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Reform and the UAE – a threat to British politics
By Alex Carlen The United Arab Emirates likes to present itself as part of the solution to the climate crisis. The oil-rich Gulf state has committed to Net Zero by 2050, hosted COP 28, and even declared “championing climate action” as one of three strategic objectives for this week’s session of the United Nations General Assembly. But behind the scenes the UAE has quietly built one of its closest political relationships in Europe with the party most hostile to climate action in Britain: Nigel Farage’s Reform UK. There is no evidence that the UAE is funding Reform. But a new FairSquare report, Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat, published today, documents a growing political relationship that should concern anyone interested in the integrity of British democracy. Reform’s leaders have embraced the UAE’s political model and promoted positions that align closely with the Emirati government’s priorities, while the UAE has given Farage and his party unusually warm access and public backing. What is emerging is not simply a relationship between British politicians and a wealthy Gulf state, but a channel through which an authoritarian government can cultivate political influence here, and abroad. Democracy for Sale relies on its readers. If you already support us, thanks so much. If you don’t, sign up to support fearless independent investigative journalism. Subscribe Back in January, Nigel Farage appeared at a GB News event in Dubai. On the 50th floor of a tower overlooking the luxury resorts and upscale residences of Palm Jumeirah, the Reform leader declared: “I want Clacton to look like this.” At the event – which Farage never declared on his official register of interests – senior Emirati officials mixed with British expats. Farage was keen to flatter. “We recognise you are our friends”, he said, assuring them that “a Brexit London, a Reform London, will remember you.” Controversy surrounding Reform’s finances and its susceptibility to foreign influence have centred around high-profile donations from billionaire crypto donors, and the jailing of Nathan Gill, Reform’s former leader in Wales, for accepting bribes to give pro-Russia speeches. Far less attention has been paid to Reform’s blossoming new alliance with the UAE, an oil-rich authoritarian state with a track record of ruinous anti-democratic interventions. Farage wasn’t always so fond of the UAE. Back in 2023 he called it an “absolute monarchy with an abysmal human rights record.” Now Reform’s hierarchy calls the UAE home. Deputy leader Richard Tice splits his time between his constituency and Dubai and has called on the UK to learn from the UAE. The party’s treasurer Nick Candy runs a firm which has been in partnership with a UAE-state linked firm since 2024. Nadhim Zahawi sits on the board of an Abu Dhabi think tank alongside an array of the most senior UAE officials and is reportedly close to three brothers of the country’s despotic ruler Mohammed Bin Zayed. Reform’s leading lights have effusively praised the UAE’s governance model, defended it from criticism, and advanced its political agenda in the UK. GB News, whose two major shareholders – the Legatum Foundation and Paul Marshall – have strong links to the UAE, has been more than happy to broadcast UAE propaganda and was forced to pay damages in 2025 after airing a false claim about a UK charity by the UAE “disinfluencer” Amjad Taha. The UAE has responded in kind. When the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs conducted an official visit to the UK in May, Farage was the only non-government figure granted an audience. UAE state media publicised the meeting, and said that they discussed “the strategic relations between the two countries and ways to enhance them in a manner that serves mutual interests.” For the UAE these ‘mutual interests’ largely concern its paranoia over political Islam, and in this regard the UAE-Reform alliance is part of a broad and troubling pattern. Following a crackdown on dissent at home in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, the UAE has offered material and political support to a range of violent and authoritarian actors willing to oppose the Muslim Brotherhood with no regard for the consequences. Its meddling in Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, and most notably Sudan, have been devastating. The UAE’s strategy of seeking out partners on the political fringes who it believes will advance its interests is not unique to Britain – it extends beyond the Middle East to Europe and the US. In France, it has offered clandestine support to Marine Le Pen through secret meetings, as well allegedly funding trips to the region after which Le Pen returned with a renewed focus on the UAE’s perceived enemies – Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood. Left-wing opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has accused the UAE of smearing him and of “encouraging discrimination, hatred or violence”. In the US, the UAE actively supported the rise