Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday that a Conservative lawmaker was wrong to say the mayor of London is controlled by Islamists, and also denied that the governing party tolerates anti-Muslim prejudice.Sunak is under pressure to condemn Islamophobia after the comments by Lee Anderson, who was suspended from the Conservative Party group in Parliament on Saturday for comments about Mayor Sadiq Khan, amid growing tensions within British politics over the Israel-Hamas war.Anderson, a pugnacious populist, claimed Islamists had “got control” of Khan and the city of London. Khan is Muslim, and a member of the opposition Labour Party.“These comments weren’t acceptable, they were wrong,” Sunak told BBC radio on Monday. “Words matter, especially in the current environment where tensions are running high and I think it’s incumbent on all of us to choose them carefully.”Asked whether his party has an Islamophobia problem, Sunak said: “No, of course it doesn’t.’”Opponents accused the Conservatives of deliberately raising tensions over pro-Palestinian protests that have been held most weekends since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October. Sunak fired former Home Secretary Suella Braverman in November after she called the protests, which have drawn hundreds of thousands of demonstrators, “hate marches” and accused police of being too lenient with them.The protests have been overwhelmingly peaceful, though there have been several dozen arrests over signs and chants allegedly supporting Hamas, a banned organization in Britain. Some people also say the mass marches have created an intimidating atmosphere for Jewish Londoners.In an interview with right-wing TV channel GB News, Anderson criticized the police response to the demonstrations, leveling the blame on the mayor. He said “the Islamists … (have) got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London,” and claimed Khan had “given our capital city away to his mates.”The suspension means Anderson, a deputy chairman of the Conservatives until last month, will sit in Parliament as an independent unless he joins another party such as the right-wing Reform U.K., formerly known as the Brexit Party.Labour said the Conservatives must go further to tackle prejudice, noting that Anderson was suspended for refusing to apologize rather than for his original comments about Khan.Labour chairwoman Anneliese Dodds said Anderson’s remarks were “clearly not to do with who Sadiq Khan is, it was a slur that was directed at him because of Islamophobia.”The move comes as tensions over the Israel-Hamas war roil British politics, with some lawmakers saying they fear for their safety after receiving threats over their positions on the conflict. Reports of both antisemitic and anti-Muslim abuse in Britain have soared since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza.Last week an attempt to hold a House of Commons vote calling for a cease-fire descended into chaos after House of Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle departed from parliamentary custom by allowing votes on motions from three different parties, sparking a walkout by the Conservatives and Scottish National Party.Hoyle said he had been trying to ensure that all lawmakers had the chance to make their positions clear in a climate of threat and intimidation, but faces calls for his resignation. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDeepfake videos generated using artificial intelligence could provide the “perfect storm” for the UK’s adversaries to influence the upcoming general election, the home secretary has warned.James Cleverley said ahead of a planned meeting with tech bosses in Silicon Valley that the era of deepfake videos disrupting elections across the globe was “already in play”.He warned that adversaries working on behalf of countries like Iran or Russia could flood social media platforms with highly realistic AI-generated deepfake videos in an attempt to sway voters. Roughly half the global population is taking part in elections this year, including in the UK, the US and across the EU.“The era of deepfake and AI-generated content to mislead and disrupt is already in play,” Mr Cleverley told The Times, adding that “increasingly today the battle of ideas and policies takes place in the ever-changing and expanding digital sphere.”“The landscape it is inserted into needs its rules, transparency and safeguards for its users. The questions asked about digital content and the sources of digital content are no less relevant than those asked about the content and sources at dispatch boxes, newsrooms, or billboard ads,” he said.Earlier this month tech giants including Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and 17 others agreed to work together to prevent deceptive AI content, but this pact did not commit to banning deepfake videos.Google Joins Coalition Aimed at Combating AI-Generated DeepfakesLondon’s mayor Sadiq Khan also warned earlier this month that deepfakes could swing a close UK election.Mr Khan, who was the victim of an AI-generated recording of him supposedly making inflammatory remarks in the run-up to Armistice Day protests last year, said the regulation around the fakes is currently “not fit for purpose.”