Morning briefing Wednesday 6th August

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 to frustrate attempts to deport them to France under Sir Keir Starmer's new returns deal by exploiting human rights laws.

0:42Journalist Alicia Fitzgerald told Times Radio it's a problem for the government. They will be ineligible to be taken back to France if they have outstanding human rights claims, any other legal challenges, or of course if they claim they're under 18. And that last one's really interesting because one of the biggest issues with trying to deport a migrant anywhere apart from where they settle, is that often their documents are destroyed by the gangs. So it makes it really difficult to tell just how old they are and exactly who they are. A senior UN diplomat has described reports of a planned Israeli occupation of Gaza as deeply alarming.

1:18Assistant General Secretary Jenker has told a meeting of the Security Council that Gaza must remain part of a future Palestinian state. Jerusalem-based correspondent Noga Taner Polsky told Times Radio what they're hearing about yesterday's meeting. The prime minister basically dismissed the chief of staff of the army at the end of this meeting, telling him to shape up the plans that the army is making. And we know that Netanyahu is pushing hard for a full occupation of Gaza, although it's paradoxical because he is not someone who ever wanted Israel to occupy Gaza or to be in charge of it administratively.

1:58And yet that's what he's pushing for. Donald Trump's declined to say whether he would back a full-scale occupation. The Labour government faces questions over cash for access. It's after a Times investigation found that businesses have been offered private meetings with an influential Labour figure as part of sponsorship packages costing almost£9 ,500. Since last summer, a Labour group has been approaching companies and offering them the chance to sponsor events where they can meet key policymakers in private and shape the discussion. The Chancellor is facing a£50 billion black hole in the government finances.

2:40Economists are warning that Rachel Reeves will be forced to break Labour's manifesto pledge on tax in the autumn budget. It's thought higher than expected public sector borrowing and weaker economic growth has left the Chancellor with an impossible choice between cutting spending or raising taxes to balance the books. Prince Harry has accused the Charity Commission of sitting on the fence after it published a report that criticised all parties at his charity for weaknesses that risked undermining public trust in charities more generally. However, the Commission did not find evidence of bullying at Centobale, as had been claimed by Sophie Jandodka, Chair of the Board of Trustees.

3:24Bill and Hillary Clinton are among a list of high-profile figures to be subpoenaed in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. Mr Clinton was among those acquainted with Epstein but has never been accused of wrongdoing. Don't forget you can set the Times News Briefing as your news service 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.

4:11PwC turns innovation into implementation so you can accelerate from experiment to scale. Discover more at pwc.co.uk.