of Donald Trump, establishing itself as a key ally during both his first and second terms. Around these relationships sits a wider ecosystem of figures willing to amplify UAE narratives, that even extends to Andrew Tate and Tommy Robinson. Subscribe In Britain, the UAE has used a combination of aggressive diplomacy and illicit, disruptive tactics to achieve its policy goal of eliminating any perceived threat from political Islam. In 2012, for instance, it threatened to block billion-pound arms deals with the UK and stop inward investment if David Cameron did not act against the Muslim Brotherhood and rein in the BBC’s coverage of the group – going so far as to suggest, with no supporting evidence, that the group had infiltrated the BBC. It has financed smear campaigns against a high-profile UK charity and funded a mercenary to secretly surveil, and possibly assassinate, a British national on British soil. In Reform UK, the UAE has finally found an ally willing to not only ban the Muslim Brotherhood, but to publicly vilify the group and repeat the UAE’s claims that dangerous Muslims are a fifth column in British society, a narrative that aligns with the Islamophobia and anti-immigration sentiments that underpin Reform’s populist politics. The Rycroft review into foreign interference concluded that “hostile states and non-state actors have a clear incentive to attempt to undermine UK democracy.” The UAE’s network and alliance with Reform must be understood within that framework. It is a powerful, disruptive and deeply authoritarian actor with the resources and networks to intervene in our politics, and a track-record of doing so in a multitude of other countries. The evidence of the threat the UAE poses is overwhelming. The question is whether parliamentarians are willing to call the UAE out and demand action using the tools that the government has to respond. Placing the UAE on the “Enhanced Tier” of the Foreign Registration scheme alongside Russia and Iran would send a powerful signal to the UAE that its meddling will no longer be tolerated, and would place Farage’s next trips to the UAE under the scrutiny they deserve. Alex Carlen is research and advocacy manager at London based human rights organisation FairSquare and author of its new report Petro-populism: the UAE–Reform threat. Subscribe
3 Central Florida restaurants shut down after health inspections last week
The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down three Central Florida restaurants during the week from Sept. 14-20 after conducting health inspections.
PG Intermediate School recognized for science excellence
PRAIRIE GROVE -- Prairie Grove Intermediate School has been named an Arkansas Gem School for being in the top 10% for science achievement and the top 10% for science growth statewide for 2025-26, according to the Arkansas Department of Education.
Chinese Hackers Exploit Chrome-Windows Zero-Day Chain to Deploy CLEANGULP Malware
UTA0565 exploited a Chrome-Windows zero-day chain through fake websites to deploy CLEANGULP malware against Asian government entities.
Donald Trump Wants a Vance-Rubio Ticket in 2028, Says Ari Emanuel
Emanuel also believes David Ellison’s doing right by an independent press.
National Grocers Association CEO warns America could be left with just 'five or six national chains'
The National Grocers Association warns America is facing an "inflection point" where independent grocers could vanish, leaving just five or six national chains.
When should fighters stop fighting?
IN DEPTH: As 49-year-old Yoel Romero prepares to go to war with Darren Till in a bare-knuckle bout, Will Castle delves into the dangers of fighting for too long and why combatants struggle to quit the sport
Coleman Health Services: Helping Ohioans thrive through whole-person care
For 48 years, Coleman Health Services has been helping Ohioans find hope, stability, and a path toward a healthier and more independent life. Founded in 1978 as a nonprofit community behavioral health organization in Portage County, Coleman has grown into a nationally recognized provider offering comprehensive behavioral health, residential, employment, crisis, and supportive services throughout […]
AI political ads warp reality ahead of US midterms
A political ad depicts a US Senate hopeful remarking on God and gender while scrawling in a Bible with a crayon.The lifelike clip shows Talarico writing "let there be six genders" in a Bible with mult...
AI political ads warp reality ahead of US midterms
A political ad depicts a US Senate hopeful remarking on God and gender while scrawling in a Bible with a crayon. But he never filmed the clip: it is yet another AI-generated video pushed by a rival ahead…
Governor Gianforte Announces Transition at the Department of Public Health and Human Services
HELENA, Mont. – Governor Greg Gianforte today announced that Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Charlie Brereton will transition out of his role on October 30 to pursue an opportunity in the private sector. The governor has named Dr. Doug Harrington, the department’s State Medical Officer, as Director of DPHHS.
