Day Headlines in Politics News: 2026-01-12
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Crackdown on illegal working leads to surge in arrests (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 22:30:38)
Raids on businesses such as nail bars and takeaways have increased by 77% since Labour took office, the government says.
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Tories say Zahawi peerage request turned down before defection to Reform UK (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 20:50:41)
Zahawi is the latest former Conservative MP to join Nigel Farage's party, as a Tory source claims he had approached Kemi Badenoch seeking a nomination for the Lords.
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What a new law and an investigation could mean for Grok AI deepfakes (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 19:38:53)
Elon Musk's chatbot is under fire for altering images of women to remove their clothes without their consent.
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New Lord Speaker announced as Lord Michael Forsyth (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 18:32:33)
Peers had a choice between Lord Forsyth and ex-ballet dancer Baroness Deborah Bull in a vote earlier this month.
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UK to bring into force law to tackle Grok AI deepfakes this week (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 18:27:44)
It is currently illegal to share deepfakes, but the law against creating them has not yet come into force.
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Nick Eardley: Former Tories joining Reform is not without risk for Farage (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 18:20:52)
Former Tory Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi is the latest - and most senior - figure to defect to Reform UK.
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UK not as ready as we need to be for conflict, says military chief (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 17:50:57)
Sir Richard Knighton refuses to confirm the existence of a £28bn shortfall in defence spending plans.
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Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform UK after peerage bid ruled out by Tories (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 17:29:45)
Zahawi is the latest former Conservative MP to join Nigel Farage's party, as a Tory source claims he had approached Kemi Badenoch seeking a nomination for the Lords.
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Labour MPs urge minister to reject Chinese mega embassy (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 17:22:25)
Nine MPs raise security concerns about the proposed site, just days before the deadline for a decision.
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Former Tory Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defects to Reform UK (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 12:49:29)
Zahawi, who was chancellor for two months when Boris Johnson was prime minister, is the latest former Tory MP to join Nigel Farage's party.
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Ofcom investigates Elon Musk's X over Grok AI sexual deepfakes (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 12:39:10)
The watchdog said it had received reports of the platform's Grok AI chatbot creating undressed images of people.
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London homicides at 11-year low, Met Police says (BBC News - Politics 2026-01-12 09:14:40)
According to the latest data, there were 97 homicides in London in 2025, the lowest figure since 2014.