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    Boris Johnson one of most damaging PMs in history, Reform UK chairman says

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreBoris Johnson was “one of the most damaging prime ministers in this country’s history”, according to the chairman of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.Zia Yusuf also said the disgraced ex-PM, found to have deliberately lied and lied again to parliament over Partygate, would not be welcome in his party. He also accused Mr Johnson, one of the architects of Brexit, of betraying those who voted for it. ‘History will judge Boris Johnson as one of the most damaging prime ministers in this country’s history,’ said Reform UK chairman More

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    Voices: As Brexit’s impact deepens, Independent readers question the true cost of leaving the EU

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreAs the UK continues to reckon with the aftermath of Brexit, debates over its long-term impact remain heated.While some argue that leaving the EU was a necessary step for sovereignty and regaining control over borders, many feel that the economic and social consequences have been overwhelmingly negative.Five years post-Brexit, critics argue the country faces rising costs, trade barriers, and a weakened international standing, with businesses struggling due to additional paperwork and lost access to EU markets. Economic growth has slowed, and many industries, such as finance, have seen job losses and relocations to Europe. Immigration has surged, contradicting promises of reduced movement.When we asked for your views recently, many expressed regret over the decision, citing the loss of freedoms, opportunities for young people, and access to European services. The lack of tangible benefits even led some to call for a reconsideration of the decision, while others still maintain that distancing from the EU was essential for the UK’s future independence.Here’s what you had to say: ‘Disinformation is huge’I have tried very hard to see any benefits of our decision to leave the EU.At every turn it has made our relationship with our biggest trading partner more complicated and costly with little or no reciprocal benefits.I have not been able to identify any piece of EU regulation or law that anyone can show was holding us back or was imposed upon us.The disinformation and lack of understanding of how the EU functions is huge.The EU parliament is an elected body. It does not enforce laws in member countries; only the council of ministers can agree on laws and rule changes, and then each state parliament has to individually agree. So how this was a lack of sovereignty, I fail to see.We are definitely worse off. I say tell the EU we made a mistake and ask if we can rejoin.EddieMRelocationHad it not been for Brexit, my wife and I would not have become French citizens. We moved here to Brittany in 2001. Since then, every return trip to family in the UK seems to be more expensive than the one before. OK, prices are up in France too, but we have a better life now than when we lived in Orpington, SE London. Not least in health care, a consideration that grows steadily as we grow older.oldnuffHistorical tensions with the EUHistory is the answer, they still hold the memories of being beaten in war by England and then Britain. Even when we were members, they didn’t like us, so now this is shown even more.My opinion is, we stop international aid that earns nothing back and build our security above everything else, rigorously defend our fisheries and all our assets. Accept friendship and nurture Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, they have been our allies even after the Empire. Trade evenly with any willing partners and try to find alternatives to the EU. Australian and South American wines are good, why use European?MartynIreland and trade relocationIt was definitely worth it for Ireland, thank you very much. We took over a quarter of companies relocating due to Brexit (125), with France and Luxembourg also taking around 100 each. In June, London will lose Euro Clearing, which supports 80,000 well-paid jobs.We have also been able to ban bee-killing pesticides and agree on an EU-wide finance scheme for Covid recovery. Britain would have vetoed both, as well as the tax transparency rules. Britain even vetoed the EU proposal to prevent China from dumping steel in Britain. So yes, we in the EU are very grateful for Brit’s jingoistic stupidity.You are now the lapdog of Trump. State visits, rolling out the royal family, and plenty of flattery. For whatever scraps of trade you can get.Damo75Brexit mantra failureI’d like to retire to Portugal, but without a visa I can only stay a maximum of 90 days. The cost of flights and travel each time I go is prohibitive. Also, without the funds in the bank required for a visa, I can never get one. It seems to me that the Brexit mantra of ‘regaining control of our borders’ has failed. As far as I can tell, we can’t stop the tide of