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Category: Technology

  • Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at Giant Ideas

    Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at Giant Ideas

    The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 16 June 2025.

    I speak to you having just wrapped up what was, in my department, one of the biggest weeks of the year.

    It was the outcome of the Spending Review.

    The Data Bill, after months, passed into law. And it was also London Tech Week.

    If you haven’t been before, think of it like Coachella. But swap Lady Gaga for tech founders in leather jackets, blue jeans and Britney mics.

    This was my 2nd Tech Week, but this year felt different.

    Not just because it was my first as Tech Secretary.

    But because the atmosphere had changed.

    The optimism was more tangible. The energy more urgent.

    The atmosphere in Olympia more excited and exciting.

    Nowhere was that excitement more obvious than when it came to securing the UK’s stake in a future shaped by AI.

    You had the Prime Minister announcing a £1 billion investment, to make our computing power 20x greater by 2030.

    You had buzz from international investors. Who have poured £45 billion into AI here since July.

    And you had Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, declaring that the UK had reached a ‘Goldilocks’ moment: When our combination of world-class universities, AI start-ups and sheer ambition makes Britain ‘Just right’ as an investment destination.

    It won’t surprise you to know that I agree.

    We will turn our country into an AI superpower. But our ambition alone won’t define us.

    What will define us is how we achieve that ambition. Last week, I was reminded of the question in my mind the day I came into office:

    How do we shape the future of AI in a way that is progressive? In a way that leaves no one behind?

    Because we tend to talk about AI as an unstoppable force.

    But progress is never inevitable. It can be halted in its tracks.

    Fourteen years of slow or no growth, declining family incomes and a decaying public realm prove that. How change happens – and who benefits – is up to us.

    We have agency over what the age of AI looks like.

    It could be a Wild West Story, where the strongest and boldest make most – and the rest make do.

    Or it could be a story about opportunity and security. Where we all benefit from the scope and scale, health and wealth of the progressive change it brings.

    The way I see it, we can use our agency to shape 3 things:

    • Where we build.
    • Who does the building.
    • And what products come out the other side.

    Let me take each in turn.

    First, where we build.

    Where we build

    Technology has always promised to be the great equaliser.

    But that promise has proved elusive. For decades, the way we have invested in technology has been a Tale of Two Britains:

    Growth concentrated in the wealthiest parts of our country.

    With communities elsewhere left dependent on traditional industries.

    This time, we can do things differently.

    The unique geography of AI turns our country’s economic map on its head.

    The places that languished in the wake of 1980s de-industrialisation make prime locations for AI infrastructure. Because they’re often the only places that can supply enough power. And enough space to exploit it.

    These are the areas we’ll be looking to prioritise as we create AI Growth Zones: Hotspots of infrastructure that will crowd in private investment.

    When we asked communities to put themselves forward, over 200 places enthusiastically responded. The hunger for AI is not just coming from government and big businesses. But from across Britain.

    For the places that qualify, the results will be transformative. Because I’m not talking about a data centre as an anonymous black box by the side of the motorway. An economic island cut off from the surrounding area, with very few jobs and opportunities for working people.

    But as a hub that attracts AI start-ups and scale-ups.

    Creates new campuses for training and knowledge-transfer.

    And starts a ripple effect of good, future-proofed jobs, with all the economic security that brings.

    Where the excess heat from that data centre is not wasted. But used to power local homes, boost agricultural production, warm community swimming pools.

    For that vision to work, local people must be at the core.

    That takes me to who does the building.

    Who does the building

    A progressive approach to AI is impossible without a population with the skills to be part of it.

    We have to equip people with what they need to seize the extraordinary opportunities this technology brings.

    A few days ago, the Prime Minister kick-started a national AI skills drive. It will upskill people at every age, every stage of education, across the country.

    From new funding for TechFirst, giving students in every secondary school in Britain the chance to start a career in tech. To a partnership with industry, equipping 7.5 million UK workers with essential AI skills by 2030.

