Afternoon briefing Thursday 21st November

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This is the Times' afternoon briefing on Thursday, 21 November. John Prescott, the country's longest-serving Deputy Prime Minister, has died aged 86. A former merchant seaman and trade unionist, he was an MP for 40 years and Deputy Leader of Labor during the new Labor Project. Tony Blair says he's devastated by the death of a man he calls one of the most talented, committed and loyal in politics, while Gordon Brown has called him a legend of the Labour Party.

Peter Mandelson, who was also at the heart of New Labour, spoke to Times Radio. He was in many ways the cement that kept New Labour together. He was an essential part of New Labour. I mean, he anchored New Labour in the party's history and its trade union passed. And in the sense, he was a very effective bridge

between the parties, no working-class roots and the modernizers of the Labour Party. William Hague was leader of the Conservative Party during the first four years of Tony Blair's government. He told Times Radio going up against John Prescott when he stood in at Prime Minister's questions was a harder challenge. Because he always had the good humour as well, that was a huge advantage. So I never really felt I could get the better of him.

And he was an absolute character. Completely unique and really a big tribal force in the Labour Party, but as a very kind and generous man. William Hague on John Prescott, who's died aged 86. Ukraine claims Russia has fired an intercontinental ballistic missile at Kyiv, which is thought to be the first time a weapon of this type has been used during the invasion of Ukraine.

ICBMs are a key part of Russia's nuclear deterrent, but there is no suggestion that this missile was armed with a nuclear warhead. It comes after Ukraine fired American and British long-range weapons into Russian territory prompting anger from Moscow. The family of Captain Sir Tom Moore accused the Charity Commission of selective storytelling after the regulator accused them of serious and repeated misconduct.

An enquiries found Sir Tom's daughter Hannah Ingrahamore and her husband Colin took more than a million pounds that should have gone to the charity set up in his name. The Commission's Chief Executive David Holzworth told Times Radio, couple have refused to give money to the charity even when asked. There was a book deal. Now because of the marketing around that book deal, Anindee kept in Tom's own words in the foreword.

that it would benefit the charity. The public would rightly have expected some of that money to have gone to the charity. In fact, the £1.4 million was paid directly to the England malls.

The government borrowing rose to £17.4 billion last month, more than £4 billion higher than economists had expected. Nine water companies have been blocked from using customers' money to pay £6.8 million worth of bonuses to bosses, which the regulators says are undeserved. And Alastair Brownlee has announced his retirement from Triathlon, the 36-year-old won Olympic gold at London 2012 and in Rio four years later.

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