US politics is awash with crude and misleading attack ads. Now it’s the UK’s turn

Rules governing political campaigning on terrestrial television don’t apply to streaming or online – and parties are starting to play dirty, says journalist and author Jonn Elledge

Clustering of AI firms in south and east of England will foil levelling up – report

Hi-tech ‘golden triangle’ of Oxford, Cambridge and London risks deeper regional inequalities, says thinktank

‘Not even a pipe dream’: John Akomfrah represents Britain at Venice Biennale

Founder of Black Audio Film Collective says he would have laughed if someone had said he’d someday be in the UK pavilion

Leisure centres scrap biometric systems to keep tabs on staff amid UK data watchdog clampdown

Firms such as Serco and Virgin Active pull facial recognition and fingerprint scan systems used to monitor staff attendance

UK ministers considering banning sale of smartphones to under-16s

Polls show significant support for curb to protect children but some Tories uneasy with idea of government ‘microparenting’

No 10 tells MPs to be cautious about unsolicited messages after attempted ‘honeytrap’

Message comes as pressure builds on Tories to take disciplinary action against MP William Wragg

‘People think I’m a real MP’: satirist Rosie Holt on life as a fake viral politician

Her Tory parody videos shot her to fame online in 2020. As her skits go on stage, she talks about her path into comedy and what a Labour win would mean for her act

Tories delete social media post plugging Britain with a US jet, a Canadian car and a defeated football team

The post on X also breached royal protocol on politics by using image of the king

The ‘street fighter’ and a £70k donation: how Christen Ager-Hanssen got close to the Tories

The surveillance specialist was invited to dine with the home secretary after the company he ran gave the party thousands

Tories planned to make millions from members’ data with ‘True Blue’ app

Exclusive: senior party officials worked on commercial venture that would allow brands to sell products to supporters

The Sun’s Hillsborough stories used to teach MPs how to recognise fake news

Exclusive: Russian bot effort to stir up Islamophobia also part of course on misinformation and disinformation

Cleaners, builders, Primark shoppers: ads for London mayor hopeful Susan Hall reveal Tories’ targets

Analysis shows content is aimed at working-class over-50s, and plays on fears of crime, stirs anger and pushes conspiracy theories

Video game firms found to have broken own UK industry rules on loot boxes

Government criticised over decision to let companies self-regulate gambling-style features after expert finds numerous breaches

Western governments struggle to coordinate response to Chinese hacking

Experts say UK-imposed sanctions will make no difference when hacking is part of ecosystem of dealing with Beijing

Tories are taking to heart Trump’s playbook of division and lies

Notorious attack ad against Sadiq Khan reflects political era where social media is used to provoke outrage