Minister claimed thousands of pounds on expenses for promotional videos

Labour minister Al Carns has claimed thousands of pounds on parliamentary expenses for promotional videos including one showing him doing pull-ups at a fire station in competition with a firefighter.The veterans minister and former Royal Marine, who is tipped by some MPs as a leadership hopeful, claimed about £3,000, approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), for the production of 17 videos that show him interacting with local businesses.In the series of films, Carns is shown chatting with fire officers and taking part in a “MP v firefighter pull up challenge”, as well as visiting a local brewery where he is filmed having a pint, saying: “It’s really important we in government help companies like this thrive.”Another video shows him at a museum about life in history, where he mentions he spent “weeks, if not months in the field in the marines where it was hard going being outside for that amount of time”. He is also shown handling armour, saying: “I’ve worn body armour my whole life – for 24 years

Anger grows among UK ministers amid fears Iran war could jeopardise Britain’s fragile finances

Donald Trump has branded the UK and other Nato allies “cowards” as anger grows among cabinet ministers that his war in Iran could jeopardise Britain’s fragile finances.Senior members of the UK government are in despair about the potential effects on the economy, with experts warning of higher energy prices and increased mortgage and borrowing costs.They have already begun contingency planning in case the conflict is protracted, including considering lowering speed limits to minimise fuel consumption.With the conflict continuing to escalate, the UK confirmed it was authorising the use of British military bases to strike Iranian missile launchers that are targeting commercial ships in the strait of Hormuz. Previously, UK bases were only being used to strike Iranian sites targeting British allies and interests in Gulf states

UK government yet to trial OpenAI tech months after signing partnership

When the UK government signed a memorandum of understanding with OpenAI, the tech firm behind ChatGPT, the partnership was hailed as one that could harness artificial intelligence to “address society’s greatest challenges”.But eight months on from the fanfare of that announcement, the government has yet to hold any trials involving the firm’s tech.A freedom of information (FoI) request asked the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) for information about trials conducted under the memorandum, which said the company would work with civil servants to “identify opportunities for how advanced AI models can be deployed throughout government and the private sector”.The department replied that it held none of this information and had “not undertaken any trials under the memorandum of understanding with OpenAI”.In response to a query from the Guardian, DSIT pointed to an agreement under which the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) last October enabled civil servants to use ChatGPT “with an option for UK-based data storage for customers”

Tory peer accuses Nick Timothy of ‘instilling fear’ over Islamic prayers

The shadow justice secretary, Nick Timothy, has been accused by a Conservative peer and former counter-extremism minister of “instilling fear” among Muslims with his comments about public prayer.British Muslims were openly talking about leaving the Conservative party, added Tariq Ahmad, who said he had raised his concerns with the party leadership and expected action to be taken.“I have known Nick for a long time and am deeply disappointed by his divisive comments. He needs to reflect carefully on his own words,” Lord Ahmad told the Guardian.“If he is aspiring to be lord chancellor, he has to stand up for the principles of equality and justice before the law for all, that comes with that responsibility

Department of Health retracts claim sunbeds are as dangerous as smoking

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has had to retract a misleading claim that sunbeds are as dangerous a cancer risk as smoking.In January, health officials announced stricter rules for sunbeds, incorrectly claiming they were “as dangerous as smoking”. The comparison was repeated in social media posts shared by the health secretary and NHS England and was reported by a number of media outlets.But the factchecking organisation Full Fact said the claim was wrong, concluding “misleading information about the risk of cancer … risks making smoking seem less harmful than it is”.While both smoking and sunbeds cause cancer, the risks are not equal

More British teenagers stranded abroad as result of new rules on dual nationals

Two more British teenagers have found themselves unable to return to the UK because of new Home Office border rules on British dual nationals.Their cases emerged just hours after reports a 16-year-old British schoolgirl was blocked from boarding a flight in Denmark home to the UK because she was a dual national and did not have a British passport. She has missed two weeks of school so far.A 19-year-old student, Anna*, from Oxfordshire is stuck in Madrid after a university-organised trip to the Spanish capital.She is part French and had not yet obtained a British passport to comply with the new rules, which require British dual nationals to present a passport, new or expired, or certificate of entitlement to airlines before boarding flights to the UK