An interrogater tries to get to the bottom of a surreal scandal while green screen actors meddle with the story in Jess and Morgs' inventive production W hat audiences remember most from a political interview, a voiceover tells the prime minister (Kennedy Muntanga) as he prepares to face his TV interrogator (Rebecca Bassett-Graham, coiffed à la Emily Maitlis), is less the words themselves than the tone of voice and the tenor of the body. Muntanga is on point, then: his arms sweep, his fingers beetle and his hands spread out, as if he were wordlessly fielding fly-by questions and offering open statements. This setup lands right in the zone for creative duo Jess and Morgs (Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple), whose turf is a congenial mix of choreography, film and theatre. In Deepfake, along with writer Jeff James, they explore the various unravellings of an encounter in which the interviewer tries to find the truth behind a surreal - but maybe real? - story in which the PM was seen variously spattered with yellow paint, with his flies undone, and partaking in a ritual involving a deer's head. The content of these scenarios perhaps matters less than the ingenious manner of their staging (props to the design team too), which deploys green screen, live relay and other film and stage effects to storify the interview with simulated settings, duplicates of the figure of the PM, selective perspectives and closeups of the central encounter.

New UK agency will tackle'information warfare' from likes of Russia, Burnham says PM aims to'stem poisonous tide' of disinformation and deepfakes with National Centre for Information Defence Security chiefs will set up a new national centre to tackle disinformation and deepfakes from hostile states such as Russia, Andy Burnham has announced, saying the government had a duty to "stem the poisonous tide" from damaging British interests. The National Centre for Information Defence will "detect, attribute and disrupt" information attacks by foreign powers, many of which are enabled by AI, bringing together the intelligence agencies, law enforcement and social media companies. It will be tasked with making sure the UK has the defensive capability necessary to combat information warfare and build national resilience by helping communities to identify and combat disinformation, preventing a "distorted and untrue" narrative about the UK. Burnham said the country would have to go into the next decade "eyes wide open" about "insidious" campaigns, many of which had been orchestrated by Russia, which "twisted" what people at home felt about their own country and community. In eye-catching remarks, the prime minister suggested that Britons who were struggling with the cost of living and young people not in education, training or employment may be particularly susceptible to foreign influence online, underlining how inequality further undermined society.

The UK will set up a new centre to stem the poisonous tide of hostile state attacks, including Russian disinformation, and lead efforts to establish global safety standards for artificial intelligence, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. In his first major international speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, Burnham warned Russian agencies are using every means at their disposal, including bots and fake websites, to spread lies and disinformation. The prime minister noted AI will multiply existing threats, and pitched the UK as an honest broker on the technology. Fears about AI have grown after industry insiders recently warned it could threaten humanity. In Burnham's speech, he accused Russia of running a disinformation campaign.

Andy Burnham and Donald Trump held their first face-to-face meeting in New York. Andy Burnham and Donald Trump held their first face-to-face meeting in New York. US president calls UK prime minister'a natural businessperson' as leaders meet at UN assembly in New York Donald Trump has asserted his relationship with the UK is "more up" with Andy Burnham than under Keir Starmer despite tensions between the two countries on a range of thorny issues including regulation of artificial intelligence, the Chagos islands and the war in Iran. At their first face-to-face meeting, the US president praised Burnham, who sat nervously alongside him, as a "natural businessperson", saying he thought he had "lots of assets on his side" and would be a "great" prime minister. Burnham, who was joined in the talks by Ed Miliband, the foreign secretary, and Jonathan Powell, his national security adviser, said he and Trump had built on the "good connection" they established early on, in an effort to shore up relations which had splintered over Iran .

UK not'on the slide', Burnham to tell UN as he gears up for first meeting with Trump - UK politics live No 10 confirms Manchester to host next year's G20 summit Burnham plays down past critical comments about Trump, saying it's right to'move beyond' them UK not'on the slide', Burnham to tell UN as he gears up for first meeting with Trump No 10 confirms Manchester to host next year's G20 summit Burnham plays down past critical comments about Trump, saying it's right to'move beyond' them UK not'on the slide', Burnham to tell UN as he gears up for first meeting with Trump He has posted a video on social media in advance, which features him walking on Brighton beach and musing on how the Lib Dems are facing "the fight of our lives". They spoke out after Emmanuel Macron, the French president, summoned all the country's main political leaders for a briefing on how Russia is now ramping up its aggression towards Nato countries. Asked about this on his huddle with journalists on his flight to New York, Burnham did not accept that he was being complacent. But he said he did not want to escalate the problem. In a video that he recorded on the plane, he says the fact that he is going shows that AI is now "top of the international agenda".

Protesters from Pause AI block the entrance to Downing Street on Wednesday. Protesters from Pause AI block the entrance to Downing Street on Wednesday. 'A critical moment': concern UK is not up to speed in acting on AI risks Andy Burnham's focus on immediate domestic problems leads some to fear issue has dropped off government's radar Towards the end of Keir Starmer's time in office, his senior ministers, alarmed by the latest developments in artificial intelligence, began drawing up plans for a new AI safety law. They ordered a review of existing legislation to see what powers they already had, according to those briefed on the plans, and were exploring whether they could force the world's most advanced technology companies to submit their products for safety testing before launching them. In the midst of the political chaos that engulfed the former prime minister as he fought to remain in office, however, the plans fell by the wayside.

Today's inflation figures underscore that the economy is the biggest challenge facing Andy Burnham. It is only 42 days until John Healey's first Budget, and there is increasingly apparent concern at all levels of the government and Labour Party about how that Budget can - or, as it may prove, cannot - substantiate Burnham's rhetoric about offering the biggest change in British politics in 40 years. Much of the tricky economic environment, yes, is driven by global factors including the persistence, and to some degree worsening, of the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. And the AI boom pushing up borrowing costs is another issue affecting many countries. But there are clearly domestic factors particular to Britain, and on that front it was very striking to hear the former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane telling LBC on Tuesday that without signs of cuts to public spending the markets now suspect that this is a traditional tax and spend socialist government with better TikTok videos.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland leaders issued a joint declaration for constitutional change that could lead to the United Kingdom breakup.

'Culture shift' needed in how UK does business, PM urges The UK needs a culture shift in how it does business, Andy Burnham has said ahead of a meeting with some of the UK's biggest bosses. The prime minister said those who take risks in business should be backed by government and local leaders should have the power to work with businesses. The current Labour government has been criticised for increasing costs for businesses, such as with the employer national insurance and minimum wage changes under Burnham's predecessor Sir Keir Starmer. Downing Street said Burnham will meet with the chief executives of BP, Shell, HSBC, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, BT, Vodafone, Rolls-Royce, and several others at Number 10. Ahead of the meeting, Burnham said he would give people the confidence that if they have a great idea, they'll get all the support they need to bring it to life.

Long-term government borrowing costs have risen to a 28-year high, putting further pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham ahead of his first Budget next month. The yield on a 30-year gilt -- a loan to the British government -- rose to 5.89%, the highest since 1998. The effective cost of borrowing for governments across the globe has continued to rise this morning with new multi-decade highs in market interest rates. The moves reflect concerns about inflation arising from the ongoing Iran war, competition from major tech firms for long-term borrowing, and concerns about state borrowing levels. All of those factors will make the Budget process trickier for Burnham, who will face MPs on Tuesday for the first time as prime minister, and his Chancellor John Healey. Higher borrowing costs will reduce the amount of headroom the government has against its self-imposed fiscal rules, limiting the amount Healey can spend on consumer-friendly measures to ease the cost of living.