Latest news with #TimesRadio
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
PM addresses nation after dire 'prepare for war in UK' warning
Keir Starmer is set to address the nation after meeting NATO leaders - a day after a chilling Government dossier said Brits must "actively prepare" for war. The PM is at The Hague in the Netherlands for a crucial summit amid growing alarm over the spread of nuclear weapons. US President Donald Trump jetted in for the crunch talks, which will see member states pushed to ramp security spending up to 5% of GDP. Mr Starmer earlier said all members are "absolutely committed to the importance of NATO, particularly in a very volatile world". There have been questions about Trump's commitment to defending allies, after he told reporters yesterday that his commitment to Article 5 of the bloc's pact - that an attack on one is an attack on all - depends "on your definition". The PM was seen in deep conversation with the US President. Mr Starmer's remarks today come a day after a National Security Strategy said the years ahead will test the nation - with a World War Two-style spirit needed to deal with growing threats. It said tackling the danger of nuclear weapons will be "more complex than it was even in the Cold War". The document went on to warn that major powers like China and Russia are seeking to gain an upper hand in "outer space, cyberspace, the deep sea, and at the Arctic and Antarctic poles". The document says: "The years ahead will test the United Kingdom... The direction it takes – and the decisions we take – will reverberate through the decades. "We will need agility and courage to succeed, but we should be optimistic. We remain a resolute country, rich in history, values and in our capabilities. But most of all, there is the determination of the British people themselves. After all, we do not need to look too far into our history for an example of a whole-of-society effort, motivated by a collective will to keep each other safe. "We can mobilise that spirit again and use it both for our national security and the rebuilding of our country." Defence Secretary John Healey said the PM trusts that Trump's America would come to the aid of NATO allies. He told Times Radio: "Do I trust President Trump and the US's commitment to Article 5? Yes. "So does our Prime Minister, and he does because in the Oval Office on his visit to the White House, President Trump gave him that commitment in public." Mr Starmer has called on Israel and Iran to maintain the pause in hostilities. In a conversation with the French and German leaders at on Tuesday, he "reflected on the volatile situation in the Middle East," according to a Downing Street spokeswoman. The leaders agreed that "now was the time for diplomacy and for Iran to come to the negotiating table", the spokeswoman added. It comes as intelligence reports in the US suggested that the American attack on Iran's nuclear programme over the weekend have only set it back by a few months, rather than destroyed it as Donald Trump previously suggested.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Keir Starmer to address nation after chilling 'prepare for war in UK' warning
Keir Starmer will give a press conference this afternoon - a day after a chilling Government dossier said Brits must "actively prepare" for war. The PM will have crunch meetings at the NATO summit in The Hague, with US President among the world leaders who have jetted in. It comes a day after a National Security Strategy said the years ahead will test the nation - with a World War Two-style spirit needed to deal with growing threats. It said tackling the danger of nuclear weapons will be "more complex than it was even in the Cold War". The document went on to warn that major powers like China and Russia are seeking to gain an upper hand in "outer space, cyberspace, the deep sea, and at the Arctic and Antarctic poles". The document says: "The years ahead will test the United Kingdom... The direction it takes – and the decisions we take – will reverberate through the decades. "We will need agility and courage to succeed, but we should be optimistic. We remain a resolute country, rich in history, values and in our capabilities. But most of all, there is the determination of the British people themselves. After all, we do not need to look too far into our history for an example of a whole-of-society effort, motivated by a collective will to keep each other safe. "We can mobilise that spirit again and use it both for our national security and the rebuilding of our country." Defence Secretary John Healey said the PM trusts that Trump's America would come to the aid of NATO allies. He told Times Radio: "Do I trust President Trump and the US's commitment to Article 5? Yes. "So does our Prime Minister, and he does because in the Oval Office on his visit to the White House, President Trump gave him that commitment in public." Mr Starmer has called on Israel and Iran to maintain the pause in hostilities. In a conversation with the French and German leaders at on Tuesday, he "reflected on the volatile situation in the Middle East," according to a Downing Street spokeswoman. The leaders agreed that "now was the time for diplomacy and for Iran to come to the negotiating table", the spokeswoman added. It comes as intelligence reports in the US suggested that the American attack on Iran's nuclear programme over the weekend have only set it back by a few months, rather than destroyed it as Donald Trump previously suggested.
