Reeves's tax turmoil deepens
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics.
Sir Keir Starmer will be hoping for a quieter week, after the largest backbench rebellion since he took power last week over the reforms to the welfare system.
But it might not work out that way, as questions remain about how Chancellor Rachel Reeves will fill the £5.5bn blackhole in the public finances.
Sam and Anne discuss the scale of the challenge the government is facing and what tax changes could be on the horizon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
20 minutes ago
- The Independent
Terror laws watchdog warns of risk posed by extremists using AI
Terrorists will use artificial intelligence (AI) to promote their ideologies and plan atrocities, with 'chatbot radicalisation' a problem that needs to be countered, a watchdog has warned. Jonathan Hall KC said generative AI could be used for propaganda purposes, attack planning and spreading disinformation which may trigger acts of terrorist violence. Mr Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, suggested new laws should be brought in to ban the creation or possession of computer programmes designed to stir up racial or religious hatred. Terrorist chatbots already exist 'presented as fun and satirical models' but given the right prompts they are willing to promote terrorism, he said in his annual report. Mr Hall said: 'The popularity of sex-chatbots is a warning that terrorist chatbots could provide a new radicalisation dynamic, with all the legal difficulties that follow in pinning liability on machines and their creators.' The watchdog highlighted the case of Jaswant Singh Chail, who climbed into the grounds of Windsor Castle in 2021 armed with a crossbow after conversing with a chatbot called Sarai about planning the attack. More widely, Mr Hall said 'generative artificial intelligence's ability to create text, images and sounds will be exploited by terrorists'. Groups such as al Qaida could avoid the technology because of their belief in 'authentic messages' from senior leaders but it could be 'boom time for extreme right wing forums, antisemites and conspiracy theorists who revel in creative nastiness'. Terrorist groups could use AI to generate propaganda images or translate text into multiple languages. The technology could be used to produce deepfakes to bring 'terrorist leaders or notorious killers back from the dead' to spread their message again. Generative AI could be used to provide technical advice on avoiding surveillance, or make knife-strikes more lethal – reducing the need for would-be terrorists to receive training from other people. But he said that current safeguards may deter attack planners from using AI models until offline versions were readily available. He noted it had also been argued that in certain circumstances AI could be used to extend the way attacks are carried out, by potentially helping to create biological or chemical weapons or generating code for cyber attacks. Warning about the spread of disinformation online, Mr Hall said the storming of the US Capitol on January 6 2021 emerged from a 'soup of online conspiracy and a history of anti-government militarism that had been supercharged by the internet'.
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump says he will meet Starmer in ‘oil capital' of Aberdeen
Donald Trump has backed oil and gas over 'detrimental' wind power projects as he said he will meet Sir Keir Starmer for talks in the European 'oil capital' of Aberdeen. The US president said he will have a 'state meeting' with the Prime Minister in the city when he makes a private visit to Scotland later this month. Downing Street confirmed on Monday the Prime Minister will travel north and meet Mr Trump during his trip. Mr Trump owns two golf resorts in Scotland, one in Menie in Aberdeenshire and Turnberry in South Ayrshire. Ahead of his visit to the UK, he described Britain as a 'great place' which is a 'true ally' of the US. Speaking about Sir Keir, he told BBC News: 'I really like the Prime Minister a lot, even though he's a liberal.' Confirming the pair will hold talks, Mr Trump said his 'state meeting with the Prime Minister' will be 'up in Aberdeen, which is the oil capital of Europe'. The president added: 'They should bring it back too. They have so much oil there. 'They should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil. 'Cause the windmills are really detrimental to the beauty of Scotland and every other place they go up.' Campaigners at Uplift, which wants to see a rapid switch away from oil and gas towards renewable energy, criticised the president. Executive director Tessa Khan said: 'Donald Trump clearly knows nothing about the North Sea other than the view from his golf course. 'After 60 years of drilling, the UK has burned almost all of its gas and what is left is oil, most of which the UK exports, which contributes nothing to making sure the UK has an affordable supply of energy. 'More oil and gas drilling would not only lock us into an expensive energy source for far longer than is necessary, it will also contribute to the climate impacts – the wildfires, droughts and floods – that we're now seeing every year.' As well as meeting Sir Keir during his visit to Scotland, the president will also meet First Minister John Swinney. Mr Trump will also make a state visit to the UK in September, and he was asked if Parliament should be recalled from its summer break so he can address MPs. He dismissed the idea, saying: 'I think let them go and have a good time.' Mr Trump added he wants to 'respect King Charles' during the state visit, describing him as being a 'great gentleman'.
The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Offshore wind farms to be allowed to apply for contracts before planning consent
Offshore wind farms will be able to apply for energy contracts while they are still waiting for full planning consent, the Government has announced. The plans are part of a raft of reforms launched by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (Desnz) to help the Government reach its ambitious 2030 clean power targets. Energy secretary Ed Miliband said changes to Contracts for Difference (CfD) rules will give developers 'the certainty they need to build in Britain' and invest in more clean energy projects. Auctions for the CfD scheme see developers bid to secure a fixed price contract for what they can charge for the renewable power they generate. This system helps to protect them from market volatility, incentivising investment in new wind and solar farms. Earlier this year, the Government launched a consultation on the flagship CfD scheme, including proposals to remove planning barriers. It has now given the green light to changes to the scheme ahead of the next planned auction process, Allocation Round 7 (AR7), which is due to open in August. Officials have said this will include increasing the length of contracts from 15 years to 20 years for offshore wind, onshore wind and solar projects. It said this is intended to spread out the costs of energy projects over a longer period and potentially reduce costs for consumers, while also improving investors confidence. Changes will also include allowing offshore wind projects to apply for a contract while awaiting full planning consent, in a bid to reduce completion times. The department will also change how budgets are set and published to allow the energy secretary to view developer bids before setting his final budget. Mr Miliband said: 'We need to go further and faster to make Britain a clean energy superpower, end our reliance on volatile global gas prices and make working people better off with homegrown power we control. 'These reforms will give developers the certainty they need to build in Britain, helping deliver more clean power projects and supporting thousands of jobs – all part of the mission to bring bills down for good through our plan for change.'
