UK MPs push AI kill switch

Alex Sobel, a Labour lawmaker, has tabled an amendment to the UK’s Cyber Security and Resilience Bill that would let ministers direct the shutdown of data centres or AI systems in a defined emergency. The proposal would create what the amendment calls “last-resort powers” for the Secretary of State if an AI-linked security or operational compromise posed a “catastrophic risk.” The move puts a concrete operational idea into a debate that has often been framed in terms of model safety, disclosure duties and voluntary commitments. It also lands as Britain is trying to expand domestic computing capacity through “AI Growth Zones” and as Google fights U.S. remedies in a search antitrust case that includes data-sharing and syndication measures the company says would affect competition in AI. (bills.parliament.uk) ### What exactly are MPs proposing ministers should be able to do? Alex Sobel’s amendment would allow regulations to confer powers on the Secretary of State to direct the shutdown of “data centres” or “AI systems used or deployed by a data centre” in the event of an “AI security or operational emergency.” The amendment says those regulations must also establish technical requirements for operators so they can comply with such orders. (gov.uk) The amendment defines an emergency as a compromise to relevant network and information systems that is caused or contributed to by an AI system and that poses a “catastrophic risk.” It says that risk could include large-scale disruption to critical infrastructure or essential services, degradation of national security, defence or intelligence capabilities, or severe, large-scale harm to human life. (bills.parliament.uk) ### How far along is this in Parliament? The UK Parliament’s bill page says Sobel’s proposal is Amendment NC12 to the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill and that the House has not yet considered it. The same page lists the amendment under report stage. A House of Commons Library briefing published on May 22 says the bill was introduced on November 12, 2025, had second reading on January 6, 2026, and completed committee stage between February 3 and February 24. (bills.parliament.uk) The briefing says report stage and third reading are scheduled for June 10, 2026. ### Why are data centres at the center of this fight? The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said on March 6 that data centres will be designated as essential services under the bill, with Ofcom as the operational regulator. (bills.parliament.uk) The government said data centres were designated critical national infrastructure in 2024 and argued that existing rules do not impose minimum cyber-security or operational-resilience requirements on them. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) The same factsheet said 80% of UK data-centre revenue is generated by ten operators controlling about two-thirds of live capacity. It cited outages, including failures during a July 2022 heatwave that disrupted clinical IT systems at three hospitals, as evidence that concentration can magnify the effect of breakdowns. (gov.uk) ### How does this sit with Britain’s push to build more AI infrastructure? The UK government said in its “Delivering AI Growth Zones” paper that onshore data-centre capability is essential to support economic growth, public services and national security. The paper said the government wants to accelerate domestic AI data-centre buildout by easing planning and power constraints in designated zones. (gov.uk) That leaves ministers trying to do two things at once: expand compute capacity and tighten control over failures in that infrastructure. The bill’s data-centre provisions and Sobel’s amendment both sit inside that broader effort to treat computing capacity as strategic infrastructure rather than ordinary commercial property. That is an inference from the government’s infrastructure plan, the bill factsheet and the amendment text. (gov.uk) ### Where does Google’s U.S. court fight fit into this? Google said on January 16 that it had filed a notice of appeal in the DOJ search case and asked the court to pause some remedies while the appeal proceeds. The company said the challenged remedies would force it to share search data and provide syndication services to rivals. (gov.uk) The Justice Department said a federal court had already found in August 2024 that Google illegally maintained monopolies in search and search advertising, and a December 5, 2025 final judgment imposed remedies including restrictions on exclusive contracts and requirements tied to data and syndication. The DOJ case page shows compliance reports are still being filed, including a joint status report on May 20, 2026. (blog.google) ### What happens next? June 10 is the next date that matters in Westminster. The House of Commons Library says the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is scheduled for report stage and third reading that day, when MPs can decide whether Sobel’s Amendment NC12 advances or falls. (commonslibrary.parliament.uk) (justice.gov)