KCCI Investigates: HHS revamping county health departments to regions
Iowa’s 99 public county health departments are set to shift budgets and services under a new regionalization plan led by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Public health report: Inspectors find critical violations at eight restaurants in August
Health Department inspectors found minor health violations at nearly half of the 73 restaurants, stores, hotel, and other locations they inspected in
Merck Life Science Expands Bengaluru Manufacturing with €13 Million Investment
Merck Life Science is expanding its manufacturing capabilities in Bengaluru with an investment of approximately €13 million, strengthening the company’s ability to supply critical materials to customers across India and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The expansion at Merck Life Science’s Jigani site in Bengaluru will introduce biological buffer manufacturing alongside the facility’s established chemistry capabilities. The investment is designed to enable faster and more reliable access to critical materials used by customers across research, diagnostics, biotechnology and biopharmaceutical manufacturing. The development further advances Merck Life Science’s “in-region, for-region” approach, under which the company is expanding manufacturing capabilities closer to the markets and customers it serves. By adding biological buffer production in India, the Jigani expansion will broaden the site’s manufacturing capabilities while strengthening Merck Life Science’s regional supply infrastructure for the rapidly developing life sciences sector across India and Asia-Pacific. The company said the expansion reflects both the contribution of its teams and its collaboration with government and industry stakeholders. Merck Life Science acknowledged the support of India’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), the German Embassy New Delhi, and Invest India in helping strengthen life science manufacturing capabilities in the region. The investment comes as India continues to expand its role across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics and biomanufacturing value chains, increasing demand for dependable regional access to materials supporting research and manufacturing operations. The Bengaluru expansion reinforces Merck Life Science’s focus on building manufacturing capacity within Asia-Pacific and supporting customers through a more regionalised supply network.
Rhode Island health officials urge tick precautions after third Powassan case
A Washington County man in his 60s has been diagnosed with Powassan virus disease, the Rhode Island Department of Health announced Monday.
State of Decay Developer Undead Labs Confirms 'Significant' Layoffs Following Independence from Xbox
State of Decay 3 developer Undead Labs has confirmed that it has had to undergo "significant" layoffs following its independence from Xbox.
State, Maui Health and Kaiser Permanente announce restoration and reopening plans for Kula Hospital
The state of Hawaiʻi, Maui Health and Kaiser Permanente today announced that Kula Hospital will be restored and reopened after damage from the March 2026 Kona Low storms forced the temporary closure of the hospital, its Emergency Department and the Hale Makamae care facility.
Portland's Behavioral Health Unit is limited by a shortage of available detox beds
Each year, the Portland Police Department’s Behavioral Health Unit helps hundreds of Mainers in crisis but with limited treatment availability many people remain on the street
INTERVIEW: Director and Health Officer of Eau Claire City-County Health Department stepping down (9/22/26)
INTERVIEW: Director and Health Officer of Eau Claire City-County Health Department stepping down (9/22/26)
HHS cancels health insurance of 760,000 individuals enrolled in healthcare.gov plans
The Department of Health and Human Services announced something it's never done before - canceled the health insurance of 760,000 individuals enrolled in plans in the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Indian Health Service Awards $3.5 Million for Tribal Food and Nutrition Initiatives
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Indian Health Service, has awarded $3.5 million to 14 Tribal and urban Indian communities.
Oregon forest health improves slightly in 2025, but don't celebrate
Tree survey finds fewer acres damaged by drought, disease, pests and storms An Oregon Department of Forestry aerial survey indicates Oregon tree health improved in 2025, with a slight dip […]
Pa. approves steep rate hikes for 2027 Pennie health insurance plans
Pennsylvanians who buy health insurance on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace — called Pennie — are set to see another year of sharp rate hikes as state regulators approved double-digit increases for 2027. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department, responsible for analyzing and approving rate proposals by insurance companies, announced that
Worsening El Nino threatens Asia with severe drought, potentially threatening global food security
El Nino already is depleting water supplies, hurting fish catches and jeopardizing Asia's globally important agriculture industry.
