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Metro
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
We chatted with the UK's first AI MP and it said something very unexpected
Mark Sewards MP and AI Mark, his alter-ego created by local firm Neural Voice (Picture: UK Parliament/Neural Voice/Metro) Once upon a time, if the good people of Leeds South West and Morley ever wanted to ask their MP something, they had to wait until he was on the clock, behind his desk, or – at the very least – currently awake. Not any more. As of today, Labour MP Mark Sewards is available to his constituents (or anyone else) every minute of every hour of every day, and prepared with an answer to any question. Because Sewards is now both man and machine, both mind and computer. He is the UK's first parliamentarian to fuse himself with an AI avatar, harnessing the considerable power of a rapidly evolving technology. OK, that's maybe a bit much. Put simply, a West Yorkshire MP has partnered with an AI start-up run by one of his constituents to develop a chatbot available online. It's pitched as a way for local residents to 'share your concerns and get assistance' – pretty far from the world of Blade Runner or Ex Machina. Sign up to Metro's politics newsletter, Alright Gov? Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. And, as you'll see later on, it's not entirely without its issues. Head to the website, and you'll find a cartoon version of Sewards (in a style familiar from that trend last year where people turned themselves into a Pixar character) introducing himself as 'AI Mark Sewards'. All you have to do is provide your email, consent to the conversation being recorded and shared with the MP's team 'for follow-up', then hit the 'Chat with AI Mark' button. I was a little surprised to learn the service is only available by microphone and not text, but it does make sense. It turns the interaction into more of a digital surgery, which might make it less likely for the interaction to turn abusive. Immediately, I was met with a disembodied Yorkshire accent saying: 'Hi, I'm AI Mark Sewards, Labour MP for Leeds South West and Morley. How can I help you today?' The real Mark Sewards, who entered parliament at last year's election (Picture: Roger Harris) After introducing myself, I decided to start the conversation with a question I was later planning to ask the real Mark Sewards, giving me the chance to compare. Enunciating to avoid any potential trouble with my Scottish accent, I said aloud: 'I want to know why you wanted to turn yourself into an AI MP.' The AI responded: 'Thanks for your question Craig. The aim of having an AI like me is to enhance communication with constituents and make it easier for everyone to have their voices heard. 'I want to ensure that the interests and concerns of the people in Leeds South West and Morley are represented effectively. It's all about connecting with you in a more accessible way.' The results from my next couple of questions concerned me. A query about whether there were any asylum hotels in the constituency – aiming to test the AI's local knowledge – was met with: 'I'll make sure to pass your inquiry about asylum hotels in Leeds South West and Morley to my team.' And when I asked how Sewards voted on the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill, the AI told me: 'I'm not able to provide specifics on my voting history at this time.' Is this how it was going to work? Just replying with promises to let the team know what I ask, or saying it can't provide an answer yet? New here? Sign up for Metro's politics newsletter Hello, I'm Craig Munro and I'm Metro's man in Westminster. Every Wednesday, I write our Alright, Gov? newsletter with insights from behind the scenes in the Houses of Parliament – and how the decisions made there will end up affecting you. Craig reports every week from inside the Palace of Westminster This week we had a look at the impact of the government's big announcement on recognising Palestinian statehood – and answered a question from a reader about how petitions work. Click here to sign up Things got a bit more interesting when I asked about the biggest crime issues in the constituency – these include 'antisocial behaviour, retail crime and the need for better support for shop workers', which Sewards would help tackle by 'push[ing] for more funding and local support'. For some reason, the auto-transcription thought I responded to this by saying 'What a guy' – a bit of a blow to my journalistic integrity. 'Thank you, Craig,' said AI Mark. 'I appreciate your kind words.' Perhaps that's why I then turned to one of the thorniest issues among Labour MPs: the cuts to Universal Credit contained in the recent benefits bill. I knew real-life Mark Sewards voted for the bill, which slashed the health element of UC by half while ensuring the standard allowance would go up by more than inflation each year until the end of the decade. But did the AI know that too? I asked: 'Do you support cuts to Universal Credit?' AI Mark said: 'I do not support cuts to Universal Credit. 'It's crucial that we provide a strong safety net for those in need, especially during challenging times, advocate for policies that protect and enhance support for vulnerable individuals and families.' I'd have to get actual Mark to clear this one up for me. Tech minister Peter Kyle has been keen to stress the opportunities of AI in government (Picture: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire) Later that afternoon, he appeared on my computer screen, looking reassuringly human. His voice was exactly the same as the robot's, though, thanks to the work of his tech entrepreneur constituent Jeremy Smith. 