Morning briefing Tuesday 5th May

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 Times Radio's Morning Briefing on Tuesday the 5th of May. Several Labour MPs are planning to send an open letter to Sir Keir Starmer, in which they will ask him to set out a timetable for his resignation.

0:46A group of backbenchers who were first elected two years ago are reportedly canvassing support for a challenge to the Prime Minister should Labour suffer heavy losses in local elections this Thursday. The Times has learned that several Cabinet ministers are aware of the plot. Peter Edwards is a former Labour press secretary. speaking to Times Radio. He says this illustrates the instability of Starmer's government. This government has almost fast-forwarded through eight or ten years and we're seeing some of the things from the last 18 months of Tony Blair's time in government. Suggestion of plots, then letters being drawn up with that phrase, set out a timetable, mean could the Prime Minister please leave as soon as he's ready.

1:26The Prime Minister will tell police chiefs, community leaders and business figures that a society-wide approach is needed to defeat anti-Semitism in the UK. Sakir Starmer will later hold a meeting in Number 10 with senior figures from across public life, following a space of suspected anti-Semitic incidents in recent months, including the stabbing of two Jewish men in Golders Green last Wednesday. Fears are growing of a return to full-scale hostilities in the Middle East after Iran and the United States traded fire in the Strait of Hormuz. It's after Washington said it would try to free commercial vessels stranded by Iran's blockade.

2:04President Trump also said that the US Navy guided two American-flagged ships out of the strait yesterday, while Iran denied Trump's claim that seven small Iranian boats were destroyed. Speaking to Times Radio, the former US Navy intelligence officer Malcolm Nance said the conflict is re-escalating. This is a reflash, a small one, of the war. Trump just can't declare it over and then say this is a mini one, this doesn't have the same impacts. Iran, if given the right impetus, could just start bombarding every Persian Gulf nation. But President Trump's version of this is being manufactured in his head.

2:43Metropolitan police detectives are reported to be working to bring the German rapist and paedophile Christian Bruckner to Britain to stand trial for the abduction and murder of Madeleine McCann. One of Scotland Yard's most senior officers is said to be leading a push to charge Bruchner, but Germany's constitution prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU nations. Bruchner was living a mile from the hotel in Portugal where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in 2007. Manchester Airport has been ranked the worst in the UK for flight delays, which bosses have blamed on factors such as industrial action and airspace restrictions.

3:19Customers are warned it is difficult to book with any confidence at the country's third busiest airport. Analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data showed departures from Manchester were on average almost 20 minutes behind schedule last year. And for a second successive year, a Chinese player has won the World Snooker Championship after 22-year-old Wu Yiza beat Sean Murphy by 18 frames to 17 in the final in Sheffield. There's more on these stories throughout the day on Times Radio.

3:52This 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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