With Thinning Room, Steelers Take Close Look at 3 Safeties
Needing depth at the position, the Pittsburgh Steelers had three safeties in for tryouts on Tuesday. Beau Brade, Austin Brown […]
2 wild animals in Harford County test positive for rabies, health officials warn
Two wild animals in Harford County recently tested positive for rabies, the Harford County Health Department announced.
Christian County Health Department to host drive-thru flu clinic
Attendees may receive their shots without ever leaving their vehicles.
Syracuse athletic department hires Cleveland Cavaliers exec to boost business
Chris Presson will run the business side of the Syracuse athletic department for Bryan Blair.
Barcelona set to leave the Camp Nou again
La Liga champions Barcelona have put in place plans to depart the club’s beloved Spotify Camp Nou ground for the latest time next year.These plans were recently made public by Blaugrana treasurer an...
Marblehead MCAS results show growth in younger grades, 20-point drop in MHS science
Marblehead students continued to outperform their counterparts statewide on most measures of the 2026 MCAS, but the results show a mixed picture — with significant gains in science and eighth-grade math offset by declines in Grade 10 English and science. The 2026 results, released publicly by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Tuesday,
Report: Kansas fails to meet housing, mental health needs of vulnerable children in foster care
An independent third-party organization offers the 2025 annual assessment of Kansas' foster care system in light of a court-ordered settlement of a lawsuit.
Montana Health Department Director Stepping Down for Private-Sector Job
The director of Montana’s largest state agency, the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), is stepping down from his position at the end of October for a job in the private sector. Charlie Brereton, 31, has led DPHHS since 2022, after serving as the agency’s chief of staff and as Gov. Greg Gianforte’s […]
Gov. announces Doug Harringon to lead MT Department of Public Health and Human Services
The Governor’s Office on Tuesday announced that Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Director Charlie Brereton will step down on Oct. 30.
Julian Ward Reportedly Set to Be Named Liverpool Sporting Director
Ward previously took over as Sporting Director for a season following Michael Edwards’ first departure from the club.
Skanska Completes $27.3 Million Broward Health’s Freestanding Emergency Department in Sunrise, Florida
September 10, 2026 – Skanska, a leading construction firm, has announced the completion of Broward Health’s freestanding Emergency Department in Sunrise, Florida. Spanning 18,000 square feet, the new $27.3 million facility is designed to deliver faster, more accessible care in a community long considered a medical desert, while supporting the region’s continued population growth. Located […]
Kenner Police arrest business owner after finding hidden cameras in restrooms
A Kenner business owner is accused of recording people inside the bathroom of his business. According to his L...
INTERVIEW: Director and Health Officer of Eau Claire City-County Health Department stepping down
WEAU’s Bob Gallaher sat down with Giese as she reflects on her tenure helping prevent disease and injury in her hometown.
Eagles practice squad cornerback is being poached by the Falcons
Philly’s losing an intriguing depth CB.
Democrats pounce on report tying Collins to defense contractor
It all started when ProPublica investigated the impacts of President Donald Trump’s decision to clean house at the FBI and the Department of Justice in 2024.
Tottenham Lose Sponsor as Sidiz Partnership Comes to an End
Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly lost another commercial partner after Sidiz ended its sponsorship agreement, following Kumho Tyre’s departure and ahead of AIA’s move away from the front of Spurs’ shirts.
Measles case confirmed in Chippewa County, health officials say
CHIPPEWA FALLS, Wis. (WQOW) — The Chippewa County Department of Public Health has confirmed one case of measles in a county resident.
Political Pulse: Samuel Hare Sr. runs as Independent in District 32 House race
Independent candidate Samuel Hare Sr. shares his vision for Rapid City's District 32, including a business plan for using his construction background to tackle housing and recidivism rates.
McClure Health Science HS café team receives award for excellence in school nutrition
The McClure Health Science High School café team, led by Marry Ann Sobremonte, was recognized by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) School Nutrition Division with a 2026 Cafeteria Award of Excellence.
http://democrats-energycommerce.house.gov/media/press-releases/ec-democratic-leaders-demand-answers-energy-secretary-wright-after-he-lied
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Energy and Commerce Committee Democratic leaders are demanding answers from Secretary of Energy Chris Wright after the Department of Energy (DOE) admitted it has been targeting grant cancellations toward states that did not vote for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Forward Deployed Meteorologists: Bridging deep weather science and bespoke enterprise AI
Discover how Forward Deployed Meteorologists turn complex atmospheric data into rapid, enterprise-grade AI tools.
