'Questions must be answered when a staggering £72million buys political influence'
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Peers on Monday confront a fundamental question about whether Britain’s democracy can be bought, just days after Reform banked an astonishing £72 million from two crypto billionaires. Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne each gave Nigel Farage’s party £36 million as Parliament prepares to debate tougher rules on mega-donations. The timing is extraordinary and demands the closest scrutiny. So does Reform’s record. For months, Farage has chipped away at the authority of Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, even suggesting he would remove him from office if he gained power and later refusing to guarantee he could serve out his term. Such political interference in the Bank's independence would be highly unusual and deeply troubling. Farage has also waged war on plans for a government-backed “Britcoin”. After lobbying the Bank last September, he told crypto enthusiasts he was “prepared to go to prison” to stop it. He also wants lower taxes on crypto assets and a Bitcoin reserve. The donors insist they want nothing in return. Perhaps so. But when £72 million lands in the coffers of a party promising policies that could benefit the industry that made its donors rich, suspicion is inevitable. Parliament must ensure political power can never simply go to the highest bidder. King Charles is right to use his influence to demand that artificial intelligence is developed in the public interest, not simply at breakneck speed. His meeting with some of the biggest names in AI comes at a moment when even industry leaders are sounding the alarm. Anthropic boss Dario Amodei has warned that progress is moving so quickly that safety measures risk being left hopelessly behind. His fear that AI could within months be powerful enough to control vast swathes of the internet should concentrate minds. The King’s message must be unmistakable: the people building this technology cannot be allowed to race ahead while the rest of the world is left to deal with the consequences. He should demand safeguards, transparency and proper human control before more power is handed to machines. Andy Burnham joined 63,000 hardy souls pounding the Great North Run, raising money for homelessness charity Changing Lives and donating 15 per cent of his first month’s Number 10 salary. The PM may have grabbed the headlines, but thousands more ran for causes close to home. Sore legs, blistered feet and millions raised. Not a bad day’s work.
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