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Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorMicrosoft has relinquished its seat on the board of OpenAI, saying its participation is no longer needed because the ChatGPT maker has improved its governance since being roiled by boardroom chaos last year. In a Tuesday letter, Microsoft confirmed it was resigning, “effective immediately,” from its role as an observer on the artificial intelligence company’s board. “We appreciate the support shown by OpenAI leadership and the OpenAI board as we made this decision,” the letter said. The surprise departure comes amid intensifying scrutiny from antitrust regulators of the powerful AI partnership. Microsoft has reportedly invested $13 billion in OpenAI. European Union regulators said last month that they would take a fresh look at the partnership under the 27-nation bloc’s antitrust rules while British competition watchdogs have also been looking into the deal. Microsoft took the board seat following a power struggle in which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was fired, then quickly reinstated, while the board members behind the ouster were pushed out. “Over the past eight months we have witnessed significant progress by the newly formed board and are confident in the company’s direction,” Microsoft said in its letter. “Given all of this we no longer believe our limited role as an observer is necessary.”With Microsoft’s departure, OpenAI will no longer have observer seats on its board. “We are grateful to Microsoft for voicing confidence in the Board and the direction of the company, and we look forward to continuing our successful partnership,” OpenAI said in a statement. It’s not hard to conclude that Microsoft’s decision to ditch the board seat was heavily influenced by rising scrutiny of big technology companies and their links with AI startups, said Alex Haffner, a competition partner at U.K. law firm Fladgate. “It is clear that regulators are very much focused on the complex web of inter-relationships that Big Tech has created with AI providers, hence the need for Microsoft and others to carefully consider how they structure these arrangements going forward,” he said. OpenAI said it would take a new approach to “informing and engaging key strategic partners” such as Microsoft and Apple and investors such as Thrive Capital and Khosla Ventures, with regular meetings to update stakeholders on progress and ensure stronger collaboration on safety and security. More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorCampaigners are preparing to launch a fresh pilot for a four-day working week in the hope that the new Labour government will be more open-minded to ways of flexible working.The scheme is being run by the UK’s 4 Day Week Campaign with flexible working consultancy Timewise and companies interested in the project can sign up for a start in November.The pilot – which will also look at other flexible working policies such as compressed hours and a shorter working week – will report its findings to the government in the summer next year.Campaigners are preparing to launch a fresh pilot for a four-day working week More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorKeir Starmer has indicated that he hopes the Nato summit in Washington will “Trump proof” aid to Ukraine to help it hold off Russia.Speaking to journalists on his flight over to the summit in the USA, the new prime minister insisted that the defence and security of Britain and its allies will be his first priority.But he again declined to give a timetable for when his “iron clad commitment” to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent will come into force.His comments came as it emerged he had not been included in a discussion on air cover for Ukraine organised by the US government and including other allies.But Sir Keir made it clear in the press briefing that he believes the summit over the next few days will “lock in” financial aid to Ukraine for its war effort.Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria board a plane (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorKemi Badenoch has reportedly used Rishi Sunak’s first shadow cabinet meeting to criticise his election campaign.At the meeting on Tuesday, the shadow housing secretary hit out at the former prime minister’s decision to call an early general election without informing his cabinet, describing the move as a mistake and bordering on “unconstitutional”.She accused Mr Sunak of instead first telling a small group of colleagues, including his parliamentary private secretary Craig Williams, who she is said to have called a “buffoon” after he admitted placing a bet on the election date.The Times reported Ms Badenoch is concerned the “enormity” of the Conservative Party’s landslide defeat is not being grasped by some colleagues and that she is urging a thorough post-mortem with lessons to be learned.Ms Badenoch is said to have called Mr Sunak’s decision to leave D-Day commemorations early “disastrous”, arguing colleagues such as Penny Mordaunt would have kept their seats if he had stayed longer in France.Kemi Badenoch has reportedly used Rishi Sunak’s first shadow cabinet meeting to criticise his election campaign More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has doubled down on his “iron commitment” to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent but waded into a row with military chiefs as he failed to set a timetable to meet his pledge.The new prime minister has flown to the Nato summit in Washington DC with his wife Victoria for his first international visit since winning the general election last week.With the situation at crisis point in Ukraine after Vladimir Putin’s Russian army bombed a children’s hospital and Voydymyr Zelensky’s forces warned they are running out of ammunition, the defence gathering is being billed as the most important since the invasion began.During the recent UK election campaign, Sir Keir was challenged repeatedly by his predecessor Rishi Sunak whether he would meet the Conservative commitment to 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence by 2030 after the Tories tried to make it an issue for voters. Keir Starmer is setting off to his first Nato summit More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorFurious Tory MPs have claimed there is a ‘plot’ to determine who replaces Rishi Sunak after controversy over the election of a new chair of the influential 1922 Committee. Less than a week after losing the general election, the party is involved in an angry row over its internal elections. Tensions are running high as the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs will decide the rules for the party’s