immigration to this country (nor should we, since there is a net gain to our economy). Brexit seems to have had precisely the opposite effect, that is, to prevent emigration. Maybe that was the plan all along…MacUnclear intentions and lasting consequencesBrexit was poorly defined in its intentions, expressed as simply being AGAINST EU membership. Not FOR anything tangible. So it’s hard to assess. But the implicit objectives (reducing migration, deregulation, and prioritizing America or Asia) and the approach used to achieve them (nationalist rhetoric, bellicosity etc.) were not relevant or appropriate to addressing the UK’s main problems. Our main problems were not compromised sovereignty or EU vassal status.After almost a decade, the benefits of Brexit are almost non-existent, hard to measure, and difficult to perceive. But the costs are enormous for the country’s economy, society, and international standing, as well as in every single sector of activity (including fishing, farming, and finance). Not to mention the many families and individuals affected whose lives have been constrained and their rights severely curtailed.Any objective assessment would conclude something similar, but Brexit remains a holy cow that escapes public assessment. It is accorded the status of something untouchable, permanent, and beyond the power of public governance. Elevated from democratic accountability and public discussion, it now exists in the realm of God, king, and country.Marsupial‘The UK will never return to its former glory’Gove should change housing benefits and pay only from 28 years, only child tax credit. Young people should be sent to work… Unfortunately, there is no return to 2006 when people in the UK could find a job everywhere, get large benefits, and quickly get a flat with a union. The UK is changed and will never return to its former glory. Mr Cameron allowed a large emigration from the EU, i.e. seven million people, and Germany gave a five-year waiting period for benefits. People came to the UK for benefits and to Germany to work.If a country has high benefits and a high tax-free amount, then an excess of people will destroy the budget and the country. That is why prices went up and taxes to find money for benefits, the NHS, and schools, but higher various taxes destroy family businesses and small businesses. That is why unemployment is growing. It should be remembered that 17 years have passed since Mr Cameron’s time, so the children of EU emigrants have already grown up and have their own new children. That is why spending on benefits, NHS, and schools is increasing… Only these children have British passports, so we do not count them as emigrants, but social spending is increasing. That is why the UK will have a big problem to develop… People will change governments every four years…Martin‘Britain has sowed, thus it should reap’Efforts to mend ties are proving more complex than expected. On par with having cancelled our subscription to a gym club, it transpires that having been rude for the past 10 years is not helping. Or rather, our new polite behaviour is only handing us comments like ‘tough!’. All we want is to keep on accessing the club premises, but the club refuses to consider this on the grounds that we are not members. How unfair, as we paid the club fees last time just nine years ago… Britain has sowed, thus it should reap.KarmaThe economic falloutAs pointed out so effectively by many already on here, Brexit has failed totally. Tax revenues, which we desperately need, are down £40bn, inward investment is lower than it would be as EU members, business costs have inflated, our international reputation and influence have degraded, our young people are denied opportunities, and our freedoms to work and retire in 27 other countries have been taken away. Immigration has gone up rather than down.We are still following EU rules because there is no practical alternative but have no say in formulating the rules. In short, we have managed to make ourselves poorer, less respected, and have actually lost control and sovereignty rather than gained it.We now find ourselves stranded without European friends and at the mercy of Trump and Musk. And still, the politicians are too scared to say the obvious.When someone – probably the LibDems – breaks ranks and points this all out, I suspect the dam will break.MakeAmericaPottyAgain‘Brexit was always a lie’Brexit was always a lie: the Leave campaign’s 2016 propaganda included promising we would stay in the Single Market yet ‘control our borders’ and forge lucrative trade deals with the rest of the world, all while supporting our struggling NHS.Instead, we have the highest immigration, the longest passport queues, a flatlining economy, and a broken NHS. Any company wanting to serve the EU market will set up in Germany or France. 