Morning briefing Wednesday 9th July

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 on Wednesday 9th July. Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will hold talks at number 10 later as the UK pushes France to do more to stop migrant crossings.

0:45It's the second day of the French president's state visit. The Prime Minister is hoping for a one-in-one-out deal. It would see someone who arrives here on a small boat sent back to France in exchange for an asylum seeker with a link to the UK. Sir John Holmes was Britain's ambassador to France between 2001 and 2006. He says the mood music is positive but has this warning. The truth is, underlying all this, that our interests are not exactly the same in this. Why should the French want to stop people coming to the UK if they're going to stay in France otherwise? And there is the complication of making agreements in this area when France is part of the European Union.

1:19Nevertheless, I think there is a good chance that some more progress will be made. And I think that's very necessary to address that issue, particularly from the British government's point of view. It's got to be seen to be making progress on this, I think. The health secretary, Wes Streetsings, told junior doctors in England the public won't forgive them if they go on strike again. The British Medical Association has voted to back industrial action, calling a 5.4 % pay rise woefully inadequate. Labour MP Ben Bradshaw used to be a health minister. He says the BMA's demands are too high. The doctors have to be realistic about the state of the British economy.

1:52There are so many demands currently on the public purse. So we have to have growth in the economy. We have to have improved productivity in the NHS. that's the way to improve pay-in conditions. And governments cannot simply pluck money from the money tree. Israel and Hamas are said to be closing their differences on a ceasefire deal in Gaza. The US's Middle East envoy Steve Wyckoff claims there's now just one issue in the way of an agreement. Officials from both sides have been holding indirect talks in Qatar about the US sponsored deal. Michael Ratney was the US ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Biden administration.

2:28He says typically one of the big sticking points has been Hamas' demand for a permanent ceasefire. Obviously what's on the table right now is a 60-day ceasefire with the release of some hostages, but they want assurances that that is going to lead to a permanent ceasefire. It seems that President Trump has given some sort of assurances that that would be the case, that if the negotiations are ongoing throughout the 60-day period in good faith, that he would guarantee those continue. And it's pretty clear what he wants is a permanent end to the war. There could be a reduction in the number of trials that are heard in front of a jury, with the outcome instead decided by judges alone.

3:04It's one of a number of recommendations from former Judge Sir Brian Leveson, who's been asked for suggestions to tackle a backlog in criminal cases. The government's considering his findings. Greg Wallace has reportedly been sacked as MasterChef presenter. The company that makes the programme has been investigating historical complaints about his behaviour, and 50 more people are now said to have come forward with claims. The 60-year-old says he won't go quietly, claiming he was hung out to dry before the facts were established. You can follow The Times News Briefing on Spotify and listen live to Times Radio online.

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