UK Politics

British scientists behind an AI breakthrough that speeds up the development of materials for wind turbines and electric car batteries from years to days have won a Government prize.Polaron, a spin-out project from Imperial College London, will receive £1 million in funding to advance its new design tool which uses microscopic analysis to predict how certain substances will perform.The Government hopes the technology will help manufacturers create stronger, lighter and more efficient components for clean energy, transport and key infrastructure.Advanced materials are used for operations such as reinforcing bridges and skyscrapers to powering electric vehicles, but developing them has traditionally been slow, costly and unpredictable.Polaron uses “microstructural” images, which show the internal features of materials, to rapidly analyse them, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) said.The £1 million Manchester Prize rewards technological breakthroughs addressing what the Government sees as major societal challenges, with nearly 300 teams from across Britain having competed in its first year.Ten finalists each received £100,000 and support to further develop their projects.Science Secretary Peter Kyle said the technology would help the Government meet its clean power targets, which include a commitment to reach net zero by 2050 and a goal to cut UK emissions by 81% by 2035.“Polaron exemplifies the promise of AI and shows how, through our Plan for Change, we are putting AI innovation at the forefront,” he said.“Our commitment is clear: we are fully embracing AI to drive growth, improve public services and position the UK as a global leader in AI innovation.”Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “This Government is determined to embrace each and every opportunity of new technologies like AI, which will not only help British companies develop products we can use at home but also open up access for them to export them overseas.” More

‘What was the point?’ Starmer grilled on real-life impacts of disability benefits cutsSir Keir Starmer and Diane Abbott have clashed at PMQs, after the veteran Labour MP warned there was “nothing moral” about his government’s £5bn cut to the welfare bill.As the government faces condemnation from charities, unions and some of its own MPs over the move to axe around one million people’s disability benefits, Ms Abbott told him: “This is not about morality, this is about the Treasury’s wish to balance the country’s books on the back of the most vulnerable and poor people in this society.”But Sir Keir insisted that it is a “moral issue” that one-in-eight young people are not in employment, education or training. “I’m not going to turn away from that”, he said, adding: “I am genuinely shocked that a million people, young people, are in that position, and I’m not prepared to shrug my shoulders and walk past it.”Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch criticised the government’s handling of the economy and finances, asking the PM: “The Chancellor claimed that her Budget was a once in a parliamentary reset – so why are we having an emergency Budget next week?”No 10 says Putin’s refusal to accept Trump ceasefire is ‘disappointing’ Vladimir Putin’s refusal to accept an immediate ceasefire without conditions is “disappointing”, Downing Street has said.The prime minister’s official spokesperson told reporters: “We obviously welcome President Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire in this space, but it is also disappointing that Putin has not agreed to a full-on, immediate ceasefire without conditions, as Ukraine has done.”Andy Gregory19 March 2025 14:52MPs laugh as Lee Anderson says he ‘asks sensible questions’ in CommonsReform MP Lee Anderson drew a wave of laughter from MPs as he claimed to come to the Commons every week “to ask sensible questions”.He then proceeded to ask the prime minister what he called “a very simple question on behalf of all the net zero sceptics”, asking: “If we became net zero tomorrow, by how much would it reduce the Earth’s temperature by?”According to the Royal Society, even if greenhouse gas emissions were to suddenly stop, the Earth’s surface temperature would require thousands of years to cool and return to the level in the pre-industrial era. But leading scientists say that reaching net zero is the only way to stop potentially catastrophic further warming in the years to come.Andy Gregory19 March 2025 14:40Watch: Farage ‘can’t even lead party that fits in back of a taxi’, jokes StarmerStarmer says Nigel Farage ‘can’t even lead a party that fits in the back of a taxi’Andy Gregory19 March 2025 14:28Starmer backs calls from Gareth Southgate and Adolescence stars to tackle culture of young male violenceOur Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin reports: Jabed Ahmed19 March 2025 14:17UK sickness-related economic inactivity prejected to rise 61% by 2030The proportion of the UK workforce who are economically inactive because of sickness is projected to rise from 5.4% in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 to 8.0% in 2030, new figures show.People are classed as economically inactive if they are of working age (16 to 64 years old) and not in employment but not currently looking for work.The figures are projections, not forecasts or predictions, as they have been modelled on trends over the past five years.They have been published by the Department for Work & Pensions using data from the Annual Population Survey, Labour Force Survey and the latest Office for National Statistics population projections.The number of people in the UK workforce who are economically inactive because of sickness is projected to rise from 2.25 million in 2019 to 3.62 million in 2030 – a jump of 61%.However, over the same period the proportion of the workforce economically inactive for all other reasons – including study, care or early retirement – is projected to fall, from 15.3% to 12.1%.Jabed Ahmed19 March 2025 14:06Trussell Trust says people are ‘terrified of how they might survive’ after welfare cutsHelen Barnard, director of policy, research and impact at Trussell, said: “We’re deeply concerned by the cuts announced to disability payments today. People at food banks have told us they are terrified of how they might survive. “We welcome the positive proposals from the Department for Work and Pensions to boost the basic rate to Universal Credit and invest in employment support. “However, we fear these steps will be undermined by a Treasury drive to make short-term savings. Huge cuts risk pushing more disabled people to the doors of food banks, and will have devastating consequences for us all. “The UK government was elected on manifesto pledges to end the need for emergency food parcels. This isn’t what people voted for.“Disabled people are already three times more likely to face hunger, and three quarters of people at food banks are disabled or live with someone who is. Our social security system should be rooted in justice and compassion, able to be there for us all, especially when we need it most.“This isn’t a done deal. With at least a year before any cuts come into force, there’s still time for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to rethink and make good on today’s promise to restore trust and fairness in the social security system.”Jabed Ahmed19 March 2025 13:57Martin Lewis warns Labour £5bn benefits cuts are ‘fraught with challenges’My colleague Albert Toth reports: Jabed Ahmed19 March 2025 13:36Watch | MPs discuss Netflix’s Adolescence in bid to stop violence against women and girlsMPs discuss Netflix’s Adolescence in bid to stop violence against women and girlsJabed Ahmed19 March 2025 13:23‘Sickness not work has paid far too long’, warns leading thinktank after Labour’s £5bn benefit reformsOur Political Editor David Maddox reports: Jabed Ahmed19 March 2025 12:54Labour MP condemns Starmer over benefits overhaul Richard Burgon, MP for Leeds East, has warned Sir Keir Starmer the government will face “the mother of all rebellions” if it does not drop its welfare reforms.Writing on X, Mr Burgon said: “The Prime Minister was unable to answer a simple question today about why a disabled person who needs help to eat, wash and manage toilet needs could no longer get PIP under his proposals.“The Government must drop this cruel proposal or it’ll face the mother of all rebellions.”( More