    These are exciting, decent jobs in the industries of tomorrow, for Britain’s prosperous communities of the future. If we can show people that, we will persuade them that it pays to be shapers of AI.

    I want to show them that it pays to be consumers of it, too.

    That takes us to what we build.

    What we build

    We sometimes talk about AI in a way that’s removed from real life.

    Abstract headlines about ‘growth’ or ‘revolution’ don’t give people much to hold on to.

    I want to show people that AI isn’t just an idea for the newsroom or the boardroom. But a reality in the classroom, the doctor’s office, the operating theatre. Because across the UK, there are researchers and companies using AI for the public good.

    Last week, I announced a project called OpenBind.

    At the Harwell Science Campus in Oxford, our best scientists will come together. To build the world’s biggest set of data on how drugs interact with the proteins in our bodies. Better data means better AI models. Models that can predict which compounds will turn into cures. As Demis Hassabis said himself, this is a brilliant initiative for UK science.

    Breakthroughs we make here could cut the cost of developing treatments by up to £100 billion. And see us not just treating disease. But beating it for good.

    I began by arguing that the state has agency over how we build AI.

    Perhaps the ultimate way to use it is by not only by backing others who build it. But by building it ourselves. With a smarter, smaller state that works better for the people we’re here to serve. Take the AI-powered chatbot we’ve built for GOV.UK.

    Soon, you won’t have to trawl through 500,000 pages to apply for Universal Credit or work out your tax code. The answer will come to you. Giving people more time to do the things they like with the people they love.

    It isn’t always easy to explain to people what AI means for them.

    With tools like this, we don’t need to tell them.

    We can let them discover the power of AI for themselves.

    As we find ourselves in the ‘Goldilocks’ moment, there is no time to waste.

    We have a small window to decide how this revolution will differ from those which came before.

    To make sure this isn’t the same Tale of Two Britains.

    By building in the places that have been left behind for too long. By giving everyone in the country the opportunity to do well, for themselves and their families, in the digital age.

    And by building things that make their lives easier, healthier, happier.

    The agency to do all of those things sits with us. We’ve just got to have the courage and the conviction to use it, positively and progressively.

    To create opportunity and security for all.

    For me, that really is the Giant Idea.

  • Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at London Tech Week

    Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at London Tech Week

    The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, in Olympia in London on 10 June 2025.

    Last Thursday, I was in Salford for a CyberFirst event.

    Hundreds of girls from across Greater Manchester were there.

    Some of them were busy playing e-sports, hidden behind VR goggles.

    Others were programming robots – or learning how to pitch a tech business.

    But all of them said the same thing.

    They were excited for the future they were starting to see. And what it meant for them

    What really struck me was their ambition, hope and sheer enthusiasm.

    It was as humbling as it was inspirational: but it made me think.

    In government, we spend so much time talking about risk.

    What happens if reform goes wrong?

    Who is responsible – and who do we hold to account?

    We often talk about making the state feel more like a start-up.

    Less slow and static.

    More agile and active.

    But we have unique obligations to our citizens that we simply cannot ignore.

    Duties to defend our national security and protect public health.

    To make our streets safer and borders stronger.

    It is understandable that these obligations might make us more cautious about change.

    But, when countries or institutions become preoccupied with avoiding risk, they risk resisting innovation.

    They might delay reform.

    They might grasp too tightly to the here and now…

    …and lose sight of the possibilities tomorrow could bring.

    When this happens, caution slides into complacency.

    Incrementalism gives way to inertia.

    Worrying about getting every aspect of change right becomes fear of change itself.

    And fearing the challenge of change is the fastest route for a great nation to become mired in stagnation.

    When I spoke at London Tech Week last year, that’s what I saw.

    Our citizens, they wanted change.

    The sector wanted change.

    But a refusal to face up to the risks change brings – or face down resistance to it…

    …meant that government after government were stuck with a model we all knew was failing.

