UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDeepfake abuse is the “new frontier” of violence against women and creating such content should be outlawed, according to a former adviser to Boris Johnson.Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge warned existing legislation only bans the non-consensual sharing of deepfake material and does not tackle the non-consensual creation of the content.Peers heard there has been an increase in so-called nudify apps, which allow users to create fake nude images or videos of other people through generative artificial intelligence – widely known as deepfakes.Lady Owen said the ability to create such content on the apps in a matter of seconds “represents a very real threat to all women”.Conservative Lady Owen, who became the youngest life peer in the House of Lords last summer at the age of 30, told the International Women’s Day debate in the Lords: “Women are disproportionately affected by the creation of deepfake material.“Research published by Home Security Heroes in 2023 found that of all deepfake videos, 98% were pornographic and of those 99% were of women.”Lady Owen said the use of apps and the creation of deepfake porn for private use is currently legal, adding: “The largest site creating deepfakes receives an average of 13.4 million hits a month.“The rapid proliferation of these nudification apps, 80% of them having launched in the last 12 months alone, has created an environment where anyone can perpetrate harm with ease and it is not recognised as misogyny.”A woman can no longer choose who owns an intimate image of her. They can be created by anyone, anywhere at any timeBaroness Owen of Alderley EdgeLady Owen continued: “The creation of this material in and of itself without a person’s consent causes serious harm, regardless of whether a person is aware of its creation and has a much wider societal impact in the normalisation of online misogyny and hate.“We’re now at the precipice of a new age of technology and it is vital that we act now to ensure that in embarking on this brave new world, which can offer many exciting opportunities, we do not risk creating a technological gender gap which would further limit the economic inclusion of women in society.“The ability to create these images and videos using apps and platforms in a matter of seconds represents a very real threat to all women.“A woman can no longer choose who owns an intimate image of her. They can be created by anyone, anywhere at any time.”Many women are fearful of this happening to them. The current law as it stands is prioritising freedom of speech and expression of the creator over that of a womanBaroness Owen of Alderley EdgeLady Owen said it can have a “silencing effect”, including women withdrawing from social media and normal life.She added: “Many women are fearful of this happening to them. The current law as it stands is prioritising freedom of speech and expression of the creator over that of a woman.”Lady Owen also said: “Whilst we’re still learning about AI, it is crucial that we educate society to differentiate between what is real and what is not in a world where we can no longer trust images that are put in front of us.“Time is of the essence. We must not miss the chance to act by legislating against the creation of non-consensual deepfake content.“We must prevent the normalisation of misogyny. Deepfake abuse is the new frontier of violence against women and we must all take a stand.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Labour Party bolstered its election war chest by over £13m last year thanks to record private donations. Autoglass boss Gary Lubner led the charge as he donated £4.5m to the party, having previously pledged to give more to Labour before an election.Speaking to the Financial Times last year, the South African-born businessman – whose grandparents were Jewish refugees – said he had been appalled by the scale of antisemitism in the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership and praised Keir Starmer for ridding the party of its “cancer”.The party is now celebrating its best performing year ever for individual donations as it maintains a 22-point lead ahead of the Tories in polls.Lubner had previously deserted Labour under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership Anneliese Dodds, Labour Party chair, said: “With Keir Starmer’s leadership, the Labour Party is a changed party and donors can see we are serious about delivering for working people with five missions to transform Britain.“We have received a significant financial boost, with last year being our best on record, but as the Tories gear up for a May election, we will continue to fundraise to meet it.”Despite senior Conservative officials insisting the country won’t take to the polls until the second half of the year, senior Labour party sources say they are preparing for a May election. Labour’s shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth made a bet with Sky News’ Kay Burley that there would be election in that month.He said: “This election is coming in May. I think it is definitely coming in May … the Conservatives are planning for that.”Now Sir Keir’s party have a war chest to tackle the wealthier Tories – receiving more than £13m in individual and company donations in 2023, with a massive £4.2m in the final quarter of the year alone, according to figures published by the Electoral Commission.Jonathan Ashworth has made a public bet that the country would go to the polls in May British businessman and philanthropist Sir David Sainsbury, former chair of Sainsbury’s and life peer, gave £3m, while his daughter Francesca Perrin was the biggest-donating woman with a £1m gift. Sir David had been a long-standing Labour donor but deserted the party under Jeremy Corbyn, instead gifting £8m to the Lib Dems. He returned to the fold under Keir Starmer’s leadership.In 2021, the party received just £1.5m in private donations, and in 2022, £5.9m. Last year was rivalled only by 2005, when the party raised £10.8m under Tony Blair.Labour also accepted another £1m from green energy industrialist Dale Vince’s Ecotricity firm in November, according to figures published by the Electoral Commission.Green energy industrialist Dale Vince has donated £1m to the LabourThe Conservative Party also had a successful fundraising year, taking in almost £41m in private donations in 2023.The Tories’ single biggest donation came from the late Lord John Davan Sainsbury – the cousin of Sir David – who gave the party £10m in his will.In total, Labour received around £31m in cash donations to the central party overall, while the ruling party secured around £48m.The Liberal Democrats reported around £8m and Reform UK £255,000 in total cash donations for the year.