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It's no secret the government is leaning heavily into AI and other technology in a bid to get the creaking British state into the 21st century.

And it's next step is set to turn calling the taxman into an experience more akin to a science-fiction film.

Treasury minister James Murray is about to announce HMRC will begin using a system where someone's voice can be used as a password.

In scenes reminiscent of Edna Mode in The Incredibles, or Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man, callers to the tax bureaucracy will only have to speak to confirm who they are.

Just say the word...

According to the Treasury, a successful trial is now being rolled out across His Majesty's Revenue And Customs and should be in place by the end of the year.

A spokesperson said: "Voice biometrics strengthen security, safeguard customer data, and reduce call times.

"Customers' voice recordings are converted into encrypted biometric data, a voiceprint, and stored securely in a data centre.

"As reforms got under way to automate and digitise its services, HMRC met its target of 85% of calls handled between October and December 2024 and is expected to meet its customer service standards in 2025-26."

The step will bring HMRC in line with banks and the private sector, according to the Treasury.

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Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy have their guide to the day ahead in British politics.

Bats, pylons, and planning reforms - how far is Keir Starmer willing to go to achieve the growth and infrastructure he’s promised, and will Labour’s new reforms help the UK get there?

And what has the fallout been after Mike Amesbury announced his resignation, triggering a by election in Runcorn?

And over in Riyadh, ahead of peace talks over the war in Ukraine, how significant a role has Keir Starmer’s National Security advisor Jonathan Powell been playing?

WhatsApp on 07511 867 633 or email us: jackandsam@sky.uk

Transport minister Mike Kane said Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has "acted with honour", referring to his "circumstances" with former Reform MP Rupert Lowe.

During an adjournment debate in December last year, the pair had a heated exchange in the Commons chamber where Lowe was heard telling Kane "don't turn your back on me".

Today, after a statement onthe North Sea vessel collision, Tice asked if Kane would recognise the "extraordinary bravery" of RNLI volunteers in his constituency of Boston and Skegness.

The minister replied: "(Tice) should brace himself for what I'm about to say, I think he's acted with honour in terms of this weekend, in my circumstances with one of his ex-members in this House, and I am grateful to him."

Lowe has been suspended from Reform over allegations of bullying, which he denies.

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood and her Tory counterpart Robert Jenrick just clashed rather dramatically in the Commons over the Sentencing Council's new guidelines.

A quick reminder...

Advice published by the council last week stated people who are from an "ethnic minority, cultural minority, and/or faith minority community" should be considered for a pre-sentence report before judgement is passed after they have committed a crime.

Jenrick was quick to accuse Labour of wanting ethnic minorities to receive more lenient sentences (watch below). Mahmood pointed out the guidance was consulted on when the Tories were in power, and then wrote to the council requesting they change the guidance.

Ourpolitical reporter Alix Culbertsonexamined the topic furtherhere.

Back to today...

Mahmood accused Jenrick of having "amnesia" on the subject - and of pretending to be the leader of the opposition.

The Conservatives had claimed Mahmood's remedy for the Sentencing Council's guidelines would not take effect for a year, with the guidance being in place from 1 April.

However, the minister said Labour will "never stand for two-tier sentencing".

Mahmood said: "I think the whole house can see that the only pretence at a job is the one that the shadow lord chancellor is doing because he's pretending to be leader of the opposition."

'His amnesia continues'

Later, Jenrick accused Mahmood of failing to "read her papers and do her job properly" over the guidelines.

He said he was proposing a bill to block the new sentencing guidelines and "fix her miss", challenging her to support it so not to oversee the introduction of "two-tier justice".

Mahmood responded: "The shadow lord chancellor's amnesia continues because he has clearly not done his homework.

"He has forgotten it was his government that was consulted extensively on this guidance."

She said the Tories had welcomed the guidance when in government and didn't take any issue with it until last week.

Mahmood will meet the Sentencing Council this week, urging it to revoke its guidance, though the council chair Lord Justice William Davis has indicated he's not happy with her intervention (more here).

Sir Keir Starmer has told his ministers they must take more responsibility for decisions and stop "outsourcing" them to regulators.

The prime minister told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday he wanted to reverse what he described as a "trend" under the previous government of decisions being made by other bodies.

His remarks come ahead of a planned "intervention" on Thursday in which Starmer is expected to announce plans to overhaul how the British state works, and appeared to suggest some regulators could see their powers moved "in-house".

'A strong, agile, active state'

Ministers will also be required to assess whether regulations contribute to the government's "plan for change", raising the possibility that rules that play no part in Labour's agenda could be abandoned.

But asked whether the government was planning a "bonfire of the quangos", Downing Street would not be drawn on which specific regulators or decisions could be affected.

The prime minister's spokesman said Starmer wanted a "strong, agile, and active state that delivers for working people".

"This includes cabinet assessing processes and regulations that play no part in delivering the plan for change and the government taking responsibility for decisions rather than outsourcing them to regulators and bodies," they added.

Rupert Lowe has released a statement after the Met Police announced they were investigating allegations against him.

The force are looking into claims of "verbal threats".

Lowe, who is sitting as an independent MP after being suspended by Reform over the allegations, said his lawyers "have made contact with the Met Police and made them aware of my willingness to co-operate".

"My lawyers have not yet received any contact from the police," he said.

Lowe repeated he is "unaware of the specific allegations" and denies any wrongdoing, adding: "The allegations are entirely untrue."

Aviation, maritime, and security minister Mike Kane is now on his feet in the House of Commons, where he is delivering a statement on the North Sea collision.

A tanker and a cargo ship crashed in the North Sea off the East Yorkshire coast yesterday - and a fire on the tanker continues to rage.

You can see the damage in the video below:

Kane tells MPs the collision occurred at 9.47am on Monday, approximately 13 nautical miles off the British coast.

"A fire immediately broke out on both vessels, and after initial firefighting attempts were overwhelmed by the size and the nature of the fire, both crews abandoned ship," he says.

He notes the fire on one of the ships "appears to be extinguished", while the other "continues to burn".

One crew member likely to have died

The ships broke apart overnight, Kane says, and theSolong is now drifting in the North Sea followed by two tug boats.

"Modelling suggests that should the Solong remain afloat, it will remain clear of land for the next few hours."

The assessment is, however, that it is "unlikely it will remain afloat".

He adds that one sailor remains missing, with search efforts called off when the "chances of their survival… significantly diminished".

Kane says the "working assumption" is that the person has died.

A tanker and a cargo ship crashed in the North Sea off the East Yorkshire coast yesterday - and a fire on the tanker continues to rage.

A search has also been called off for a missing crew member from the cargo ship.

Aviation, maritime, and security minister Mike Kane is giving a statement about the incident in the Commons - watch live in the stream below or at the top of this page.

Manchester United have unveiled plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium - the biggest in the country.

And while the prime minister might be an Arsenal fan, his spokesperson has welcomed what would be a "significant boost to the economy".

United said the project could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy, create as many as 92,000 jobs and more than 17,000 new homes.

Could taxpayer cash help pay for it?

The stadium is estimated to cost £2bn and Omar Berrada, the club's chief executive, said he was confident they could attract investors.

Number 10 said no government money had been committed to the project, but didn't rule out future support.

The spokesperson said "we look forward to" seeing more details about the proposals.

Asked if taxpayer money could contribute, they refused to "get ahead of discussions that haven't happened".