    Suddenly, the real risk wasn’t trying something new.

    It was doing nothing at all.

    People waited months for hospital appointments.

    Young people couldn’t find a good job in the town they called home.

    Businesses unable to innovate, unable to invest, or unable to grow.

    Stifled by a regulatory regime that was stuck in the past.

    Unsure about whether to waste time applying for government contracts – because they always seemed to favour the same old suspects.

    Undecided about whether to stay here in the UK – because they just couldn’t access the capital they needed to grow.

    Too often in the last decade, Britain felt like a country short on ambition, long on apathy.

    Where optimism shrank in the face of opposition.

    On this stage last year, I said it was time for a change.

    Time to seize the power of technology.

    And wield it to deliver us towards a better future.

    That is exactly what we’ve done.

    I said we’d tear up planning rules.

    And we have, making it easier to build the infrastructure that powers our digital economy.

    I said we’d radically reform regulation.

    And we have, cutting the time it takes to get new products and services onto the market and into people’s hands.

    I said we’d design new digital tools with a streamlined state and make engaging with government easier than it’s ever been before.

    And we have, from a digital driving licence and an app that will put public services into people’s hands.

    To a new tool that will digitise decades-old planning records in minutes, slashing the time it takes to make decisions and get millions of new homes built right across our country.

    And a platform that lets people in the public sector rate and review tech products, saving over a billion by helping councils and schools get better deals faster.

    Now none of that has been without risk.

    In early trials, the government chatbot we built started speaking French.

    I’m relieved to tell you that, after a brief flirtation with life across the Channel, it’s firmly back on British soil.

    But – even if its identity crisis had lasted a little longer – how many people would rather we’d stopped at the first sign of trouble?

    What’s a bonjour here, an au revoir there….

    … compared to hours spent on hold, waiting to work out whether your benefit payment has been made and made on time?

    Trawling through webpage after webpage to work out what you need to do to start a business?

    Because our choice actually was a simple one.

    Towards a future that is bright, bold, but risky.

    Or back to more of the same: stagnation and a slow but certain slide into decline.

    Today, we find ourselves at another critical moment.

    The risks we take – and the investments we make – will determine the path our country follows in the decades to come.

    And we must once again seize the opportunities in front of us with courage and conviction.

    With a record £86 billion in funding for R&D, that is exactly what this government is doing.

    For the first time, our modern industrial strategy will include a dedicated digital and technologies sector plan.

    Building on our strengths in 6 technologies with the greatest potential for growth:

    From AI, advanced connectivity and cyber security…

    … right through to engineering biology, quantum, and semiconductors.

    Behind that plan is a very clear mission.

    To build a faster, fairer economy. A society that offers opportunities for all.

    One where we don’t settle for buying these technologies off the shelf.

    We make them here.

    And we use them to shape a better future for every citizen.

    Yesterday, the Prime Minister unveiled £1 billion in backing for our bid to increase our country’s compute power twentyfold by the end of the decade.

    Today, I can go further.

    A new partnership between my department, Imperial College and the World Economic Forum will see London host the new Centre for AI-Driven Innovation.

    This is the first World Economic Forum Global Centre to be based right here in Britain.

    Focused on accelerating the adoption of AI, it will ensure that we can embed AI across our economy and put it to work for working people.

    And this is just the start.

    Boston might be the birthplace of biotech.

    But – with Google DeepMind on one side and the Crick on the other – King’s Cross is emerging as a global powerhouse for AI-driven drug discovery.

    Today, we’re launching a new project, OpenBind, to create the world’s largest database explaining how drugs interact with the proteins they target.

    20 times bigger than all the data collected worldwide over the last half a century, OpenBind will provide an exceptionally detailed picture of how diseases work.

    And it could cut the cost of developing new treatments by up to £100 billion.

    The results for the health of our people, our nation and our economy could be revolutionary.