Justice Department Sides With Churches in Political Speech Case
The Justice Department told an appeals court it largely agrees with the religious groups suing it over how far churches can wade into politics and still keep their tax-exempt status.
In Memoriam: Dr. Lorenzo Morris, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Former NCOBPS President -
This obituary includes excerpts from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. APSA is saddened by the passing of Dr. Lorenzo Morris, a distinguished scholar, Professor Emeritus, and former Chair of the Department of Political [...]
In Memoriam: Dr. Lorenzo Morris, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Former NCOBPS President -
This obituary includes excerpts from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists. APSA is saddened by the passing of Dr. Lorenzo Morris, a distinguished scholar, Professor Emeritus, and former Chair of the Department of Political [...]
Pennsylvania measles cases climb to near 800 as CDC, state continue to feud
There have been 792 confirmed cases of measles spread across 39 counties in Pennsylvania, according to data released by the state Department of Health on Monday. The new numbers come as state officials continue what it describes as a…
When treachery abounds, entertainment resounds - The Voice of San Francisco
Betrayal is disheartening and debilitating, unless it’s happening to someone in a movie. Then, it’s diverting. For example, The Weight is a tension-loaded drama that follows a criminal expedition into the wilds of the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s and hinges on shady people depending on each other in extreme circumstances. As for The Musical, […]
Scientists develop real-time AI monitoring for an advanced nuclear reactor component
Just as a clogged kitchen sink can bring household routines to a halt, a blockage in a nuclear reactor's heat exchanger can slow operations and require urgent attention. Researchers at the U.S. Department ...
Political science department holds bipartisan midterms panel
The Department of Political Science last Wednesday hosted "Perspectives on the 2026 Midterm Election” as part of the Peter J. Hoagland Integrity in Public Services Lecture Series at the Sheldon Museum.
Faculty Spotlight: Ronyhel Peguero teaches ‘the language of business’ to Zicklin students
At Baruch College, many students learn that accounting is the language of business. From preparing financial statements to analyzing bonds, Ronyhel Peguero’s accounting lectures often serve as students’ first introduction into the business world. As a Baruch alum, Peguero began his journey to the college’s prestigious Stan Ross Department of Accountancy in the same classrooms...
Optimi Health Appoints Dr. Michael Blough as Chief Clinical Development Officer
Supports Optimi’s planned Phase 2 psilocybin trial in major depressive disorder and Phase 3 MDMA trial in PTSDVANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimi Health Corp. (NASDAQ: OPTH) (CSE: OPTI) (FSE: 8BN) ("Optimi" or the "Company"), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical manufacturer of regulated psychedelic drug products, today announced the appointment of Michael Blough, Ph.D., as Chief Clinical Development Officer. Dr. Blough has significant experience leading Health Ca
How Biotechnology Could Protect the Crops We Depend On
Crop biotechnology could protect vital food crops from disease, pests and climate stress, with bananas showing the potential of modern tools.
Voices: No single organization can address Utah’s mental health crisis alone. We need a new response.
“No single organization can address behavioral health outcomes alone,” Valley Behavioral Health President and CEO Jared Sanford writes in an op-ed. “Progress depends on sustained collaborations.”
Can AI Be Slowed Down? Stanford HAI Experts Weigh the Risks, Rules and Race Ahead
In a new series called 'Prompt Response,' Stanford’s Surya Ganguli, Diyi Yang and Rob Reich examined emergent agent behavior, recursive self-improvement, independent evaluation and whether a 'kill switch' can make advanced AI safer.
Flu Vaccines Now Available at Lowndes and Hahira Health Departments
VALDOSTA – Flu vaccines are now available at Lowndes and Hahira health departments ahead of flu season.