£200,000 of Reform’s donation came from First Corporate Consultants Ltd, a company owned by prominent climate sceptic and former Tory donor Terence Mordaunt.The party also accepted £10,000 from financier Crispin Odey in August 2023, around two months after misconduct allegations against him emerged, the figures confirm.The Conservatives have been approached for comment. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDavid Cameron has called for 500 aid trucks a day to prevent famine in Gaza as he downplayed a diplomatic rift with Germany. The foreign secretary emphasised the “incredible unity between allies” when asked about leaked calls between German military officials. Intercepted by Russia, these appeared to show officials suggesting British service personnel were on the ground in Ukraine.Lord Cameron told a press conference in Berlin: “I don’t want to play into the hands of some Russian narrative about divisions between allies. What I see … is incredible unity between allies, incredible unity in Nato.”He also reiterated his call for much more to be done to help get aid to Gaza as he warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe. “If we want to avoid famine, disease and help people in Gaza we need 500 [aid] trucks a day,” he said. He added that the wanted to ‘turn a pause (in fighting) into a permanent sustainable ceasefire’.His visit comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces pressure from Western allies and others to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles.Lord Cameron said that peace would be achieved by “helping the Ukrainians deliver what they need on the battlefield”.He said: “It’s a sovereign decision for every country. But in terms of what Britain has done, I know that what we have given to the Ukrainians has helped them to resist this appalling invasion.”To all those in Germany and beyond and around the continent, around the world, who want to see an end to this conflict, who want to see a peaceful settlement, who want to see peace on our continent, I absolutely agree that you get peace through strength.”You get peace by demonstrating that Putin cannot win, you get peace by helping the Ukrainians deliver what they need on the battlefield.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Leading British economic think tanks warned Thursday that whoever wins the general election expected this year will face some very tough choices on tax and spending if they want to make sure the public finances don’t deteriorate further.After number-crunching Wednesday’s budget statement from Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt, which reduced a tax paid by employees on their earnings for a second time in four months, both the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Resolution Foundation said the economic inheritance facing the next government will arguably be one of the bleakest any has faced since World War II.They said the combination of high interest payments on debt and muted economic growth mean that both the governing Conservative Party and the main opposition Labour Party will struggle to deliver on their ambitions. A general election must take place by Jan. 2025, but it could come as soon as May. With opinion polls showing that his Conservative Party, in power since 2010, is heading for one of its biggest ever defeats, the prevailing view is that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will opt to go to the country in the fall, potentially at the same time as the U.S. presidential election. On Thursday, following the budget statement, Labour leader Keir Starmer once again challenged Sunak to call an election for May, while the prime minister brushed aside any questions about its timing.“The task for whoever wins is huge,” said Torsten Bell, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation. “They will need to both wrestle with implausible spending cuts, and also restart sustained economic growth — the only route to end Britain’s stagnation.”Like others, the British economy has taken a battering over the past few years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In combination, they have pushed the country’s debt level up to near 60-year highs above 90%. As a result, the government has been pushed into raising taxes over the past few years and despite Wednesday’s cut in national insurance, the overall tax burden is expected to rise to its highest level since the late 1940s. Unsurprisingly, living standards, on average, have fallen since the Conservatives won the last election in Dec. 2019.Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the next parliament “could well prove to be the most difficult of any in 80 years” for anyone wanting to bring debt down as a proportion of national income — the lessons of the European debt crisis, particularly as it related to Greece, following the 2008 financial crisis, is a reminder of what can happen when debt rises too far. “Even stabilizing debt as a fraction of national income is likely to mean some eye-wateringly tough choices — and we are talking tens of billions of pounds worth of tough choices — on tax and spending,” he said.Neither the Conservative Party, nor the main opposition Labour Party, have laid out how they can meet their wider policy objectives given the fiscal constraints. It’s clear after Wednesday’s budget that the Conservatives will make tax cuts a central plank of their proposition to extend their time in power, while Labour will fight the election on the need to improve the public services.“Government and opposition are joining in a conspiracy of silence in not acknowledging the scale of the choices and trade-offs that will face us after the election,” said Johnson. “They, and we, could be in for a rude awakening when those choices become unavoidable.” More