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Politics latest: Ministers continue to battle over funds ahead of spending review - as Starmer set to give tech speech

It's the beginning of a big week in British politics as the chancellor prepares to unveil her spending review - but ministers, including Yvette Cooper and Angela Rayner, are still reportedly pushing back for more cash for their departments.

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The government will regulate AI but wants to 'get it right', says minister

Sir Chris Bryant says the government will "get to" regulating AI in the future. 

The data protection minister is talking about the government's plans to embrace AI more widely and roll out schemes to get more people trained up on how to use the technology - as UK tech week begins.

He tells Sky News that "AI was made for humanity, not humanity for AI", and that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is keen to embrace the tech to boost economic growth, while keeping people safe.

Challenged on why the government has not regulated AI yet to protect creators' works, Bryant says "we will get to it".

He adds that when Labour entered office last year, "nobody had done any work in this area at all in government".

Bryant says they had "made lots of big statements about it, but they'd not done any of the preparatory work".

He says the government launched a consultation, which received around 11,500 replies. 

"Lots of people care about this", he says. "We want to make sure that we get that regulation right."

Challenged on whether this will be similar to the rules being used by the EU, Bryant responds that the government is "open-minded as to precisely what direction we travel down".

He says: "If we can get [the data bill] out of the way, then we would very much like to be sitting down with people who work in the AI companies and in the creative industries together, to look at particularly transparency in this sector and how we can get to better licensing arrangements."

Schoolchildren to be given AI lessons in 拢24m new scheme, Sir Keir Starmer set to unveil

 One million children attending secondary schools will be given the chance to learn how to use tech and AI, under new plans. 

The government is set to announce the launch of a new TechYouth programme, which will see lessons on these topics taught in classrooms in "every secondary school in the UK" over the next three years, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

The 拢24m scheme will be part of a wider project called TechFirst, which will also bring digital skills and AI learning to people of all ages. 

The government is trying to get the country ready for the growth of AI, which DSIT says will be involved in 10m jobs by 2035.

Research by the department also found a further 3.9m roles will be directly in AI. 

The government, which has made economic growth its main priority, has also said the AI sector is currently worth 拢72.3m and expected to grow to more than 拢800bn by 2035.

It says the sector is growing 30 times faster than the rest of the economy.

Around 4,000 other people will also receive training in how to use AI through three schemes, targeting graduates, PhD students and innovators starting small businesses.

The scheme has been backed by major industry players including BAE Systems, Microsoft, IBM and QinetiQ, as well as the Careers and Enterprise Company.

Sir Keir Starmer is set to speak at UK Tech Week this morning, where he will lay out the plans and speak about the importance of getting Britain ready to embrace and make use of AI. 

After his speech, he will speak with the CEO of NVIDIA, an American AI computing company.

Nigel Farage to pledge to reopen blast furnaces in Port Talbot in flagship speech

It's been a busy few days for Nigel Farage.

Last week, the Reform UK leader said he was "genuinely sorry" when the party's chairman, Zia Yusuf, said he was stepping away. 

48 hours later, he was welcome Yusuf back - not as chair, but as the head of Reform DOGE, a new unit designed to slash waste in council budgets and find savings.

Now, the party leader is in Wales, ahead of a major speech this morning.

Farage will be kicking off Reform's campaign to win control of the Senedd in next year's elections. 

He is expected to pledge to reopen the blast furnaces at Port Talbot, which shut last September with the loss of 2,800 jobs.

Formerly the UK's largest steelmaking plant, the site closed as the country transitions to greener production methods, with new electric arc furnaces set to be operational by early 2028.

But the government's efforts to save the Scunthorpe steel plant earlier this year led to accusations of double standards in Wales.

It is also believed the Clacton MP will throw his weight behind a return to coal mining in Wales.

This speech is significant as the party has made it clear that Wales will be its focus until the elections in May. It hopes to seize control of the Welsh parliament, which has been Labour-run for the last 26-years.

A Reform source said the party sees itself as "the main challenger to Labour in Wales" and really believes that they can win control there.

Good morning and welcome to the Politics Hub this Monday, 9 June. 

It's a big week for the chancellor, with her spending review set to be unveiled on Wednesday. The papers report that Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, is still battling with Rachel Reeves for more money, while Angela Rayner is said to still be at the negotiating table too. 

But today is all about tech for Sir Keir Starmer. 

He's attending London Tech Week this morning, where he will make a speech at around 9am. It follows the government announcing that one million schoolchildren will be taught how to learn and develop their skills in tech and AI. 

