Category: News Story

STORY

The Liberal Democrats have proposed imposing a levy on large technology and artificial intelligence companies to finance a new Online Crime Agency. The party said the agency would receive £250 million each year to investigate and disrupt criminal activity conducted through digital platforms.

The proposed agency would focus on offences including the distribution of child sexual abuse material, the online sale of drugs and weapons and the creation of sexually explicit deepfake images. Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson said technology companies should contribute towards tackling crimes facilitated through their services.

The proposal was announced during the Liberal Democrat conference as the party sought to develop a clearer national policy platform. Other measures presented at the conference included a temporary 10p reduction in fuel duty and reduced public transport fares intended to help households with living costs.

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Trade unions, charities, environmental organisations and think tanks have called on the Government to increase the financial capacity of the National Wealth Fund. The coalition wants the fund to become a larger national development bank capable of supporting infrastructure, industry and regional investment.

The National Wealth Fund was established to use public money to attract private investment into major projects, with a target of securing £3 from private investors for every £1 committed by the taxpayer. Supporters of expansion said it could finance building improvements, reduce energy costs and create employment in areas requiring industrial investment.

The groups have also proposed giving the fund greater independence to raise money while remaining consistent with the Government’s fiscal rules. The Treasury said the National Wealth Fund had secured investments worth £3.9 billion and supported the creation of 11,500 jobs.

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A flagship Government apprenticeship programme has recorded 160 starts during its first eight months, according to figures reported as ministers seek to reduce youth unemployment. The Government has set a target of creating 30,000 foundation apprenticeships by the end of the current Parliament.

Foundation apprenticeships are intended to provide young people with entry level training and a route into longer apprenticeships or employment. The figures come as almost one million people aged between 16 and 24 are reported to be outside education, employment or training.

Overall apprenticeship starts in England have increased by approximately 9% to around 308,000, although most of the increase has been among people aged over 25. The Department for Work and Pensions said further investment and incentives were planned, while a Fabian Society report called for regional apprenticeship funds and reforms allowing employers to use levy funding towards wages.

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Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to hold his first formal meeting with United States President Donald Trump during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The meeting represents a change in approach for Burnham, who had previously criticised Trump and expressed reluctance to engage with him.

Talks are expected to cover continued military assistance for Ukraine, including the supply of interceptor missiles. The two leaders are also likely to discuss efforts to restore safe shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following disruption caused by the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Burnham said the Government would seek common ground with international partners where it was in the British national interest. The meeting takes place amid disagreements between London and Washington over trade restrictions affecting Israeli settlements, regulation of American technology companies and the future of North Sea energy production.

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Michael Marra has been elected as the new leader of Scottish Labour, defeating Joe Fagan by 4,266 votes to 2,485. The contest had a turnout of 49.44%, with Marra securing approximately 63% of the votes cast.

Marra succeeds Anas Sarwar following Scottish Labour’s poor performance in the May Holyrood election, when the party returned 17 MSPs. The new leader said the party needed to reconnect with working class voters and broaden its appeal beyond its existing electoral base.

The North East Scotland MSP has also backed the proposed Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas developments, arguing that jobs and the Scottish economy must form part of energy policy. He is expected to seek a close working relationship with Prime Minister Andy Burnham while rebuilding the party before the 2027 council elections.

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Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson has been appointed UK senior vice president of Palantir, the American data analytics and artificial intelligence company. Lord Watson of Wyre Forest, who had worked as a paid adviser to the business since 2024, has taken leave from the House of Lords while assuming the executive role.

Palantir has become a significant supplier to the British public sector. Its contracts include the NHS Federated Data Platform, worth up to £330 million, and work for the Ministry of Defence reportedly worth about £240 million. The company’s expanding involvement in public services has prompted political debate about data protection, procurement and dependence on overseas technology suppliers.

Watson said his new position would continue his work helping Governments use technology to modernise public services, adding that he wanted public contracts to support British employment. Transparency campaigners have raised concerns about the movement of former politicians into companies holding major Government contracts, although there is no suggestion that Watson has breached parliamentary rules.

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Policing Minister Sarah Jones has asked the police inspectorate to assess the support available to police officers and staff across England and Wales. His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services will consider the current provision and identify what further action may be required at force and national level.

Jones announced the assessment during a speech to the Police Superintendents’ Association conference in Stratford upon Avon. She said the Government was placing workforce support at the centre of its police reform programme, with an additional £2.4 million being provided through the Police Covenant during the current financial year. The minister paid tribute to six officers who had died during the previous year and acknowledged the pressure experienced by officers and their families.

The speech also confirmed that the Government intends to introduce a new police funding formula alongside wider structural reforms. Its plans include stronger Local Policing Areas, a National Police Service for cross border threats and changes intended to reduce duplication among the 43 territorial forces. Jones said a separate Police Workforce Strategy was being developed, while the Government’s full response to recommendations on police leadership from Lord Blunkett and Lord Herbert would be published during the autumn.

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Shadow Chancellor Andrew Griffith has announced a Conservative review of the regulations faced by small businesses, arguing that excessive administrative requirements are restricting investment and economic growth. Griffith also urged the Government not to increase taxes on businesses in the October Budget.

The review will consider regulation affecting companies with fewer than 250 employees and identify rules which the Conservatives believe could be removed or simplified. Griffith said small businesses had been affected by higher employment costs, business rates and uncertainty over future taxation. He described reducing regulation as part of the party’s proposed economic programme.

The Conservatives have not yet published a complete list of regulations which they would repeal or estimated the financial effects of the review. The Government argues that employment and regulatory standards provide important protections for workers and consumers. Any eventual Conservative proposals will therefore need to demonstrate that reducing compliance costs would not remove necessary safeguards.

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Labour’s National Executive Committee has appointed Joe Fortune as the party’s new general secretary. Fortune has led the Co-operative Party, Labour’s sister party, since 2017 and has worked within the Labour movement for almost two decades.

Fortune was Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s preferred candidate for the position. He succeeds Hollie Ridley, who oversaw Labour’s campaign during its 2024 general election victory. Labour said membership and income at the Co-operative Party had both increased by approximately 30 per cent during Fortune’s period as general secretary.

Fortune said his new role carried responsibility for helping Labour secure a second term in Government. Burnham described him as an experienced campaigner capable of keeping the party electorally competitive. The appointment places a trusted ally of the Prime Minister in charge of Labour’s organisation, staffing, membership and election campaigning ahead of the next general election.

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The King has urged technology companies and governments to establish effective safeguards against the misuse of artificial intelligence, warning that the consequences of losing control of the technology could be catastrophic. Charles made the intervention while hosting senior figures from the artificial intelligence industry at Dumfries House in Scotland.

Representatives from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic and Nvidia attended the meeting alongside AI Minister Kanishka Narayan and international experts. The King said artificial intelligence could deliver substantial benefits in areas including medicine and scientific research, but warned that its rapid development also presented profound risks to humanity and the natural world.

The meeting did not produce a binding agreement or new Government policy. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang argued that developers should act responsibly and release systems only when they were ready, while other industry figures have called for stronger regulation or a coordinated reduction in the pace of development. The summit demonstrated the differing views within the sector over whether voluntary safeguards will be sufficient.