15% of our high tax-paying City jobs have fled to Europe to access that market. Young people can no longer work in the EU to learn a language and culture – we are isolated, diminished, and everyone knows we have made a serious mistake. And yet this Labour government is clinging to the same wrong red lines as Theresa May. Kier Starmer marched with one million Remainers in October 2019 asking for a People’s vote. How about having another vote now, 8 years after 2016, now we know what Leave actually means?Eleanor‘Brexit served Putin’s interest as well’The conservatives tended to use the EU as a whipping post. That is, they blamed the EU for all of the unpopular legislation they wanted to push through. At the same time, British Prime Ministers would sell their grandmother’s for the chance to have their photograph taken on the White House lawn.Add to that the fact that the EU is a socialist construct and the political leanings in the UK are much more capitalist. That did not make us “good Europeans”.Both campaigns lied or lied by omission. The Leave campaign circumvented British rules on campaign spending by using the Canadian offices of a company offering the use of software that targeted potential Leave voters online, promising gold-laden streets if we left.Whereas Remain failed to mention one of the requirements of a previous EU treaty, possibly Maastricht, requiring the UK to give up the London-based financial institutions that generate much of this country’s income. This would break the UK. We would become little Britain.I would also question if there was any foreign interference in Brexit, specifically Russia. Nigel Farage’s principal backer has or had Russian connections. I cannot remember the guy’s name and I am not suggesting any kind of treasonous intent on his part, but Russia does have history in this area. There have been allegations of potential Russian interference in elections in the United States in recent years, and there should be no doubt that Brexit has not benefitted any country more than Russia. A weakened EU and UK eased the risks to him of his attempted annexation of Ukraine, and the same Russian ship that passed over the Baltic Sea pipeline when it broke also passed over the undersea fiber optic connection to the Shetland Islands when it broke. Brexit served Putin’s interest as well.Kadien‘The UK as a whipping boy’Putting aside any type of for and against, the one thing I can’t believe is how vindictive the EU is to Britain now. Why do I get the feeling that they are using the UK as a whipping boy and a warning to other states who are threatening to leave? i.e. If you leave, this is what we will do to you. Was it right to leave? It was because we had a democratic vote, and for being democratic, Europe has taken it upon itself to make life as difficult as it can for us.In a lot of respects, there are many people who will say, “F U, if this is the way you treat us, we have no wish to come back into your German and French-run club, even if we are worse off.”Only my personal view.John Amiri‘Well-paid jobs have been lost’In my industry, we regularly send people to Europe on high-value projects. Their equipment can no longer be driven or flown. Instead, there are reams of paperwork to be completed. Carnets, a thing of the past while we were in the EU, are back. We now must hire extra people to wrangle this. As a direct consequence of Brexit, shipping costs and times have been inflated.In the immediate aftermath, one company ran up a six-figure bill for extended hire of kit because they couldn’t complete the appropriate paperwork to bring the equipment home. This was due to errors on the way out, which in turn was due to receiving wrong advice from the government department. This is entirely typical of the dumbassed incompetence and negligence of those who forced (by willful misinformation) Brexit on us.All this has meant that our European colleagues have learned to be less reliant on our expertise. They have trained locals to replace us. Well-paid jobs have been lost.Since then, I have weeded out ‘friends’ who were found to be guilty of voting for Brexit. Judge people not by what they say, but by the company they keep, and by what they do.TrussedUpTurkeysAssessing Brexit on its own criteriaI assess Brexit using the criteria provided by Brexiters. “Take back control of our laws, borders, and money.” So let’s look at them.Laws – The Retained EU Law bill was scrapped because it was crazy. All we’ve got rid of is stuff that didn’t apply to the UK anyway. Result = Fail.Borders – Immigration has tripled largely because of Brexit. We have no returns agreement for refugees. The primary driver of Brexit has been the most spectacular Fail imaginable. We gave up frictionless trade to control immigration and it tripled. Astonishing.Money – A GDP hit of 4-6% (£100bn+), drop in tax take of over £40bn. And people ask why taxes are at the highest level on record and the Winter Fuel Payment is now means-tested. Seriously, I can’t believe people don’t just admit this was a massive mistake.BigShowSome of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article here.The conversation isn’t over. To join in, all you need to do is register your details, then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment click here. More