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- The Herald Scotland
I wasn't sure I would make it – but other jobs were too boring
To be honest, the Antarctic sounded the more fun of the two. It was March on Svalbard and the locals hadn't seen the sun since September. Living in eternal darkness is not an easy gig. No wonder depression can be a thing there. Read More: It's even worse, you imagine, if you work in a mine, which was the case for one of the men Bullens spoke to. He admitted there have been times in his three years working on the archipelago when he hasn't felt safe. But that, he added, was also part of the appeal of the job. And it was dangerous. There have been accidents. A friend of his had died. 'I had a period where I actually packed my bags every evening before I went to work. Or morning. I put my essentials in there because if my relatives were going to pick it up it would be at least easy to bring, because I was not sure if I would make it out alive." But what else could he do, he said? 'A lot of jobs would be way too boring for me.' That said, mining is a way of life that is coming to an end, even on Svalbard. 'We're all a bunch of proud last coal miners in Norway, all 60 of us," he admitted. "The last standing … or crawling.' Svalbard itself is changing. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet, Bullens pointed out. The mining might have had something to do with that, of course. The Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast was a much jollier affair. First broadcast in 1955, it's a chance for the families of those living in the research stations to send their best wishes to their loved ones at the darkest time of year at the South Pole. They are then broadcast to the staff during a day of festivities which also includes a screening of the horror movie The Thing in which - appropriately enough - an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base. Read More: At one point Matthews spoke to Eloise Saville, a carpenter at the Rothera station. Saville is also a marathon runner. She still trains while she is in the Antarctic. 'It's quite good running here, you know,' Saville suggested. 'We've got a runway and, now it's not the flying season, you can just run around the runway past penguins. Usually have a little break at the end and have a look at a humpback which is always there. The backdrop for your runs here are insane.' But what made this programme such a joy (and really rather moving) was just the chance to hear all the family messages to loved ones at the other end of the world. Here were Scottish accents, Irish accents, Scouse accents, Devon accents, (as well as the odd dog bark and cat meow), full of love and pride. The result could warm the Weddell Sea. Birthday greetings to Times Radio. It is five years old this weekend. It launched itself, you might remember, with an interview with the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which is proof, at least, that some things are better now than then. Boris Johnson on Times Radio (Image: Richard Pohle) There are things I am still not keen on about the station. I tuned in on Monday afternoon hoping to hear Stephen Sackur, the latest transfer from the BBC. I got a bloviating Andrew Neil instead. Urrgh. But Kate McCann and Stig Abell on the morning show are as good as anything on the BBC (and better than some). Not that they don't get me shouting at the radio from time to time. On Tuesday McCann was at the Hague for the NATO summit, suggesting to the Norwegian Defence Minister maybe it was time that Norway got itself some nuclear bombs. Yeah, that's exactly what we need right now. More nukes. Meanwhile, Abell was in the studio with former Tory leader William Hague and former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale debating the issues of the day. Both benefited from not having to follow party lines these days. 'William, you are a wishy-washy Tory,' Abell suggested to Hague at one point. 'I'll take that as a compliment,' Hague replied. Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick would have been bealing at the very suggestion. Listen Out For: Composer of the Week, Radio 3, Monday to Friday, 4pm. Glastonbury and Wimbledon are set to dominate the airwaves in the coming days, but if neither suits you can always retreat to Radio 3 which is featuring Erik Satie as its composer of the week. As an added bonus the Sunday Feature (Radio 3, Sunday, 7.15pm) sees Jude Rogers explore the influence the French composer had on ambient and electronic music in the 20th century.
Times
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Rod Liddle on his radio comeback: Somehow I'm still on air
Everyone thought it was going to be trouble and would end in tears. Right at the start I rang Trevor Phillips and said: Times Radio has given me a show, on a Saturday, between 10am and 1pm, would you like to be my guest? Trevor is about as close to a friend as I have in this desperate trade of perpetual scribbling and jabbering. There was a hoot of laughter down the line. 'They've given you a show? Has anyone told Ofcom? Yes, I'll be your guest. Put me on an early one before it's taken off air.' I had not really imagined going back into radio at this stage of life. I endured a decade at the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, five of them as editor. There was always an agreement that radio would be absolutely brilliant if it wasn't for the presenters and the listeners. Both of these groups carped all the time and were impossible to deal with. Becoming a presenter, then, was a kind of betrayal. But the prospect held such allure. I had grown very tired of the BBC's monocultural output, its perpetual and predictable consensus, even if I still respected a lot of the people who worked there. Here was a chance to make a programme which would be, I thought, 'refreshingly different', which would 'break the mould'. And as I was a convert to Times Radio already, it was very hard to resist. I would be taking over the slot previously occupied by the brilliant Hugo Rifkind, and therefore a tricky act to follow. I was introduced to the producer, Danny Garlick. He appraised me with slightly narrowed eyes. How would you like to change the show, he asked. 'I'd like it to be refreshingly different, and to break the mould,' I replied. How exactly? 