the right man for our times. I think Andy's doing a fantastic job in Greater Manchester. I think there's lots we can learn from him. It's his decision whether he comes into Parliament or not. I think what the public want us to do is focus on them. The Prime Minister will use his speech today to announce the launch of a virtual hospital service offering patients online consultations. Its aim is to deliver millions of appointments and help reduce waiting lists. Labour says the scheme, which will begin in 2027, will deliver more than 8 million extra NHS appointments in its first three years and will connect patients to specialist clinicians.

3:38You can follow the Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

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