AI: Human Extinction

Lord Watts Excerpts

Tuesday 15th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The main thing we need to do is not downplay people’s concerns. Clearly, when world experts and people who have been working in this field are raising concerns about it, the worst thing we could do as a Government would be to say, “Nothing to see here”, because we are so keen to be part of the huge positive way forward for AI. That is the first step. One of the things we should do more of is talk about our successes through the AI Security Institute, AISI. I have been impressed by what I have heard about it and I think the public would be reassured by some of the big successes of AISI over recent months and years.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that this is an international issue and that the only way we can deal with it is internationally? The most important part will be to make sure that the regulator has the ability to police what is going on in China, America and the rest of the world.

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My noble friend raises a number of interesting points. It is true that we need to address this internationally. AI clearly crosses national borders. It is not like previous forms of new technology. We need to find the way forward in getting the balance right. We have been using our opportunity to lead internationally in having those conversations across borders as one of the leaders in AI safety.

Public Sector Fraud Authority

Lord Watts Excerpts

Monday 14th September 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

It is in the process of being transferred. My understanding is that this is not holding up enforcement, but I will need to write with a detailed answer to the noble Baroness’s question.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, has the Minister noticed that the opposition parties are very keen on fighting fraud in the welfare system, but they are very slow to fight blue-collar fraud and their own fraud?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I could not possibly comment on that. What I can say is that public sector fraud wastes public money, drives up the deficit and damages the public sector. We are clear that we want to tackle it, and put structures in place to do this. My noble friend is correct, however, that it is not just public sector fraud that affects the public, and we are determined to do whatever we can to keep the public and the public finances as safe as possible from fraud and error.

World Cup Ticket Prices

Lord Watts Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I am slightly incredulous. We have a situation where resale tickets are being priced at $2 million. I am not convinced that anybody would buy them at that price, but these are outrageous prices. It goes beyond envy when even the President of the United States is calling the tickets out as overly priced for a major sporting event.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, people who are actually fans are going to America for the World Cup and are being ripped off with their flights, ripped off—and sometimes gazumped—with their hotels, and ripped off with their tickets. Can we do all we can, both internally and internationally, to stop these practices and give the football fans a decent deal?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

As I mentioned in response to my noble friend’s questions, representations regarding the interests of fans fall to the respective football associations. My understanding is that the home nations’ football associations are raising matters. We are keen to make sure that all our fans travelling to the World Cup, which noble Lords will be aware goes across three host countries, have a good experience. But, above all, we hope that our home teams do well, and our wish is that they compete against each other in the final.

Class Inequality in the Arts

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 5th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I would probably far exceed the 75-word response we are supposed to give if I went through all the barriers. However, they include lack of access to parental networks, not knowing about the opportunities in the first place and schools not having creative education, which is why I referred to the fact that the curriculum review is focused on arts and why the Secretary of State for Culture is focused on increasing access to music opportunities, including through music in libraries. I could go on, but I hope that some of the other issues that we are trying to deal with will come through in other responses.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, many musicians and artists struggle in the first few years when they are leaning their trade. Has the Minister seen what Ireland has done in introducing benefits systems that take into account the low earnings of these musicians and artists?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

We are aware of the basic income scheme for artists in Ireland. We are not considering a basic income scheme for artists at this time. However, we believe that British creators are second to none and we are committed to giving them security and a regulatory and fiscal environment where creativity can flourish. This is exemplified by our recent Employment Rights Act, our commitment to appoint a freelance champion and our 5% uplift to national portfolio organisations, as well as our commitment to addressing some of the unfair practices in the grass-roots music industry, such as pay-to-play.

In-game Purchases: Protections for Children

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 15th January 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Baroness correctly identifies that sometimes our debate does not necessarily keep up with developments. One of the major protections we have in place is the Online Safety Act, which applies to online services that allow users to share content and interact with each other. As I have said in previous responses, the Government keep up to date with developments and keep all options under review.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, is it not the case that gamblers face bigger problems from offshore unregulated sites? What will the Government do to make sure that those are held accountable, given that there has been a massive growth in recent years on such sites?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My noble friend is referring to what we are doing to tackle the illegal market. As Members of your Lordships’ House will be aware, as part of the Budget the Treasury announced an increase for remote duty but at the same time increased funding to tackle the illegal market. We will be working with the licensed sector on how we increase enforcement—obviously, this will be led by the Gambling Commission—to make sure that we focus on tackling the illegal market, which is an element of the risk that people associate with online activity.

Telegraph Media Group: Ownership

Lord Watts Excerpts

Thursday 16th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

It would be inappropriate for me to comment on any live merger case, as I am sure the noble Lord will be aware. Under the Enterprise Act this is a quasi-judicial process, and it is for the DCMS Secretary of State alone to exercise her statutory powers, based on the evidence and following the established regulatory process. As for publication, I will write to the noble Lord to clarify the points he raises.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, do we not need to review the whole issue of ownership of newspapers in the UK? Bearing in mind that papers such as the Express and the Mail are nothing more than propaganda, do we not need some balance in a democracy, to make sure that people who are rich do not influence our politics too much?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

My noble friend raises an interesting point. The ownership of our media is an interesting area. The tradition of having a broad church of opinions expressed through our media is important, and is one of the cornerstones of our democracy.

Newspapers: Foreign Ownership

Lord Watts Excerpts

Wednesday 16th July 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

The noble Lord makes many points that sound entirely reasonable. We are clear that we need serious investment in our media and we hope that the certainty that these SIs will provide, albeit with considerable protections around them, will enable media groups to obtain that investment.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords, is it not the case that a lot of our media and our press are controlled by the right wing? Do we not need a regulator that will start to protect the public from the propaganda that we see from the right-wing press on a daily basis?

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

I would find it very difficult to disagree with my noble friend.

Live Music Industry: Support

Lord Watts Excerpts

Monday 23rd June 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Twycross (Lab)]

On the business rates question, I will throw back to the noble Lord this Government’s fiscal inheritance. We recognise that grass-roots venues have faced a challenging set of circumstances in recent years, and that is why we are committed to working with industry to maximise the uptake and impact of the voluntary ticket levy.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Con)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as a governor of an independent school—and give way to the noble Lord.

[Lord Watts (Lab)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord. Can the Minister hear the noise from today’s discussion, in which Members are raising all sorts of problems that the cultural industries face? Do we not need a complete strategy that deals with all these issues, and do we not need to be clear about how we are going to support the arts and culture in the UK?