“It’s not an issue of policing, it’s an issue of legislation and regulation,” he said.“My worry is, in a close election, a close referendum, these sorts of deepfake videos and audios can be the difference, but also my concern is, there are sometimes examples where these sorts of deepfake audios can lead to serious disturbances, particularly when emotions are running high,” the London mayor warned.Prime minister Rishi Sunak has said the UK general election will take place at some point this year, likely in October, but the exact date has not yet been announced.The European Parliament is set to go into elections this year in June.Ahead of the EU elections, Facebook owner Meta said it is setting up a team to tackle disinformation and the abuse of AI as concerns about misuse of the technology to manipulate voters loom.“As the election approaches, we’ll activate an Elections Operations Center to identify potential threats and put mitigations in place in real time,” Marco Pancini, Meta’s head of EU affairs, said in a blog post.Experts from across Meta’s teams, including those working in its intelligence, engineering, content policy, and legal teams will work on combating misinformation and tackling influence operations to tackle the abuse of such AI tools.The social media giant said it is working with 26 independent fact-checking organisations across the EU covering 22 languages. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDeepfakes generated by artificial intelligence (AI) provide the “perfect storm” for those looking to hijack the upcoming general election, the Home Secretary has warned.James Cleverley said the era of these technologies misleading and disrupting important democratic decisions was “already in play”, The Times reported.It comes as Mr Cleverly is reportedly due to meet with Silicon Valley bosses to urge greater action from large technology companies to protect democracy.Earlier this month some of the companies signed a pact to voluntarily adopt “reasonable precautions” to prevent AI tools from being used to disrupt democratic elections around the world.However, this pact did not commit to banning or removing deepfakes.Mayor of London Sadiq Khan fell victim to a fake AI recording of him supposedly making inflammatory remarks in the run up to Armistice Day protests last year.Increasingly today the battle of ideas and policies takes place in the ever-changing and expanding digital sphereJames CleverlyThe material shared on social media featured a simulation of Mr Khan’s voice saying he did not care “about the Remembrance weekend” and suggesting the commemorations be postponed to allow for a pro-Palestinian march to go ahead.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak confirmed a UK general election will take place at some point this year, although an exact date has not yet been set.Mr Cleverly told The Times that “increasingly today the battle of ideas and policies takes place in the ever-changing and expanding digital sphere”.He said: “The era of deepfake and AI-generated content to mislead and disrupt is already in play.“The landscape it is inserted into needs its rules, transparency and safeguards for its users.“The questions asked about digital content and the sources of digital content are no less relevant than those asked about the content and sources at dispatch boxes, newsrooms or billboard ads.”Mr Cleverly said “malign actors” and criminals would attempt to use generative AI to quickly produce thousands of illicit images or deepfakes, which could then be shared unpunished on encrypted services and with millions on social media within seconds. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe deputy prime minister has refused to rule out Lee Anderson having the Tory whip restored despite a senior Conservative calling Mr Anderson’s remarks “repugnant”.Oliver Dowden said on Sunday that he “certainly would not rule out” the possibility of Mr Anderson returning from his suspension, which was imposed in response to an anti-Muslim rant on GB News.But Robert Buckland, the Tory former justice secretary, said Mr Anderson had “crossed a line” and that his comments were “repugnant”.In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson said: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of [Sadiq] Khan and they’ve got control of London… He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”Lee Anderson has been accused by Sadiq Khan of making Islamophobic commentsA Conservative source initially backed Mr Anderson, but after intense media pressure and the controversial MP’s refusal to apologise, the party suspended him. He will now sit as an independent MP.Rishi Sunak has so far failed to address Mr Anderson’s comments, made on Friday, or the surging Islamophobia across Britain, despite having spoken publicly about a rise in “prejudice and antisemitism”.And on Sunday Mr Dowden said Mr Anderson, who was deputy Tory chair until last month, had simply “used the wrong words”.“I don’t believe that Lee Anderson said those remarks intending to be Islamophobic,” Mr Dowden told the BBC.Mr Buckland was among several senior Tories who were critical of Mr Anderson’s remarks, telling BBC Radio 4 on Sunday that they were “racist and repugnant”.