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    Deepfake abuse crackdown a ‘really important blow in battle against misogyny’

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreCampaigners have “landed a really important blow” in the battle against misogyny by their work to crack down on deepfake abuse, Parliament has heard.Conservative Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge received praise from her fellow peers for spearheading a campaign in the upper chamber to ban the creation and solicitation of intimate images of people without their consent.Her proposed law change was tabled in response to concerns over how technology is aiding the abuse of women, with so-called nudify apps allowing users to create fake nude images or videos of other people through generative artificial intelligence.Lady Owen’s Non-Consensual Sexually Explicit Images and Videos (Offences) Bill completed its final stages in the Lords on Friday, although it is not expected to progress further in its current form due to a lack of Government support.Ministers have instead agreed to make changes to the Data (Use and Access) Bill based on the proposals put forward by Lady Owen.This will make it a crime to create a sexually explicit deepfake image or film without the other person’s consent, while steps will also be taken to ensure the confiscation of illicit material from offenders and the hardware on which it is stored.Lady Owen, 31, thanked campaigners and charities for helping “every step of the way”, saying: “I feel very optimistic that the content of this Bill has been addressed and accepted by the Government in a different format.”She added: “I hope the Commons will recognise the strength of feeling across this House on deepfake image abuse and I’m hopeful we are now one step closer to seeing its end.”Speaking for the Liberal Democrats, Lord Clement-Jones, 75, said: “This is part of a wider battle against misogyny and Baroness Owen has landed a really important blow in that battle.”Labour peer Lord Mann praised Lady Owen for her “courage” in bringing forward the proposals, adding the “country is with her on this”.The 65-year-old joked he joined the Lords as a “youngster, relatively” in 2019, adding: “I think it’s very appropriate to note as well that this place doesn’t simply require people of my generation, free bus pass people, bringing great wisdom and experience.“It can also equally, and sometimes more, benefit from younger voices bringing a different, more modern perspective and perhaps that points some direction to the future of this place.”Justice minister Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede, 66, said: “I absolutely agree that the Government should and does stand with the victims and it’s the victims who are the main beneficiaries for the changes that we’re planning to put through.”He also agreed with Lord Clement-Jones, saying: “This is a part of wider battle and it’s a wider battle that we’ll continue to fight through other pieces of legislation.”Lord Ponsonby went on to acknowledge the “country supports Baroness Owen” in her campaigning, saying: “I actually joined this House when I was about the same age as (Lady Owen) is now and you can make changes and the House is a welcoming place.“(Lady Owen) certainly has used her seat in this House for the benefit of victims.”Elsewhere in the Lords, the Public Authority Algorithmic and Automated Decision-Making Systems Bill cleared the House although faces a battle to secure parliamentary time in the Commons.The Bill, tabled by Lord Clement-Jones, seeks to establish a mandatory framework for the responsible use of algorithmic and automated decision-making systems in the public sector.Labour whip Lord Leong said the Government is already “taking active steps” to deal with the issues raised by Lord Clement-Jones. More

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    Ed Miliband U-turns on Heathrow expansion after previous opposition

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreEd Miliband has now backed plans for a third Heathrow runway in a U-turn after his long-held objections to the expansion.More than a decade ago, Mr Miliband reportedly threatened to quit Gordon Brown’s cabinet if the then Labour government supported the airport’s expansion. And in 2018 he voted against another runway in the House of Commons, over environmental concerns, saying: “we owe it to future generations not just to have good environmental principles but to act on them”.But the energy secretary has now said he will “support what the Government is doing” and abide by his collective responsibility as a government minister.He also said the plans could still be compatible with the government’s net zero targets.Asked if he now backed Heathrow expansion, the former Labour leader told Sky News: “Obviously I abide by collective responsibility and what the Government has done, I do support what the Government is doing which is that we have asked Heathrow to come forward with their plans.” Mr Milliband and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have been at odds over the plans More

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    Kosovo elections will decide who will lead stalled talks with Serbia and manage a battered economy

