Rory Stewart, the former Conservative MP and podcaster, caused a viral moment on Newsnight when he swivelled sharply in his seat to stare intensely at New Statesman political editor Ailbhe Rea during a panel discussion on artificial intelligence. The two-second clip was published on social media platform X, where it accumulated 1.6 million views and generated widespread online commentary, with users comparing his rapid pivot to various objects and animals. The moment became notable partly because Ms Rea and fellow panellists did not visibly react to his gaze before he returned his attention to his mug.

Stewart had been speaking about his involvement in King Charles III's private AI summit in Scotland when he made his sudden turn towards Ms Rea, having just described the UK's potential dependence on US and Chinese AI software as "terrifying". The viral clip sparked debate online about whether the gesture was performative, with some viewers finding it entertaining and others critical of what they perceived as attention-seeking behaviour timed to coincide with the paperback release of his memoir, Middleland. Stewart's appearance on the panel added to his established reputation for eccentric and unconventional public conduct, dating back to his 2019 Tory leadership campaign and subsequent 2020 London mayoral bid.