BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday backed a “proportionate” British response to a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy, saying the incident must have “consequences.”
Stoltenberg said the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter, which he called the first offensive use of a nerve agent on the alliance’s territory since its foundation, came against the “backdrop of a pattern of reckless behavior” by Russia.
He said he would hold special talks with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Brussels on Monday over the attack in the city of Salisbury, but added that Britain had not invoked the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense clause.
British Prime Minister Theresa May ordered the expulsion of 23 Russian diplomats and suspended some high-level contacts with the Kremlin after saying Moscow was “culpable” for the attempted murder of Skripal.
“Britain is not alone,” Stoltenberg told a news conference as he launched NATO’s annual reports.
“I am absolutely certain that the UK will respond and is responding in a proportionate and measured way. But at the same time, I fully support that there is a need for a response, because it has to have consequences when we see actions like we have seen in Salisbury.”
The former Norwegian premier said NATO itself was not taking any direct steps beyond offering political support, although it would offer “practical support” with the investigation if Britain wanted.
He said NATO was already responding strongly to years of Russian aggression including the annexation of Crimea, the conflict in eastern Ukraine, and meddling in western elections.
“The attack in Salisbury has taken place against a backdrop of reckless behavior by Russia over many years,” he said.
Stoltenberg said Britain had not asked for the triggering of NATO’s fundamental collective defense clause — which the United States used after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
“There has been no request for article 5 and it is for nations to ask for that,” he said.
NATO chief says spy attack must have ‘consequences’ for Russia
NATO chief says spy attack must have ‘consequences’ for Russia
Britain needs ‘AI stress tests’ for financial services, lawmakers say
- Lawmakers urge AI-specific stress tests for financial firms
LONDON: Britain’s financial watchdogs are not doing enough to stop artificial intelligence from harming consumers or destabilising markets, a cross-party group of lawmakers said on Tuesday, urging regulators to move away from what it called a “wait and see” approach.
In a report on AI in financial services, the Treasury Committee said the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England should start running AI-specific stress tests to help firms prepare for market shocks triggered by automated systems.
The committee also called on the FCA to publish detailed guidance by the end of 2026 on how consumer protection rules apply to AI, and on the extent to which senior managers should be expected to understand the systems they oversee.
“Based on the evidence I’ve seen, I do not feel confident that our financial system is prepared if there was a major AI-related incident and that is worrying,” committee chair Meg Hillier said in a statement.
TECHNOLOGY CARRIES ‘SIGNIFICANT RISKS’
A race among banks to adopt agentic AI, which unlike generative AI can make decisions and take autonomous action, runs new risks for retail customers, the FCA told Reuters late last year.
About three-quarters of UK financial firms now use AI. Companies are deploying the technology across core functions, from processing insurance claims to performing credit assessments.
While the report acknowledged the benefits of AI, it warned the technology also carried “significant risks” including opaque credit decisions, the potential exclusion of vulnerable consumers through algorithmic tailoring, fraud, and the spread of unregulated financial advice through AI chatbots.
Experts contributing to the report also highlighted threats to financial stability, pointing to the reliance on a small group of US tech giants for AI and cloud services. Some also noted that AI-driven trading systems may amplify herding behavior in markets, risking a financial crisis in a worst-case scenario.
An FCA spokesperson said the regulator welcomed the focus on AI and would review the report. The regulator has previously indicated it does not favor AI-specific rules due to the pace of technological change.
The BoE did not respond to a request for comment.
Hillier told Reuters that increasingly sophisticated forms of generative AI were influencing financial decisions. “If something has gone wrong in the system, that could have a very big impact on the consumer,” she said.
Separately, Britain’s finance ministry appointed Starling Bank CIO Harriet Rees and Lloyds Banking Group ‘s Rohit Dhawan as “AI Champions” to help steer AI adoption in financial services.