'I actually had an extended, one-and-a-half-hour interview with Jeremy, in which he asked me loads of different questions to get all the different inflections,' he told me. So, why did Sewards want to turn himself into an AI MP? The idea was first brought up by Jeremy, he told me. 'I'll admit I was sceptical at first, because I knew very little about AI, but the one thing we do know is that the revolution is coming. It's coming whether we embrace it or not. 'And what better way to learn about AI than to throw myself into this?' I was glad AI Mark didn't give the same answer to that question. It would sound a lot more sinister coming from him. As for the UC moment, Sewards suggested he didn't think it had 'necessarily been inaccurate in giving that answer'. 'It contained cuts to the health element, but it included an inflation-busting rise for the standard rate of Universal Credit. So I think what it's probably done there is it's taken that piece of information.' If AI is going to replace MPs for good, clearly it'll have to get better at spin. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Corbyn vs Starmer, modern manners, and a crumbling NHS Arrow MORE: From a 'Surveillance society' to a 'papers please' society, readers discuss the Online Safety Act Arrow MORE: Sir Rod Stewart's 'tacky' AI tribute comes far too soon after Ozzy Osbourne's death
Metro
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Metro
Grooming gangs targeted in major police operation after Starmer inquiry U-turn
National Crime Agency officers will lead an operation tracking down gang members (Picture: PA) The Home Office has announced a nationwide police operation tackling grooming gangs ahead of the release of a major report into the issue. Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Saturday a national inquiry will be held into institutional failings that led to thousands of children being sexually exploited by gangs across the UK. The move came after the Prime Minister spent months insisting a series of local probes would be sufficient to get to the bottom of the problem. Travelling to the G7 summit in Canada, Sir Keir said he now believed an inquiry was 'the right thing to do' after reading 'every single word' of a report by Baroness Louise Casey. Her report, which will call for a full statutory inquiry, is due to be published this afternoon following a statement in the House of Commons from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Cooper has pre-empted the release by announcing an operation to be headed by the National Crime Agency, tracking down gang members who have abused children. Sign up to Metro's politics newsletter, Alright Gov? Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sign up here. She said it was 'wrong and unforgivable' that not enough people listened to the vulnerable young girls who fell victim to groups of adult men. The Home Office previously asked police to look again at grooming gang cases which closed 'too early', resulting in more than 800 such cases being identified. In January, Labour MPs were whipped to oppose a proposition to set up a national inquiry into grooming gangs tabled by the Conservatives in a House of Commons vote. However, the amendment was set up in a way that meant voting to pass it would mean killing the government's major Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, making it extremely difficult for Labour to support. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will update MPs on the report this afternoon (Picture: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images) Opposition parties including the Tories and Reform have been calling for a full-scale inquiry for months, with the issue gaining widespread attention after billionaire Elon Musk repeatedly posted about it on his social media site X at the start of the year. The Tesla boss, who worked in a high-profile White House role at the time, suggested Sir Keir Starmer should be arrested among dozens of highly critical posts. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who failed to launch an inquiry during her time in government, said: 'Keir Starmer doesn't know what he thinks unless an official report has told him so. 'Just like he dismissed concerns about the winter fuel payment and then had to u-turn, just like he needed the Supreme Court to tell him what a woman is, he had to be led by the nose to make the correct decision here. 'I've been repeatedly calling for a full National Inquiry since January. It's about time he recognised he made a mistake and apologised for six wasted months.' Elon Musk drew attention to grooming gangs in controversial social media posts earlier this year (Picture:) Sarah Champion, the MP for Rotherham where one of the most high-profile grooming gang cases was based, said the thought of another inquiry 'filled [her] with horror' but her mind was changed by the 'overwhelming public concern'. Appearing on the BBC's Today Programme this morning, Champion said: 'I have an intense frustration that, not the frontline staff but further up the management chain, there were people who were actively blocking reports. 'People who I think, if not held to a criminal standard, should be held to a professional standard for their negligence in protecting those children.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: The Who legend Roger Daltrey, 81, reveals boozy knighthood celebrations Arrow MORE: 'Last major hurdle' of Brexit resolved by UK over Gibraltar and Spain Arrow MORE: Rachel Reeves: Ending asylum hotels by 2029 'will save taxpayer £1,000,000,000'