“This man has clearly crossed a line,” Mr Buckland added.Rishi Sunak has so far failed to address Anderson’s comments Labour said it was “concerned” about Mr Dowden’s suggestion that the Tories could give Mr Anderson the whip back.Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth has called on Mr Sunak to confirm that no “deal or undertakings” have been offered that would see Mr Anderson sit as a Tory MP again.In a letter to the prime minister, Mr Ashworth said: “The removal of the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson was the correct decision after his disgusting racist and Islamophobic remarks aimed at the mayor of London. “I was so concerned to see your deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden tell GB News this morning that he ‘certainly wouldn’t rule that out’ when asked if Mr Anderson could have the whip returned.“This extraordinary suggestion comes less than 24 hours after his removal from the Conservative Party and with no apology or retraction having yet been offered. It will inevitably lead to concerns that the withdrawal of the whip was merely a temporary measure taken in response to media criticism, and that the possibility of Mr Anderson being allowed back into the Tory party is being kept on the table.”He added: “Can you confirm that no deal or undertakings have been offered to Mr Anderson by you or anyone speaking on behalf of the Conservative Party that would see him have the Tory whip returned?”In a statement on Saturday night, Mr Sunak highlighted “recent” events, including the pro-Palestinian protests that have been held across the country since the 7 October attacks.“The events of recent weeks are but the latest in an emerging pattern which should not be tolerated,” Mr Sunak said. But Mr Sunak has not yet responded to Mr Anderson’s comments.Sir Keir Starmer said it was right that Mr Anderson had been suspended from the party over his “appalling racist and Islamophobic outburst”. The Labour leader also challenged Mr Sunak on the wider matter of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party.“What does it say about the prime minister’s judgement that he made Lee Anderson deputy chairman of his party?” Sir Keir asked.He added: “Whether it is Liz Truss staying silent on Tommy Robinson or Suella Braverman’s extreme rhetoric, Rishi Sunak’s weakness means Tory MPs can act with impunity.“This isn’t just embarrassing for the Conservative Party, it emboldens the worst forces in our politics. Rishi Sunak needs to get a grip and take on the extremists in his party.“The Tories may be getting more and more desperate as the election approaches, but Rishi Sunak has a responsibility to stop this slide into ever more toxic rhetoric.”Khan condemned the ‘moral rot’ of anti-Muslim hatred in the Conservative Party It came as Mr Khan condemned the “moral rot” of anti-Muslim hatred in the Conservative Party. The London mayor said Mr Anderson’s “belated” suspension showed that “Muslims are fair game as far as the Conservative Party is concerned”.On Sunday the Muslim Council of Britain wrote to the chair of the Conservative Party demanding an investigation into “structural Islamophobia” in the party.In a letter to Richard Holden, the organisation said it welcomes the removal of the whip from Mr Anderson, but alleged that Islamophobia “persists” in the party.Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “Our view is that the Islamophobia in the [Conservative] Party is institutional, tolerated by the leadership and seen as acceptable by great swathes of the party membership.”The letter also criticised the Conservatives for removing the whip from Mr Anderson only after he had refused to apologise.It said: “We note that he [Mr Anderson] was only censured for refusing to apologise, not for making the racist remarks in the first place. We also note that the whip was withdrawn only after there was widespread condemnation across the board, while the prime minister and the rest of the cabinet remained silent.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has been accused of aiding Vladimir Putin’s regime over the government’s plans to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money training up the next generation of Russian leaders.Britain barred Russians from applying to the Chevening scholarship programme – a fully funded masters degree aimed at “emerging leaders” from all over the world – after Mr Putin invaded Ukraine two years ago.But, despite the conflict still going on – and Britain ramping up sanctions on Moscow in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny – The Independent can reveal that the scheme has been reopened to applicants from Russia.The prime minister is now facing calls to reverse the decision, with MPs and campaigners criticising the decision to use foreign aid money in this way. One MP said: “It will only possibly benefit apparatchiks of Putin’s regime.”Bill Browder, the US anti-corruption campaigner, told The Independent it is “highly inappropriate” to reinstate the scheme. He said: “While Putin is killing Ukrainians, it would be highly inappropriate for the British government to send any money to Russians, who may go back to Russia and support the war effort. A programme like this should be for citizens of countries that aren’t threatening us with