Micron 2 GB GDDR7 Memory Chips Reach End Of Life, Leaving RTX 50 Series Fully Dependent On Samsung And SK Hynix
Micron halts production of 2 GB GDDR7 memory chips, impacting RTX 50 GPU availability; 3 GB modules deemed largely ineffective.
Liverpool's Search For A New Sporting Director Continues as Top Candidates Emerge
Liverpool are stepping up their hunt for a new sporting director following the departure of Richard Hughes at the start of the month, with two names in particular being linked with the high-profile role.
USC receiver room has provided real depth for Jayden Maiava
Sophomore Corey Simms thrived in against Rutgers with more reps. Someone different is emerging each game among USC pass-catchers
Furlani officially departs Milan with new look directors in place
Giorgio Furlani is no longer part of Milan’s board, nearly four months after the club announced his dismissal as chief executive.According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the latest company registry filing conf...
Scientists uncover a hidden power in our bodies that could fight depression - Futura-Sciences
When Muscles Talk to the Brain: The Role of Apelin During exercise, muscles secrete a protein capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier and influencing neural activity. This molecule, called apelin, has been identified in mouse studies as a missing link in the connection between physical activity and mood. The findings...
Health dept. gets $300K for youth mental health
'Our goal is to improve the health, wellness of the community'
ECB, EU central banks oppose stablecoin bank deposit rule
Stablecoin issuers should not be required to hold a minimum proportion of their reserve assets as bank deposits because they could leave lenders exposed to changes in the stablecoin market and less sticky deposits, the ECB and other EU central banks said on Tuesday.
Springboks announce new captain as team to face Australia revealed
Andre Esterhuizen will lead the world champions in the clash in Perth
New free produce stand opens for Cudahy residents
Cudahy residents can now access free fresh produce at the health department to help address limited local grocery options.
Watch: Greg Ballard on why he's returning to politics and ditching the GOP
The former Republican Indianapolis mayor has been retired from politics for a decade. He's back as an independent for secretary of state, with a mission.
How lip-syncing to AI let Forced Entertainment ‘play the game of theatre’
Today we have a fascinating piece by long-time Forced Entertainment fan Ben Kulvichit, speaking to Tim Etchells about their latest show Cold Sweat, how they are integrating lip-sync and AI voices into their work, the question of ‘authenticity’ on stage, and how lip-sync has even opened the door for them to make “something a little bit like drama”. This piece is a paid partnership with the Southbank Centre, where you can see Cold Sweat next month – we’re very grateful to the Southbank Centre for their ongoing support for Exeunt. Holly Williams ‘It was immediately interesting and uncanny’ **By Ben Kulvichit** “Is the microphone on?” So goes one of the opening lines of Signal to Noise, delivered by a human performer lip-syncing to an AI-generated voice. The voice is American, cheery but sluggish, slowed down into a gelatinous drawl. It repeats ad infinitum in a farce of stuckness; an answer never materialises. I find myself asking the same question as I hop on a Google Meet call with Tim Etchells, the artistic director of Forced Entertainment. We spend five or ten minutes frowning at each other, muting and unmuting, me gesticulating in semaphore into my webcam, checking if I am coming through now, restarting the laptop. To Etchells, I appear exaggeratedly mouthing words, my voice missing. In this gloopy purgatory of broken communication, life imitates art imitates life imitates art. We try a Zoom instead. Forced Entertainment, the pioneering British theatre company who have been at the avant-garde of performance since the 1980s, turned an interesting artistic corner with Signal to Noise, created on the occasion of their 40th anniversary. The whole performance employed this lip-sync technique to AI voices; on the face of it a left-field move from a company whose identity has long been grounded in the earthy, immediate presences of its performers and its unassuming, low-tech approach to theatricality. The technique, however, turned out to provide the company with a “rich new seam” of artistic enquiry, and has now spawned a trilogy of works. The second instalment, Cold Sweat, plays at Sheffield Theatres, Southbank Centre, and Lancaster Arts in October, while the third part, Everything Must Go, has been touring in Europe and is slated to come to the UK in 2027. As is often the case with Forced Entertainment shows, the main conceit for this work didn’t arrive until quite late. They were “four or five weeks into rehearsals for Signal to Noise,” Etchells recalls, and getting nowhere. Away from rehearsals, he had been playing around