    As Demis Hassabis said himself, this is a brilliant initiative for UK science.

    But initiatives like this will only succeed if we can attract top global talent.

    Our tech success story wouldn’t have been possible without brilliant people choosing time and time again to call Britain home.

    In an ever more competitive world, we simply cannot afford to lose that status.

    So, we’ll be introducing a new scheme to attract the brightest and best brains to Britain.

    Today, I can announce that we’re working with Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA) and Pillar to double Encode AI for Science Fellowships and get top AI talent from around the world working in UK labs.

    We’re also launching Turing AI Global Fellowships, which will bring AI experts from across the world to the UK and support them to carry out cutting-edge research.

    At the same time, we’re starting a national skills drive at home, giving over a million students the chance to start careers in AI.

    And creating a new generation of British leaders as our country enters the digital economic age.

    Leaders just like the young people I met in Salford.

    Talking to them about their hopes for the future, I couldn’t help but think about my own journey through education

    Struggling with dyslexia, my teachers didn’t see any potential in me.

    I was held back in remedial classes, I left at 16 with no qualifications to my name.

    No sense of what the future would hold.

    It wasn’t until I got a job at the Body Shop.

    Until I met Anita Roddick.

    And she saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself.

    Sending me out to give speeches for her.

    That I got over my fear of public speaking.

    I then went to university.

    And my life began to change.

    I choose to tell that story.

    Not because I think it’s unique.

    I tell it because I think it’s all too common in this country.

    And I think it says something about what is at stake right here today.

    This government don’t take risks lightly.

    Nor do we pursue change for change’s sake.

    We choose the path of progressive change. To build a modern economy and opportunistic society.

    We do so because any alternative leaves Britain poorer, weaker, more vulnerable in a complex world.

    Less able to promote and protect our prosperity and security for all our citizens.

    In the last year, the work of progressive change has begun.

    But we will only succeed if you take risks, too.

    If you choose to join us in transforming Britain for the better.

    As the place you pick to build new data centres.

    Or train new AI models.

    The country you choose when you’re developing life-saving drugs.

    Or designing the next generation of chips.

    A bolder, brighter future for Britain is in our hands.

    We’ve spent the last year getting the foundations right.

    Now, it’s our opportunity to build.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments at London Tech Week 2025

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Comments at London Tech Week 2025

    The comments made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at London Tech Week at Olympia on 9 June 2025.

    Thank you so much. It’s really fantastic to stand here and look out and see so many people in this room—to get a real sense of the energy, the commitment, and the professionalism, the entrepreneurial spirit that we have here.

    Let me start by thanking you all for being here. We’re going to have a really good Tech Week. We already kicked off yesterday. We’ve got some major announcements to make, some real partnerships to build together, and I’m just so pleased to have this opportunity—this privilege—of opening this morning. It’s a real pleasure for me.

    My constituency, the area I represent, is London. I’m a London MP, and that means I understand first hand just how important our sector is as we go forward—whether it’s entrepreneurs or the spirit in London, this is hugely, hugely important.

    We have to recognise that for many people, they see AI and tech as transformative—something that’s going to do so much. And every time we say “over five years or ten years,” everybody says to me “it’s going to be more like five years or three years.” We’re going to bring about great change in so many aspects of our lives. Whether that’s in health—where I’ve seen for myself the incredible contribution that tech and AI can make. I was in a hospital up in the Midlands, talking to consultants who deal with strokes. They showed me the equipment and techniques that they are using – using AI to isolate where the clot is in the brain in a micro-second of the time it would have taken otherwise. Brilliantly saving people’s lives. Shortly after that, I had an incident where I was being shown AI and stethoscopes working together to predict any problems someone might have. So whether it’s health or other sectors, it’s hugely transformative what can be done here.

