UK Politics

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailTen nations and the European Union have agreed to establish an international network of publicly backed AI Safety Institutes to advance global research and testing of AI.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the agreement would mean “international progress” could be made on AI safety, after it was announced at the end of the first day of the AI Seoul Summit.The UK announced it would create the world’s first AI Safety Institute during the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in November last year, to carry out research and voluntary evaluation and testing of AI models, with a number of other countries since announcing their own domestic institutes.The newly signed “Seoul Statement of Intent toward International Cooperation on AI Safety Science” will see the network of institutes share research, including details about models they have studied, with the aim of advancing global understanding of the science around artificial intelligence.Alongside the UK, the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the EU signed the agreement, but one global AI powerhouse – China – was notably absent, and was not represented during the virtual meeting hosted by Mr Sunak and South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol.However, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has said the Chinese government is taking part in the wider summit, and a Chinese firm – Zhipu.ai – did sign a new safety agreement alongside other tech firms earlier in the day.“AI is a hugely exciting technology – and the UK has led global efforts to deal with its potential, hosting the world’s first AI Safety Summit last year,” Mr Sunak said.“But to get the upside we must ensure it’s safe. That’s why I’m delighted we have got agreement today for a network of AI Safety Institutes.“Six months ago at Bletchley we launched the UK’s AI Safety Institute. The first of its kind. Numerous countries followed suit and now with this news of a network we can continue to make international progress on AI safety.”As part of the talks, world leaders also signed the Seoul Declaration, which declared the importance of enhanced international cooperation to develop AI safely and used to solve major global challenges and bridge divides.In addition to world leaders, the virtual meeting was also attended by a number of key figures from leading tech and AI firms, including Elon Musk, former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and DeepMind founder Sir Demis Hassabis.Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, who is in Seoul and will co-host the second day of talks on Wednesday, said: “AI presents immense opportunities to transform our economy and solve our greatest challenges – but I have always been clear that this full potential can only be unlocked if we are able to grip the risks posed by this rapidly evolving, complex technology.“Ever since we convened the world at Bletchley last year, the UK has spearheaded the global movement on AI safety and when I announced the world’s first AI Safety Institute, other nations followed this call to arms by establishing their own.“Capitalising on this leadership, collaboration with our overseas counterparts through a global network will be fundamental to making sure innovation in AI can continue with safety, security and trust at its core.”The new agreements from world leaders comes after 16 major AI firms committed to a set of safety procedures and to publish frameworks on how they will measure the risks of their AI models and thresholds for when they cease development or deployment of a model announced earlier in the summit.Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI are among the companies which have signed up to the Frontier AI Safety Commitments. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe first victims of the infected blood scandal will receive their final compensation payment before the end of the year, the government has said.Announcing the details of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, cabinet office minister John Glen promised all those affected by the scandal will be eligible to claim compensation under the scheme.And, to cheers from campaigners watching in the Commons’ public gallery, Mr Glen announced Sir Robert Francis as the interim chairman of the body that will administer the compensation scheme.Watch live: Government expected to announce £10bn infected blood scandal compensation. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailTen nations and the European Union have agreed to establish an international network of publicly backed AI Safety Institutes to advance global research and testing of AI.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the agreement would mean “international progress” could be made on AI safety, after it was announced at the end of the first day of the AI Seoul Summit.The UK announced it would create the world’s first AI Safety Institute during the AI Safety Summit held at Bletchley Park in November last year, to carry out research and voluntary evaluation and testing of AI models, with a number of other countries since announcing their own domestic institutes.The newly signed “Seoul Statement of Intent toward International Cooperation on AI Safety Science” will see the network of institutes share research, including details about models they have studied, with the aim of advancing global understanding of the science around artificial intelligence.Alongside the UK, the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the EU signed the agreement, but one global AI powerhouse – China – was notably absent, and was not represented during the virtual meeting hosted by Mr Sunak and South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol.“AI is a hugely exciting technology – and the UK has led global efforts to deal with its potential, hosting the world’s first AI Safety Summit last year,” Mr Sunak said.“But to get the upside we must ensure it’s safe. That’s why I’m delighted we have got agreement today for a network of AI Safety Institutes.“Six months ago at Bletchley we launched the UK’s AI Safety Institute. The first of its kind. Numerous countries followed suit and now with this news of a network we can continue to make international progress on AI safety.”As part of the talks, world leaders also signed the Seoul Declaration, which declared the importance of enhanced international cooperation to develop AI safely and used to solve major global challenges and bridge divides.In addition to world leaders, the virtual meeting was also attended by a number of key figures from leading tech and AI firms, including Elon Musk, former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt and DeepMind founder Sir Demis Hassabis.Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan, who is in Seoul and will co-host the second day of talks on Wednesday, said: “AI presents immense opportunities to transform our economy and solve our greatest challenges – but I have always been clear that this full potential can only be unlocked if we are able to grip the risks posed by this rapidly evolving, complex technology.