with feeding “weird texts” to AI voices to see how they would cope with them – “basically for my own amusement” – and was compelled by the uniformly “serviceable, benign, good-natured” tone they would read in, no matter how poetic, fractured or experimental the writing. On a hunch, he brought some examples into rehearsals and the performers gave lip-syncing a go. “It was immediately interesting and uncanny,” he recalls, with the performers having to deal in the moment with the problem of mapping themselves onto another artificial ‘performer,’ which itself was dealing with the problem of a very human text. “Almost all the writing for these projects would be useless to us unless it was done in this way,” says Etchells. “We wouldn’t know what to do with it. It’s too poetic. It’s too fictional. It’s too tangled.” But exploring lip-syncing along to the text has opened “an enormous reservoir of ways of thinking about writing and performing.” Subscribe to Exeunt, and get two in-depth pieces on theatre a week, direct to your inbox Subscribe Forced Entertainment have long been sifting through the detritus of popular culture, from daytime TV to end-of-the-pier vaudeville, magic acts and clown shows, to find frameworks for their own unusual entertainments. Lip-syncing, then, makes sense for them to experiment with. As a mode of performance, it’s wired into popular consciousness through pop stars trying to convince stadium audiences of their liveness, or those same voices as channeled through the made-up lips of contestants on RuPaul’s Drag Race, or movie dialogue spreading virally through the host bodies of TikTok users. For Etchells, lip-syncing is often about “approaching real voices and trying to take on their aura,” subsuming that original human presence into yours. “There’s a very basic, elemental sort of theatre magic to it, produced in this very easy way.” This broad approach resonates with instances of lip-syncing within contemporary performance, too. In works like Re-Member Me and Showmanism, performance artist Dickie Beau acts as a kind of spirit medium for archival recordings (this process of re-membering – as in, giving corporeal form to voices – relies on his masterfully precise actor’s technique), while Frankie Thompson is similarly possessed by a host of characters ranging from a nine-year-old Jacob Rees-Mogg to Cliff Richards, all of whom she finds compellingly nauseating, in the exorcism ritual that is her latest show, Horrible Things. What’s different about Forced Entertainment’s use of lip-syncing is that here, there is no original presence to be channeled. The performers are instead taking on what Etchells describes as “the voices of nobody,” or rather the “phantasmic, aggregated echoes” of the many many voices on whose data the AI has been trained, and which are now conjuring into existence words they never actually said. There is a sort of mournful, empty quality to these voices, having “washed up” far away from the people they originally belonged to, to find themselves in stranger’s mouths listing objects, wondering if anyone can hear them and glitching in interminable loops. There is a cold, sad anonymity to it all. Etchells remarks that occasionally the software company he used has notified him that particular people are withdrawing their voices from the platform, instructing him to cease use of those voices. Using these technologies in performance certainly brings up ethical questions around digital rights, consent, identity and ownership, although in the grand scheme of things, Etchells is fairly blasé about it: of all the purposes someone’s voice might be put to without their knowledge, “an avant-garde performance is probably the least of their worries.” [ ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) [ Frankie Thompson: How I manage my own ‘horrible things’ at the Edinburgh Fringe ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) Exeunt · Aug 25 [ Read full story ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/frankie-thompson-horrible-things-essay-mental-health-compulsive-behaviours-pleasance-courtyard-soho-theatre) For the performers, though, lip-syncing to these strange, artificial voices is an odd task, requiring them to bend their live, human presence into the shapes produced by machines. Politically, it mirrors processes that are already at play in the continued computational automation of human life. Etchells brings up James Bridle’s writings on new technologies as a reference point: one example Bridle gives is of “chaotic storage”, a logistics technique employed by Amazon fulfilment centres whereby items are stored not according to traditional methods of categorisation or alphabetisation, but in a way that an algorithm determines to produce the most efficient routes for ‘picking’ based on customer purchase patterns. This appears completely random and incomprehensible to humans, with paddling pools sitting next to USB sticks sitting next to blowtorches, and so for the warehouse workers, the process of picking items becomes completely