nuclear war.”Britain barred Russian applicants from the Chevening scholarship programme after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine two years agoThe scheme sees overseas students brought to British universities, with flights, accommodation and tuition fees all included – on the condition that they return to their home country after graduation.It is funded by the Foreign Office through the UK’s international aid budget, and is aimed at boosting Britain’s soft power and relationships with countries around the world. In the past, more than 30 scholarships in one year have gone to students from Russia. It means that, from September, Britain could be spending hundreds of thousands of pounds bringing Russian applicants to the UK.Critics rounded on the government’s decision to reopen the scheme to Russians while the war is ongoing, with former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith denouncing it as “hopeless”.The senior MP added: “Why are we doing this at this time? After Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine that has cost so many lives and destroyed so many towns and cities. Why would we want to do this?”Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg told The Independent that the Foreign Office should “clearly continue the suspension of this scheme”. “It will only possibly benefit apparatchiks of Putin’s regime,” he added.Rishi Sunak’s government has decided to reopen the scheme to Russian applicants, despite Russia’s bloody war on Ukraine still raging He called for the money to be spent on helping those displaced by Russia’s invasion. He said: “If this money is available, it ought to be spent helping Russian families living in exile to avoid Putin’s murderous regime.”The Chevening scholarship programme provides study at UK universities – including Oxford and Cambridge as well as the University of Bristol, the University of Glasgow and Nottingham Trent – for students with the potential to become future leaders, decision makers and opinion formers.It was established in 1983 as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Awards Scheme, and renamed in 1994 after Chevening House in Sevenoaks, Kent – the foreign secretary’s grace and favour home.A student coming to London receives a stipend believed to be worth around £18,500 in addition to full tuition, with an average degree ordinarily costing overseas graduates £17,109.With flights also included, each student could account for more than £35,000 of expenditure, though the Foreign Office refused to disclose the amount involved or how many students would be funded this year.Foreign affairs committee member Henry Smith said it is “not the time” to reopen the scheme, pointing to Mr Putin’s administration “acting like a crime syndicate at home and bringing war to Europe”. He added: “Indeed, it could be argued as a potential security risk.”Former defence minister Tobias Ellwood said: “Given Russian sports athletes are banned from international competitions and cannot compete under the Russian flag, spending a penny on supporting Russian students is absurd. “We can and must suspend support of Russians if they are returning to Putin.”Britain has ramped up sanctions on Moscow in response to the death of opposition leader Alexei NavalnyThe Foreign Office said Chevening allows Britain to “engage the next generation of students from across the globe with Western values and critical thinking”. A spokesperson added: “Our argument is with Putin’s regime and his illegal invasion of Ukraine. It is not with the Russian people, many of whom are increasingly suffering the consequences of this invasion.”The spokesperson also pointed to a rise in domestic repression in Russia – with ordinary Russians increasingly unable to exercise their fundamental freedoms – as justification for the decision.Alicia Kearns, the head of parliament’s foreign affairs committee, said reopening the scheme is “the right thing to do”.“Enabling Russian students, the brightest and best, to see that Putin’s ‘truths’ are anything but, and to experience a society that is open and free, is the right thing to do,” she told The Independent.The decision to reopen the scheme to Russians coincides with the second anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale incursion into Ukraine.In the two years since the war erupted, more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and nearly 20,000 injured.Britain has also ramped up its sanctions on Russia over the murder of Navalny. Days after his death, the UK imposed travel bans and asset freezes on six individuals heading up the notoriously brutal “Polar Wolf” FKU IK-3 prison camp where he was killed.A Foreign Office source told The Independent that those returning to Russia will take back “experience of our values and society compared to theirs”.And they said the number of Chevening alumni who hold government, civil service and civic society roles around the world is “large and significant”, saying it “can make a big difference diplomatically”.The source said: “Clearly Russia is in a different place right now, but we have never made our absolute commitment to help Ukraine in its self defence against Putin’s illegal and brutal invasion an attack or repulsion of the Russian people.” More