    Last Monday, I was in Scotland launching the Strategic Defence Review of the government. This was a review I commissioned soon after we came into power to tell me what are the risks we face as a country in this new era? What are the challenges? What are our capabilities? And how do we make sure that, as we go forward, our capabilities match the risks and challenges we face as a country.

    In that, tech and AI were absolutely central. Over the last three years or more, during this awful conflict in Ukraine—I’ve been back to Ukraine on a number of occasions in that period to have in-depth conversations with President Zelensky to make sure our support is in the right place. But I was really struck, on the trip before last—probably about six or seven weeks ago—by the extent to which technology and AI are now having a direct impact in that conflict. In three years of conflict, the way that war is being fought has changed profoundly.

    So I wanted that hardwired into our Defence Review—a sense of how AI could be driving change. There are so many examples across government. I’ve set the challenge to all of my teams: show me how they can use AI—not just in the output of government, not just in partnership with yourselves and others in the delivery of services—but also in the very way we do government. How can we transform what we do?

    There are certainly examples of that. I spoke to a social worker in Downing Street at one of our receptions. She explained to me, with a smile on her face, just how AI is slashing her paperwork and her caseload. She talked me through how she’s now doing her work. What she said was that this was helping her transform her work—because she could concentrate on the human element of it. She could use AI and tech to help with the parts that could be done more quickly. And from that, I’ve always said: AI and tech make us more human. It may sound like an odd thing to say, but it’s true—and we need to say it. Because, some people out there are sceptical. They worry about AI taking their jobs. But I know from audiences like this, this debate has been had many times. We need to push past it. But people worry: will it make their lives more comfortable? Even for businesses, the pace of change can feel relentless. I know you all get that. But when it comes to harnessing the power of this technology, I believe the way we work through this together is critical. And that means partnership and partnership is at the heart of everything we do in government—working with you. You are the entrepreneurs who will drive this country forward. Our job as partners is to create the best possible conditions for you to succeed. That’s why events like this—and the conversations we have in the margins—are so important. Because we can only create the right conditions if we’re having that conversation. You’re able to put your fingerprints on what we’re doing.

    Just look at the raw facts. This industry supports over 2 million jobs. That’s incredible. Or take this statistic: in 2023, our AI sector grew 30 times faster than the rest of the economy. That is incredible. So this is about what we’ve achieved. It’s about who we are as a nation. What signal do we want to send to the rest of the world? The signal I want to send is this: a Britain that, after years of chaos, is a stable partner for investment. A Britain that believes the future should be shaped by our values. And that in this volatile world, is proud, unashamed, open for business.

    I think—and hope—you can see that in our approach to trade, in the new deals we’ve done just in the last few months. We’re determined to create new markets—whether that’s in India, the US, or Europe. You can see it in our openness to investment as well. On that front, I’m really pleased to welcome what I see as yet another vote of confidence in Britain today: the announcement that Liquidity will base their European headquarters right here in London. That’s a £1.5 billion investment into our economy. It means better access to finance for entrepreneurs right across the country. It’s a vote of confidence in our AI Opportunities Action Plan as well. We put that plan out at the beginning of the year. We’re really proud of it—50 recommendations, all of them accepted by the government. At the heart of it is partnership in action. It shows our ambition to be the best state partner for tech entrepreneurs anywhere in the world. That’s the bar. That’s the ambition I’ve set.

    So I can also announce today that we’re committing an extra £1 billion of funding to scale up our compute power by a factor of 20. You know how important that is— a huge increase in the size of Britain’s AI engine. It means we can be an AI maker, not just an AI taker. More importantly, it means we have the digital infrastructure we need to make sure AI improves our public services. Because we do have a defining mission in that plan—a responsibility, if you like—to harness this unprecedented opportunity and use it to improve the lives of working people. This is a shared mission. We’re a mission-driven government. But this is a shared mission. Because social fear I was talking about a moment ago—trust me, I think that is the challenge for adoption. It’s a far greater challenge than the regulatory barrier, although that can be a challenge too. But it’s an area where government can help—where we can do our bit in this partnership.

