UK Politics

Boris Johnson has admitted he “loves” AI and ChatGPT, and revealed that he uses it while writing his books.The former prime minister praised the AI platform for answering his questions, and said he appreciated it calling him “brilliant” and “excellent”.Mr Johnson has had a number of books published since 2001, including his most recent autobiography, Unleashed, which was released in 2024.Speaking to Al Arabiya English, he said: “One thing that really encourages me is AI. I love AI. I love ChatGPT. I love it. ChatGPT is frankly fantastic.”When asked what he uses it for, he said: “I’m writing various books. I just use it. I just ask questions. You know the answer, but ChatGPT always says, ‘Oh, your questions are clever. You’re brilliant. You’re excellent. You have such insight’.“I love it. I see great promise in this technology because we’re all simple. We’re human beings.”Boris Johnson praised the AI platform for answering his questions More

Sir Keir Starmer has published a series of witness statements given by the deputy national security adviser to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the collapsed China spying case. The prime minister had hoped publishing the evidence would draw a line under the saga, which has dogged his government for weeks.A key allegation was that the government refused, in its evidence to the CPS, to describe Beijing as a threat to Britain’s national security, leading the case against the two alleged spies to collapse. Keir Starmer faces further questions about the collapse of the China spying case More

British spies have begun work on tackling the potential risk posed by rogue artificial intelligence (AI) systems, the head of MI5 said.Sir Ken McCallum said it would be “reckless” to ignore the potential for AI to cause harm.In a speech at the Security Service’s Thames House headquarters, he insisted he was not “forecasting Hollywood movie scenarios” but the intelligence agencies had to consider the risks.He said: “MI5 has spent more than a century doing ingenious things to out-innovate our human – sometimes inhuman – adversaries.“But in 2025, while contending with today’s threats, we also need to scope out the next frontier: potential future risks from non-human, autonomous AI systems which may evade human oversight and control.“Given the risks of hype and scaremongering, I will choose my words carefully: I am not forecasting Hollywood movie scenarios.“I am, on the whole, a tech optimist who sees AI bringing real benefits.“But, as AI capabilities continue to power ahead, you would expect organisations like MI5 and GCHQ and the UK’s ground-breaking AI Security Institute, to be thinking deeply, today, about what defending the realm might need to look like in the years ahead.“Artificial intelligence may never ‘mean’ to cause us harm. But it would be reckless to ignore the potential for it to cause harm.” More

The government has published witness statements in the now-collapsed case against two men accused of spying for China, following an extraordinary row over the saga. Three statements provided by deputy national security adviser Matthew Collins as part of the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) case, which repeatedly describe China as a threat, were published as part of an attempt to draw a line under growing questions about the government’s evidence. The statements came after the CPS dropped the case, deeming the evidence did not show China was a threat to national security.But the evidence also reveals extraordinary new details about the allegations – including that one alleged China spy told another: “You’re in spy territory now.” Mr Collins also alleges in his statement that information was leaked to China about the Tory leadership race. Christopher Berry (left) and former parliamentary researcher Christopher Cash deny wrongdoing More

The government’s deputy national security adviser repeatedly described the “threat” posed by China in witness statements Sir Keir Starmer has been forced to publish as part of an extraordinary row over a collapsed spying case. Matt Collins said Chinese intelligence services were “highly capable and conduct large scale espionage operations” against the UK, which “threaten the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience and the integrity of our democratic institutions”.But he added that the government was “committed to pursuing a positive relationship” with Beijing. In the three witness statements, he also told prosecutors it was his assessment that the two men accused of spying for China acted in a way that was a danger to the “safety” and “interests” of the UK, handing over material that would be “useful” to the Chinese state. They deny any wrongdoing. The documents said ‘Chinese espionage operations threaten the UK’s economic prosperity and resilience and the integrity of our democratic institutions.’ More

Rachel Reeves has suggested higher taxes on the wealthy will be part of her Budget next month. The Chancellor was speaking in Washington on Wednesday, when she acknowledged she was looking at potential tax rises and spending cuts to fill a hole in her Budget which she said was partly due to the lingering impact of Brexit. It came amid speculation on the measures she will take to fill the estimated £50m blackhole, with a cut to the cash ISA allowance for savers reportedly among the ideas. When asked whether higher taxes on the wealthy would feature as part of her November 26 statement, Ms Reeves, who was in the US for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting, said: “That will be part of the story. “In the budget next month, there won’t be a return to austerity. We know that we face a changing global environment in terms of the economy at the moment.”The autumn budget is scheduled for 26 November More

Tinkering around the edges at the next Budget risks another year of economic pain, a leading think tank has warned, urging the chancellor to take “bold action” in November. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said it expects Rachel Reeves will need to find at least £22bn next month, thanks to rising borrowing costs, weaker growth forecasts and spending commitments made since spring. But the IFS said there was a “strong case” for the chancellor to go further, arguing that a £10bn buffer – the amount of headroom Ms Reeves previously left herself against her self-imposed debt rules – was not enough to ensure stability and would leave her “limping from one forecast to the next”. This funding, the think tank said, is likely to have to come from tax rises. While the think tank didn’t rule out spending cuts entirely, they said they would “pose challenges” due to a lack of parliamentary support for welfare cuts and the fact that departmental budgets were only agreed in June. Rachel Reeves is facing a ‘groundhog day’ Budget More

One part of the UK might escape Keir Starmer’s flagship smoking ban because of a key post-Brexit deal with the European Union, a minister has admitted. The government wants to ban smoking for an entire generation, potentially saving millions of lives by ensuring anyone currently aged 15 or younger will never be able to buy cigarettes legally. The proposals were first put forward by Rishi Sunak but abandoned ahead of the 2024 general election. Labour has enthusiastically backed the plan since coming to power last summer.But now, asked for a guarantee that it would apply in Northern Ireland – as well as England, Wales and Scotland – a minister could only say that was the government’s “intention”. The ban is designed to eventually make the UK smoke free (PA) More