'I'd like it to be a little more, um … you know … fascisty.' I was joking, largely. But I did see it as an opportunity to approach the daily round of news stories from different angles, left and right. That old divide has become almost meaningless today. Politics does not know where it is; it has become lost. Reform urging nationalisation and the Labour prime minister conjuring echoes of Enoch Powell? This isn't just a shifting of the Overton window, it's a screen door being flung open. And yet too often the broadcasters follow the same old patterns which simply don't hold any more. The first couple of shows were terrifying, of course. Three hours to get through without losing the script, saying 'holy f***' or having a heart attack. I used to edit the Saturday edition of Today, a two-hour show which was put together by three or four producers the previous day plus an overnight team of three or four producers, not to mention input from a forward planning team. Here I had the services of the aforementioned Danny for one and a half days each week. But God, he's good. The most flawless producer I have encountered and generous of spirit, too. When, two weeks ago, I inadvertently deleted the entire three hours of script from the computer so that it could not be retrieved, 15 minutes before we were due to start the show, he performed a kind of technological miracle and we made it to air. Nor did he, when I told him what I had done, call me an abject little tit, which is what I would have done. And then some. What I really wanted from the programme was thought and depth from the political interviews, rather than the splenetic harrying of politicians you get elsewhere. We were the only broadcasters to secure an interview with the only British politician invited to Donald Trump's inauguration, the Labour peer Lord Glasman. We have had long-form political interviews with Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage and even longer interviews with the BBC chairman, Samir Shah, Richard Dawkins and the Labour recusant Rosie Duffield. But alongside this stuff there's also been a chance to share a joke with the audience and to hear what they are making of it all. One of the highlights, for me, has been the constant stream of WhatAapp messages coming in from listeners, which we read out. It is a privilege to know that people are so engaged. Mind you, it is also an act of kindness on Danny's part that he does not forward to me the messages which say: 'Get this interminable arse off air this minute.' When I ask him how many say that sort of thing, he usually mumbles: 'Oh, you know, only one or two …' The whole thing has rejuvenated my appetite for radio. And I hope, if you tune in, it may rejuvenate yours. It is a mix of highish culture, expert journalism from Times correspondents and humour — much like The Sunday Times itself. What's more, Trevor Phillips has been on the show loads more times. And I always remind him, as the second hand ticks round, that here we are, Trevor, still on air, still going strong. Listen to Times Radio for free on DAB radio, online or via the free Times Radio app. Rod Liddle presents every Saturday from 10am to 1pm
Leader Live
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
David Lammy arrives in Geneva to meet Iran's foreign minister for peace push
The Foreign Secretary is meeting Abbas Araghchi on Friday alongside his counterparts from France, Germany and the EU as he seeks to negotiate a settlement before US President Donald Trump decides on whether to take military action against Tehran. In a statement read by his press secretary on Thursday, Mr Trump said there was still 'a substantial chance of negotiations' and said he would make a decision on deploying US forces 'within the next two weeks'. Mr Trump had previously said he 'may' join Israeli strikes against Iran and its nuclear programme, but added: 'I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I'm going to do.' Friday's meeting with the so-called E3 countries follows Mr Lammy's visit to Washington, where he met US secretary of state Marco Rubio in the White House on Thursday evening to discuss 'how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict'. The Foreign Secretary said: 'The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon.' Adding that a 'window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution', Mr Lammy said: 'Now is the time to put a stop to the grave scenes in the Middle East and prevent a regional escalation that would benefit no-one.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said on Friday morning the White House had provided a 'very clear timescale now' for the UK and its allies as they push for de-escalation in the Middle East. The situation in the Middle East remains perilous. We are determined that Iran must never have a nuclear weapon. Meeting with @SecRubio and @SteveWitkoff in the White House today, we discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two… — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) June 19, 2025 She also told Times Radio: 'There is this two-week window where the US is offering diplomatic talks. And my counterpart, David Lammy, is over in Geneva today with leading European figures meeting with the Iranian foreign minister. 'We appreciate the seriousness of the situation, but we are hopeful that we will be able to achieve de-escalation and a diplomatic solution. And all of our efforts continue towards that end.' Israeli air strikes reached into the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea early on Friday, Iranian media reported. Since the conflict erupted last week, at least 657 people, including 263 civilians, have been killed in Iran and more than 2,000 wounded, according to a Washington-based Iranian human rights group. Meanwhile, at least 24 people in Israel have been killed and hundreds wounded. It remains unclear whether the UK would join any military action, although there has been speculation that US involvement could require using the British-controlled base on Diego Garcia in the Chagos Islands. The B-2 stealth bombers based there are capable of carrying specialised 'bunker buster' bombs which could be used against Iran's underground nuclear facility at Fordo. Attorney General Lord Hermer is reported to have raised legal concerns about any British involvement in the conflict beyond defending its allies, which could limit the extent of any support for the US if Mr Trump decides to act militarily. Meanwhile, two Labour backbenchers pushed for a 'fresh, tough approach' to Tehran. Jon Pearce and Mike Tapp, chairman and vice-chairman respectively of Labour Friends of Israel, said the UK urgently needed 'a multifaceted diplomatic, economic and national security plan to guard against the Iranian threat and force the regime to change course'. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, the pair called for tighter sanctions on Iran, the proscription of the country's Revolutionary Guard Corps and a 'comprehensive diplomatic solution' that 'eliminates once and for all' Iran's nuclear threat.
