Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the dissemination of AI-generated misinformation in the lead-up to the regional elections in Kurdistan; and what steps his Department is taking to support free and fair elections in that region.

The upcoming elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) are essential for democratic legitimacy and for the people of the KRI to express their voice.

The British Consulate General in Erbil has supported roundtables and workshops with the Kurdistan Regional Government, parties, candidates and civil society, which have focused on preventing online harassment of women candidates, including through AI-generated fakes and misinformation.

Consulate General staff engaged with all parties in advance of the election campaign. We continue to encourage political parties and media in the KRI to act responsibly to ensure free, fair and inclusive elections on 20 October.