next leadership contest.MPs claimed the election for a new chair of the committee was “bent”. And some have likened it to Nadine Dorries book ‘The Plot’, which claimed there was a secret internal push to oust Boris Johnson as prime minister. Former prime minister Rishi Sunak (centre) with now Chair of the 1922 Committee Bob Blackman (top-right) (Chris J Ratcliffe/PA) More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorSir Keir Starmer has kickstarted a “new era of devolution” as he commences his tour of the UK after just four days in office. The new prime minister and his deputy, Angela Rayner, met on Tuesday with the nation’s 12 regional mayors to discuss “a major programme of devolution”.Sir Keir spent Sunday in Scotland, where he met SNP first minister John Swinney. On Monday, he met political leaders at Stormont in Northern Ireland and The Senedd in Wales, including the nation’s first ministers, Michelle O’Neill and Vaughan Gething.Ms Rayner said for too long Westminster had “tightly gripped control” and “held back opportunities for towns, cities and villages across the UK”.What is devolution? In England, devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national to local government. 12 areas of England, including London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Tees Valley, have devolution deals giving powers over areas such as transport, housing and employment.Devolution referendums were held in 1997 in Scotland and Wales. On both sides of the Northern Irish/Irish border in 1998, referendums were held on the Good Friday Agreement. These resulted in the creation of the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales (now called the Senedd) and the Northern Ireland Assembly.Voters in some large cities in England elect mayors with regional responsibilities. Among them are Andy Burnham (Greater Manchester), Richard Parker (West Midlands), Dan Norris (west of England including Bristol and Bath) and Ben Houchen (Tees Valley).The UK government in Westminster remains responsible for policies which affect just England, as well as overall policy in several areas such as foreign policy.What does Labour want to do about devolution?Mayors gather outside Downing Street before a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday morning More

Support trulyindependent journalismFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditor Hundreds of newly elected lawmakers trooped excitedly into Parliament on Tuesday after the U.K.’s transformative election brought a Labour government to power.The halls of the labyrinthine building echoed with excited chatter of the 650 members of the House of Commons — 335 of them arriving for the first time. That compares to 140 new lawmakers after the last election in 2019.The seat of British democracy took on a back-to-school feel, from the rows of lockers temporarily installed in wood-paneled corridors to the staff holding “Ask Me” signs ready to help bewildered newcomers.The new House of Commons includes the largest number of women ever elected — 263, some 40% of the total — and the most lawmakers of color, at 90.The youngest new lawmaker is Labour’s Sam Carling, 22. He is one of 412 Labour legislators elected last week who will cram onto green benches on the government side of the House of Commons. Opposite them will be a shrunken contingent of 121 Conservatives, a vastly increased number of Liberal Democrats, 72 strong, and a smattering of representatives from other parties including the environmentalist Green Party and the anti-immigration Reform UK.Even as the newcomers arrived, lawmakers who lost their seats last week were carting away the contents of their offices in boxes and suitcases. First job: electing a speaker The first task for lawmakers was electing a speaker to oversee the business of the House of Commons and try to keep the often unruly assembly in line.The speaker is chosen from the ranks of lawmakers and sets his or her party affiliation aside while they fill the impartial role.Lindsay Hoyle — originally elected for Labour to the speaker’s post in 2019 — was reelected unopposed. He promised lawmakers he would continue to be “fair, impartial and independent.”In keeping with tradition, the speaker feign reluctance and was dragged to the speaker’ chair by colleagues — a custom dating back to the days when speakers could be sentenced to death if they displeased the monarch.After tributes from party leaders including Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Rishi Sunak, the speaker-elect was taken to the House of Lords by an official known as Black Rod to receive Royal Approbation, the formal approval of King Charles III.Starmer said all lawmakers had a responsibility “to put an end to a politics that has too often seemed self-serving and self-obsessed, and to replace that politics of performance with the politics of service.”Sunak, fresh off the Conservatives’ crushing election defeat, agreed that “in our politics, we can argue vigorously, as the prime minister and I did over the past six weeks, but still respect each other.” Swearing in With a speaker in place, lawmakers were sworn in one by one, taking an oath of allegiance to the king and “his heirs and successors.” Members can swear on a religious text of their choice or make a non-religious affirmation. They must take the oath in English first, and can repeat it in Welsh, Ulster Scots, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic or Cornish.The longest-serving lawmakers — Conservative Edward Leigh and Labour’s Diane Abbott, known as the father and mother of the House — were sworn in first, followed by the prime minister and the Cabinet, senior members of the official opposition and then remaining lawmakers in order of their length of service.There are also seven lawmakers from Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein, who refuse to swear loyalty to the Crown and do not take their seats to protest U.K. control over Northern Ireland. Down to business After all MPs are sworn in — a task expected to take several days — the House of Commons will rise until July 17, when a new session will formally start with the State Opening of Parliament.The new government will set out its legislative plans for the coming year in a speech read by the king from atop a golden throne.The King’s Speech is expected to include plans to establish a publicly owned green power company called Great British Energy, change planning rules to allow more new homes to be built and nationalize Britain’s delay-plagued railways.Holding the government to account will be a much-reduced Conservative Party led, temporarily at least, by Sunak. The former prime minister will serve as leader of the opposition until the party picks a replacement. More