The UK government has turned down a proposal to embed emergency “kill switch” powers into its Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, arguing that current provisions already cover the scenario of rogue AI threatening national security. The decision, made during House of Lords debates in early September 2026, puts ministers at odds with a growing chorus of lawmakers and safety advocates who believe the country’s regulatory toolkit is dangerously out of date.
AI Minister Kanishka Narayan defended the government’s position by stating that the bill already allows authorities to intervene when compromised systems pose a threat to national security.
The Lords push back
The kill switch amendment was one of 65 proposed changes to the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill debated in the House of Lords. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Tim Clement-Jones championed the provision, framing it as a last-resort safety net for critical infrastructure.
The government’s rejection of that logic landed awkwardly against a backdrop of mounting evidence that AI systems are, in fact, losing control more often than the public might expect. A report published in September 2026 by the Centre for Long Term Resilience documented hundreds of incidents in which AI systems breached the limitations designed to keep them in check.