Keir Starmer has backed calls from Gareth Southgate and the stars of the hit TV show Adolescence to tackle toxic misogyny and give young men the role models they need. He said violence carried out by young men influenced by what they see online was “abhorrent” and “a real problem”. He also warned that the issue was “growing and emerging” and is also one of “culture”. The former England manager has highlighted the dangers of social media and said the current generation of young men need to be saved from a particular type of influencer as he delivered the Richard Dimbleby Lecture.Adolescence ’s Stephen Graham has also issued a warning to parents about the dangers of the internet. More

Brexit has created a “mind blowing” nearly two billion extra pieces of paperwork for businesses – enough to wrap around the world 15 times. If they were all laid end to end they would also reach to the moon and half way back again, an analysis of research by the Chartered Institute of Export & International Trade by the Liberal Democrats found. Lib Dem trade spokesperson Clive Jones said it showed the scale of red tape plaguing British businesses since the UK’s withdrawal from Europe. He said: “The Conservatives’ botched Brexit deal is suffocating businesses, tying them up in a Gordian Knot of red tape, as they try to export our fantastic British products and produce across the world. These figures are mind blowing.” The scale of Brexit red tape has been revealed More

Labour’s plans to reform the welfare system by getting more people into work is the best route to helping people out a poverty, a leading think tank says, warning that ”for too long now it’s been sickness that pays”.The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), founded by Sir Iain Duncan Smith, did the groundwork for the last overhaul of welfare and the creation of the universal credit.But it has raised concerns that work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall’s reforms do not go far enough to deal with an over-medicated population. It comes as the CSJ has published a report showing that 84 per cent of GPs believe too much medicine is being handed out for mental health issues, particularly depression.Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced £5bn in cuts (James Manning/PA) More