“Ever since we convened the world at Bletchley last year, the UK has spearheaded the global movement on AI safety and when I announced the world’s first AI Safety Institute, other nations followed this call to arms by establishing their own.“Capitalising on this leadership, collaboration with our overseas counterparts through a global network will be fundamental to making sure innovation in AI can continue with safety, security and trust at its core.”The new agreements from world leaders comes after 16 major AI firms committed to a set of safety procedures and to publish frameworks on how they will measure the risks of their AI models and thresholds for when they cease development or deployment of a model announced earlier in the summit.Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta and OpenAI are among the companies which have signed up to the Frontier AI Safety Commitments. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMichael Gove has revealed plans to “make marchers pay” for the massive weekly pro-Palestinian protests dominating the centre of London at weekends.In a hard hitting speech this morning Mr Gove warned of a huge rise in antisemitism in the UK, pointing out that the number of incidents were up 147 percent last year.He pointed to evidence from the Community Security Trust (CST) stating that two-thirds of the 4,103 antisemitic incidents occurred on or after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza last yearThe communities secretary announced a number of measures to tackle extremism from Islamists, the far right and the extreme left.His speech came ahead of the publication of the Lord Walney review into political violence. The review recommended that government tighten laws to ban Gaza protests taking place on certain days as well as calling for powers to help businesses claim damages from protest organisers. Michael Gove speaks on antisemitism after Jewish hate crimes triple in London More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailCalls are growing for the former health secretary Ken Clarke to be stripped of his peerage after he was condemned for “indefensible” actions during the infected blood scandal. Demands for Lord Clarke to be kicked out of the House of Lords are “totally understandable”, a cabinet minister said.Mel Stride also said the Tory grandee still had questions to answer over the biggest healthcare failure in UK history. The final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry accused Lord Clarke of “misleading” the public and attacked his “combative style” when he gave evidence. Former health secretary Ken ClarkeHe was criticised by the inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff for suggesting there was “no conclusive proof” that Aids could be spread through blood. His claims that “campaigners attributed everything to me because I later became a well-known figure” and that they were trying to “find some celebrity whose fault it was”, were also condemned.Clive Smith, the chair of the Haemophilia Society, said Lord Clarke’s engagement with the official inquiry had been “appalling”.Asked if Lord Clarke should remain in the Lords, he told LBC: “We wrote to the Upper House when it was suggested that he was going to get a peerage, saying ‘Please don’t do that yet, wait until the Infected Blood Inquiry has reported’.”Now we have the conclusions of the Infected Blood Inquiry report, I think our letter was well-timed and entirely accurate.”The way in which he gave his evidence (to the inquiry) was appalling.”The government is expected to announce £10bn in compensation More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email Austria’s leader praised Britain Tuesday as a “pioneer” in outsourcing asylum proceedings to places outside Europe, citing a U.K. bill to send migrants to Rwanda as he hosted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Vienna.Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s conservative party has long taken a hard line on migration and faces a strong challenge from the far-right Freedom Party in an election expected this fall. Nehammer said Austria and the United Kingdom, which left the European Union in 2020, are “strategic partners when it comes to being able to conduct asylum proceedings in safe third countries.”“The United Kingdom is a pioneer for this path, which will also be important for the European Union,” he said at a joint news conference with Sunak. “With the Rwanda model, it is a pioneer for us being able to put asylum proceedings in safe third countries on the European Union’s agenda too.”Austria is one of 15 countries in the 27-nation EU that called last week for more agreements with countries where migrants depart from or travel through to get to Europe. That call came after EU nations endorsed sweeping reforms to the bloc’s failed asylum system.In late April, the British Parliament passed legislation to send some migrants to Rwanda, clearing the way for flights this summer under Sunak’s controversial plan aimed at deterring risky English Channel crossings by people desperate to reach the U.K. Human rights activists and migrants’ groups have vowed to continue fighting the policy, which they say is unethical and inhumane.Sunak said that “we have to pursue new ideas, solutions, and deterrents — removals to safe third countries — like the U.K.’s pioneering Rwanda scheme.”“It’s increasingly clear that many other countries now agree that that is the approach that is required: bold, novel, looking at safe country partnerships,” Sunak said.___Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration. More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightDavid Cameron has admitted that British tourists could soon be turned away by EU Frontex border guards policing the entry into Gibraltar, under a deal to allow “a fluid border” between the Rock and Spain.The foreign secretary was giving evidence to the European Scrutiny Committee which has raised serious concerns over the impact on UK sovereignty with the proposed treaty.The row has broken out because of a need for Gibraltar to come to a longer border solution with the EU as a result of Brexit.Had the UK voted to remain in the EU, the free travel provisions would not have been a problem but with 15,000 crossings a day, the Gibraltan and UK governments are seeking a solution. Gibraltar opposed Brexit with 96 per cent voting Remain.Lord David Cameron discussed Gibraltar More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailBoris Johnson’s chief of staff Dominic Cummings has claimed “nothing will change” in the wake of the devastating tainted blood report – as he accused Rishi Sunak of a “bullshit” apology. The prime minister said Monday was “a day of shame” for Britain after the findings exposed a massive cover-up of the biggest healthcare failure in UK history. The Infected Blood Inquiry pointed the finger at politicians, doctors and civil servants over a scandal that left 30,000 patients infected with HIV and hepatitis. But Mr Cummings, who was also Mr Johnson’s chief adviser in No 10, claimed that in the wake of the report “nothing will change about how Whitehall works, there’ll be no accountability for senior people”. Families affected by the tainted blood scandal protest More