reliant on technology which tells them where to go. Our world is increasingly being designed not with humans in mind, but rather machines. As Etchells puts it, “technology malforms the space, and then you end up having to live in it.” Initially, Forced Entertainment tried their best to live in the world of machines: “I was in the it’s-got-to-be-perfect school of lip-sync,” says Etchells. But with their aesthetic being so tied to the failing act, the slipping mask, the shoddy costume, “it’s no surprise really that that didn’t last.” Instead, the performers got to enjoy being late for a line, or playing games with each other, “stealing” each other’s voices. Etchells compares it to the principles of ventriloquism, in which a free-floating voice unattached to a body is fundamentally discomforting and “sort of traumatic”. That discomfort is equally as alluring to Forced Entertainment as the satisfaction of precision, the pretence of authenticity only interesting if shown to be a pretence. Lip-sync has also opened up new avenues for the company. Having been allergic all their lives to Plays-with-a-capital-P, with Cold Sweat Forced Entertainment find themselves approaching something a little bit like drama. Rather than the presentational arena of Signal to Noise’s open white stage, Cold Sweat places us more decisively in a “fictional locale”: what appears to be “the aftermath of some disastrous party or backyard drinking binge” where three figures – family members, or neighbours, perhaps – are the last ones standing. “It’s all quite acrimonious and accusatory, everyone’s talking over each other.” For Etchells, this more fictional mode is “a door that we’ve never been able to open. We’ve just never really gone there.” Perhaps it is the technique of lip-syncing, an extra buffer of mediation, that allows them to venture away from the here-and-now without feeling that they have to commit to the “psychological claptrap” that comes along with acting; to be able to “play the game of theatre, without getting one’s hands too dirty.” As I wonder how else the impulses behind Forced Entertainment’s work have changed over time, it occurs to me that over the last ten years of new creations, with the exception of If All Else Fails, the company’s performers haven’t ever spoken on stage: there were two shows without any language at all, Out of Order and Under Bright Light, and then this trilogy of lip-sync works. Etchells agrees it’s a shift away from earlier productions, that were so often about “the actual voices of the performers and their actual presences. We had a lot of money, in some ways, on an authentic approach to what it might mean to speak on the stage.” But this sense of authentic presence itself had a fakeness to it; these days, Etchells can’t stand that mode of being onstage where performers “are here to be cheeky and witty versions of themselves. I don’t want to be charmed.” Pulling back into a more anonymous space has resulted in works that feel slightly sharper-edged, more brutal in a way. “All of these shows are post-Brexit, post-Trump, post-truth, post-everything,” Etchells notes. Speech, charisma, authenticity – these things feel politically loaded, and perhaps warmth and openness just don’t feel like the right tools to reflect the world we’re living in. “It feels like the space is closing down, and we’re trying to deal with the fact that the system, the structure that you’re in, is more oppressive and more powerful. It probably always was, but I think we’re just more tuned to it now.” Yet even without their voices, the performers’ distinctive presences – ones that many audiences have followed around for years, if not decades – still, inevitably, shine through as they physically navigate whatever unending task the system of the piece has set for them. They’re still trying to keep up with the onslaught of text, still running about, changing costumes, moving stuff around. The human is always stuck in the teeth of the machine, jamming the smooth, frictionless cheeriness of the not-real, gesticulating silently, trying desperately to communicate. Cold Sweat is at Sheffield Theatres, 2 to 3 October; Southbank Centre, London, 9 to 10 October; Lancaster Arts, 14 October [ ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) [ Exeunt recommends... the best autumn theatre ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) Exeunt · Sep 16 [ Read full story ](https://exeuntmagazine.substack.com/p/exeunt-recommends-the-best-autumn-theatre-2026-lives-of-others-standard-of-living-our-friends-in-the-north-lanny-) This piece was paid for by the Southbank Centre. Such support helps Exeunt to keep publishing the most interesting writing, about the most exciting theatre. Interested in partnering with Exeunt? Visit our Advertise with Exeunt page, where you can get more information, download an advertising pack, and find our contact details.
Sunda Energy, Meridian Mining, Quantum Helium, Light Science Technologies, Foresight Solar, hVIVO
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