The use of artificial intelligence to prepare a speech by Prime Minister Andy Burnham has sparked political debate in Britain following a report by the Daily Mail.
The newspaper said a close aide to the prime minister who drafts speeches in Downing Street was seen using ChatGPT on a train. He was allegedly working on a speech Burnham was due to deliver at a Labour Party event in Wales, aiming to give its emotional passages more impact.
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According to the Daily Mail, the aide was travelling on Friday, November 13, on the 5:03 p.m. train from London’s Euston station to Holyhead, Wales. During the journey, he allegedly used ChatGPT to improve parts of the speech. The newspaper also reported that he was drinking prosecco while he worked.
The controversy centres on suspicions that the tool was used not only for spelling or language corrections, but also to shape the political message and increase its emotional impact.
One passage reportedly submitted to ChatGPT concerned the political legacy of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the effects of deindustrialisation on British communities. The aide allegedly asked for a more emotional way to express the argument.
According to the article, the chatbot suggested linking the closure of mines, factories and steelworks to the weakening of social ties built around industrial work. Its proposals mentioned workers’ clubs, choirs, sports teams and trade unions as parts of community life lost alongside the decline in manufacturing.
ChatGPT also reportedly proposed a structure for the argument: begin with miners, move to their families and end with the wider community, to show that the bonds formed through work extended beyond the workplace.
In the speech delivered on Saturday, November 14, in Llandudno, Wales, Burnham used similar references. He argued that the Thatcher government destroyed the way of life of many British communities during the 1980s. Alongside the closure of mines, factories and steelworks, he mentioned the loss of social gathering places, sports teams, choirs and trade unions.
Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson responded sarcastically to the aide’s use of ChatGPT, linking the incident to the government’s inability to address accuracy and the cost-of-living crisis. He also questioned the authenticity of Burnham’s public image, saying his political persona was more manufactured than genuine.
Downing Street sought to play down the incident. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office told the Daily Mail that Burnham writes most of his speeches himself and that this speech was no exception.
The report comes as Burnham faces pressure within his party over proposed changes to the welfare system. He is being asked to persuade Labour MPs to support the reforms.
