Keir Starmer’s former right-hand man is sounding the alarm about the potential for AI interference in elections from Westminster to Kyiv.
PRAGUE — Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney will seek to raise the alarm over the danger posed by artificial intelligence in elections as he makes a rare public appearance in Prague.
McSweeney, who quit the government in February, will try to steer clear of the Labour leadership drama consuming Westminster as he addresses the GLOBSEC forum to warn about the threat to democracies from disinformation and AI-driven content.
Starmer’s former right-hand man is taking a particularly close interest in how AI could be used by Russia to interfere with any future elections in Ukraine, which he discussed at the Kyiv Security Forum in April.
McSweeney, who was credited with meticulously devising Labour’s election success in 2024, is convinced that AI has not yet been used to the full extent of its capability to manipulate elections, and that any polls in Ukraine following a ceasefire will be a lightning rod for malign influence, according to people familiar with his thinking.
His allies say he is conscious of the potential for the use of AI to ramp up in British elections, where public trust in institutions is already low and Nigel Farage’s Reform Party is on the march.
The ex-Downing Street aide is expected to appear on a panel alongside media executives and polling specialists Friday.
McSweeney is the most prominent figure associated with British politics appearing at the Prague summit, after the Ministries of Defence and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office opted not to send any ministers.
The conference is not yet seen as a “must-attend” event by government leaders in London, despite the British government’s stated commitment to integrate more closely with European allies on defense and security.
McSweeney’s pivot from Westminster to the global stage follows a similar arc to other escapees from Downing Street, with Boris Johnson choosing to focus on Ukraine and Rishi Sunak advising AI company Anthropic.
Yet McSweeney has not been able to avoid U.K. politics completely since he stepped down earlier this year over his role in the decision to make Peter Mandelson U.S. ambassador. He was recently summoned to parliament to explain his part in the appointment process.
He remains in contact with Starmer and has even been helping the PM’s team to navigate the current crisis over his leadership, according to a party official.