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read more Kosovo goes to the polls Sunday in a parliamentary election expected to be a key test for Prime Minister Albin Kurti after his governing party won in a landslide four years ago.Eligible voters, including those of the diaspora, will cast ballots to elect 120 lawmakers among 26 political groupings and one independent candidate in a vote held from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. The Serb minority has 10 secured seats while 10 more are for other minorities.This is the first time since independence in 2008 that Kosovo’s parliament has completed a full four-year mandate. It is the ninth parliamentary vote in Kosovo since the end of the 1998-1999 war between Serbian government forces and ethnic Albanian separatists that pushed Serbian forces out following a 78-day NATO air campaign. Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, proclaimed in 2008.Kurti’s left-wing Vetevendosje! or Self-Determination Movement Party is seen as the front-runner but is not expected to win the necessary majority to govern alone, leaving open the possibility the other two contenders join ranks if he fails to form a Cabinet.“On Feb. 9 we vote for the future,” said Kurti, “We vote for Vetevendosje!”The other contenders are the Democratic Party of Kosovo, or PDK, whose main leaders are at The Hague tribunal accused of war crimes, and the Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, the oldest party in the country that lost much of its support after the death in 2006 of its leader, Ibrahim Rugova.During the election campaign the parties made big-ticket pledges to increase public salaries and pensions, improve education and health services, and fight poverty. However, they did not explain where the money would come from, nor how they would attract more foreign investment. “We have a plan for each city, each family, each persons,” said Bedri Hamza of the PDK.“We have an alternative to guarantee a better life in Kosovo,” said Lumir Abdixhiku of the LDK.Kosovo, with a population of 1.6 million, is one of the poorest countries in Europe with an annual gross domestic product of less than 6,000 Euros per person. Kosovo is also suffering after Washington imposed a 90-day freeze on funding for different projects through the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been key in promoting the country’s growth. The U.S. has invested $2 billion in Kosovo since 1999, including investments of over $1 billion from USAID.The vote will determine who will lead the Kosovo side in stalled normalization talks with neighboring Serbia, facilitated by the European Union to get both sides closer to joining the bloc. Kurti has been at odds with Western powers over some Cabinet actions last year, such as a ban on using the Serbian dinar and transfers from Serbia to citizens of Kosovo who depend on social services and payments. Washington, Brussels and the NATO-led stabilization force KFOR have urged the government in Pristina to refrain from unilateral actions, fearing the revival of inter-ethnic conflict.The EU suspended funding for some projects almost two years ago. Brussels has already set conditions for the gradual lifting of the temporary measure, linked to Kosovo taking steps to de-escalate tensions in the north, where most of the Serb minority lives. “The new government must take decisive steps to restore credibility and partnership with EU and United States, including the fulfilment of all the obligations that stem from the dialogue with Serbia,” said analyst Ilir Deda.The EU-facilitated normalization talks with Serbia received little attention during the electoral campaign though their relations remain tense.“The EU expects Kosovo’s new government to engage constructively in the normalization dialogue with Serbia. This is central to both Serbia and Kosovo’s integration paths,” a European Commission spokesperson told The Associated Press.Both the EU and the United States have urged the two sides to implement agreements reached two years ago that include a commitment by Kosovo to establish an Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities. Serbia was also expected to deliver on the de facto recognition of Kosovo.KFOR increased its presence in Kosovo after last years’ tensions and added more for the parliamentary election period.A team of 100 observers from the European Union, 18 from the Council of Europe and scores of others from international or local organizations will monitor the vote.___Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. More

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    AI could replace 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs, study says