The 拢24m TechYouth programme will bring AI into classrooms over three years across every secondary school in the UK, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

It's hoped this training will prepare young people for the future, with the government estimating AI will be partially involved in 10 million job roles by 2035.

It's a busy day for the prime minister, as this afternoon he'll be meeting with NATO's secretary general Mark Rutte in London. It will be the first time the pair have met since the government's strategic defence review.

Elsewhere, Nigel Farage will be carrying out a major speech in Wales, setting out his party's policies ahead of the Senedd elections next year.

The Reform UK leader will pledge to reopen Port Talbot's steel blast furnaces if the party ends up in power in Wales, and will suggest a return to coal mining, too.

The party is hoping to win control of the Senedd when the elections take place next May, which would see Labour out of power in Wales for the first time in 26 years. 

And if that wasn't all enough, Scott Bessent, the US trade secretary, is holding talks with China in London today, too.

There's been no confirmation if Bessent will meet with any UK ministers while he's here. 

Coming up on Sky News: 

- Chris Bryant, the data protection minister;

- Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing secretary.

We'll bring you all the latest updates from Westminster throughout the day, right here on the Politics Hub.

Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips - as it happened

That's all for today from the Politics Hub.

Earlier this morning, Science Secretary Peter Kyle told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that updates on the winter fuel payments would likely be coming in the autumn.

The Conservatives' Chris Philp said the proposed Chinese embassy in east London should not be built.

And SNP leader John Swinney was unclear on how he got his prediction for the recent byelection so wrong.

Scroll down to read it as it happened.

Philp opposed parts of the mini-budget - but decided not to resign

Earlier this morning, shadow home secretary Chris Philp spoke to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips.

He was asked about the fact that the Tory party attempted to disown themselves from Liz Truss last week.

Philp was working as a Treasury minister at the time, and it was briefed he may have been responsible for some of the more unpopular policies in the disastrous mini-budget.

Asked by Trevor about this, Philp says books about the time were correct in suggesting he argued against some of the spending plans.

The combination of tax cuts and increased spending in the mini-budget are what spooked markets, as they had no guarantee the UK government would be able to pay the debts it was taking out.

"I opposed the way that it was constructed - I was arguing for spending restraint," Philp says.

"Those warnings were sadly not listened to. Obviously, I was bound by collective responsibility, as you know."

This is the duty of ministers not to disagree with the decisions the government has made as a whole.

Asked why he didn't resign, Philp says he felt it was better to argue the case "internally" to control spending.

Millions to receive NHS screening invitations and appointment reminders on their phones

Appointment reminders, invitations to health screenings and test results will now be received by patients on their phones.

The government says moving to a more digital-focused NHS will mean 50 million fewer letters need to be sent out by the health service, saving an estimated 拢200m over the next three years.

Instead, under the new plans, millions of people will be notified about appointments and other important notices via the NHS app on their phone or digital device.

The app is set to become the go-to method for the NHS to communicate with people, the Department of Health and Social Care said.

The changes will be backed by more than 拢50m investment. It will see a predicted 270 million messages sent through the app this year, an increase of around 70 million on the last financial year, the government announced.

Wes Streeting has said this is all about modernising, as the NHS "feels so 20th century".

Why did the SNP lose last week's byelection?

SNP leader John Swinney is speaking to Trevor Phillips this morning, after his party failed to win the Holyrood byelection in Hamilton last week.

His words before the election - that it was a two horse race between the SNP and Reform - are put to the SNP leader.

Labour won the vote.

Swinney says he spotted early on that Labour's vote was "collapsing" and it did "just that".

His evidence is that Labour's vote share in the area went from 50% a year ago in the area to just over 30% last week.

Swinney says Reform "came from, frankly, nowhere" to claim a quarter of the vote.

This left his own SNP with an "improved" picture - but they "didn't improve enough to win".

Asked why the SNP is not picking up the votes Labour are losing - which are instead going to Reform, Swinney says his party needs a "compelling proposition".

He does concede his party has had a "pretty tough time" over the past few years.

Don't give permission for Chinese embassy in London - Conservatives

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp is asked by Trevor Phillips for the Conservative Party's stance on the proposed Chinese embassy in London.

Concerns in the White House about the project have been reported in The Sunday Times today.

Philp says he agrees with the United States - and his party thinks the embassy is a "security risk".

"In government, the Conservatives were very clear.

"We should not be allowing the Chinese to build the super embassy, it is likely to become, a base for their pan-European espionage activities."

Philp highlights the proposed site for its proximity to a number of critical data centres and cables connecting the City of London to Canary Wharf - and concerns this could be intercepted.