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreAs much as 70% of tasks in computer-based jobs could be transformed or replaced by AI, according to a new study.Experts from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said artificial intelligence was likely to have a “seismic impact” on the economy and society.According to its new report on the technology, jobs reliant on computer-based tasks such as project management, marketing and administrative support are the most likely to be reshaped by the emergence of AI.The think tank has called for greater government intervention on the issue, warning that AI policy is currently too focused on accelerating AI uptake and safety, and not on the “implications of powerful AI”.The study’s analysis of 22,000 common tasks performed by workers found that up to 70% in these types of roles could be significantly transformed or replaced by AI.It said AI would likely have the greatest impact on organisational, strategic and analytical tasks.The intervention comes ahead of the Paris AI Action Summit next week, where world leaders, industry experts, tech executives and academics will meet to discuss the international approach to developing and using AI.Last month, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled the Government’s AI Action Plan – a range of measures designed to make the UK a global leader in AI while also boosting the economy.That plan focused on increasing AI infrastructure in the UK to support more AI development, as well as creating growth zones around the country, advancing AI safety regulation, and using AI more within the civil service to cut spending and speed up work.There has been ongoing debate on the technology’s potential impact on the global jobs market, with many warning of the danger of humans being displaced from work.However, others, including a number of tech executives, have said the aim of AI is to help workers with tasks and streamline their workloads, rather than replace them.In recent weeks, ChatGPT maker OpenAI has also launched its first of what are known as AI agents – AI tools which can be programmed to carry out specific tasks autonomously – a new branch of the technology which many see as having a substantial impact on both working and daily life.And last year, a previous IPPR report warned that as many as eight million UK jobs could be at risk of being lost to AI in the “worst-case scenario”.Carsten Jung, head of AI at the IPPR, warned that politics “needs to catch up” with the implications of AI.“AI capabilities are advancing at breath-taking speed,” he said.“The launch of ‘AI agents’ shows AI is different from past technologies. It is not merely a tool – it is an actor.“AI technology could have a seismic impact on economy and society: it will transform jobs, destroy old ones, create new ones, trigger the development of new products and services and allow us to do things we could not do before.“But given its immense potential for change, it is important to steer it towards helping us solve big societal problems.“Politics needs to catch up with the implications of powerful AI. Beyond just ensuring AI models are safe, we need to determine what goals we want to achieve.“This demands democratic debate and close scrutiny of how AI is deployed. The public will want to be involved in setting clear missions and boundaries.“The promise of AI to tackle some of humanity’s biggest problems is tantalising – we all have a stake in directing and achieving it.”Elsewhere in its latest study, the IPPR said wider society was already being changed by AI – with approximately 930,000 people in the UK said to have an AI digital companion on app Character.AI, adding many users had “relationships” with these chatbots.The think tank warned that while these AI companions can provide emotional support, they also carry risks of addition and potential long-term psychological impacts, particularly for young people. More

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    Rachel Reeves hit by gloomy UK growth forecast despite interest rate cut to 4.5%

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreRachel Reeves has been dealt a further blow in her bid to fulfil Labour’s primary mission of reigniting economic growth, as a downgraded forecast overshadowed news of an interest rate cut.The Bank of England has halved its projections for growth this year because of the impact of the chancellor’s autumn Budget, and inflation is now expected to rise higher than previously estimated, to 3.7 per cent.The Bank also warned that more people will be out of work, as firms swallow higher taxes and an increase to the minimum wage. Ms Reeves, whose future as chancellor is being questioned over her record in the first seven months of the Labour government, was warned the “putrid” new growth forecast “needs to be a wake-up call”.However, she got a much-needed boost as the Bank announced a cut in interest rates from 4.75 per cent to 4.5 per cent. As well as providing relief for businesses, the cut will help thousands of people with mortgages who will see their monthly payments fall. A homeowner with a £300,000 tracker mortgage will see monthly repayments fall around £43 from £1,710 to £1,667.Andrew Bailey, governor of the Bank of England, said the interest rate cut will be welcomed by many people (Benjamin Cremel/PA) More

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    New US ambassador Peter Mandelson’s foul-mouthed rant when pushed about Epstein friendship

    Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreBritain’s new ambassador to Washington, Peter Mandelson, has reacted with a foul-mouth rant when pressed about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.The New Labour grandee also accused others of having an “obsession” with his relationship with the disgraced financier and convicted sex trafficker. Lord Mandelson has come under intense pressure in the role even before he crosses the Atlantic to take up the job. The Independent revealed last month that Mr Trump was considering rejecting Lord Mandelson’s nomination, in what would have been a major diplomatic headache for Sir Keir Starmer.The Labour grandee called the US president a ‘danger to the world’ several years ago (Andrew Milligan/PA) More