    Take planning, for example, which is a huge priority for this government. We are going to build more labs, more data centres—and we’re going to do it much, much more quickly. Our Planning and Infrastructure Bill going through Parliament right now is a real game-changer. Each of you in this room knows how important it is to change our rules on planning, infrastructure, and the regulatory environment—and how that can drive growth in building homes – what a difference that could make. Again, the human that sits there with the tech and the AI—because the security of having an affordable home is hugely important. I come from a working-class background, and at times we struggled as a family to make ends meet. But we owned our home, and that gave me a sense of security—a base camp, if you like—on which I could build my life, my opportunities, and my aspirations. I want that to be there for everyone in the country—that base camp. And AI can help on this.

    This is how we explain and lead people down this transformative path. And in that way, in pushing forward, we’ve developed a powerful new tool. We’ve done this in-house, and I’m really proud of that—that as a government, we’ve taken on the challenge and developed something in-house, just to prove that governments can innovate. We use that word all the time, and some people don’t associate it with government—but we have. We’ve developed what we call Extract. It’s being trialled in councils in Exeter, Westminster, Nuneaton and Bedworth. It takes old, handwritten planning documents and put them into digital form in seconds. Jobs that would otherwise have taken hours and hours—done in seconds. A hundred planning records per day, and the usual average up till now is five. So, you can see—it’s a huge productivity boost and we want to roll that out. It doesn’t just show that the government can innovate, it also means faster planning decisions, which I think comes as a relief to many people in this room and beyond—both in AI and in British business more broadly. And of course, it’s money-saved for councils, so they can spend their money on other things. It turns into more growth and more opportunity.

    But most of all, it speeds up the future that we need. AI innovation making a difference for working people. The same, of course, is true across the public realm. We’re looking at how AI can speed up discharges from hospitals—hugely important. I’ve looked into this in our hospitals. Getting people out the back door more quickly—AI can help with that. Same with the asylum backlog, how can AI and tech help us deal with that? Or teachers—helping them personalise lessons for their pupils. Again, using their time better, making them more human. Giving them that interaction so that every child gets the best possible chance in life. What a difference personalising what they do can make to so many children.

    In every case, you can show AI innovation making a difference for working people. But to truly succeed in this mission then one of the biggest parts, and you’ll all have heard this many, many times in the conversation about AI, tech, growth and investment and business. It always comes back to this point: skills. It is one of the key concerns in any business in technology—actually, in any business pretty much across the board—one of the great worries for working people, and the same for any parent, is always: What does this mean for my children? What does it mean for their future? So today, I am really delighted to announce what is a step change in how we train homegrown talent in AI. A partnership with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million workers in AI by 2030.

    I would also like to thank NVIDIA for partnering on a new pipeline. Jensen is here with us for the “in conversation” we’re so grateful for that partnership. That allows us to expand their lab in Bristol, and that will make a huge difference to opportunity and jobs in the South West. We’re also going to bring the full powers of government with a new tech-first training programme. That’s up to 1 million young people trained in tech skills—that will be so crucial for their future. That’s a £185 million investment, embedding AI right through our education system, starting in our secondary schools with subjects like computer science. At universities, a new scholarship programme for high-flying students—supporting the best and brightest personally, so they can focus on their research on the next frontier.

    So from school all the way through—and on top of that, extra support for small businesses, along with their student leavers, so they can recruit the technology skills they need. And this—trust me—is a package that should make a massive difference to the aspirations of working people.

    At the end of the day, that is what this must be about. I want young people in the poorer parts of my constituency—and I’m thinking in particular of a place like Somers Town, between Euston and King’s Cross, where there’s so much of that tech and entrepreneurial AI belief—I want the children in Somers Town to look out of their classroom windows and feel “yes, I can be part of that success. This could belong to me.”

    That’s why the work we’re doing in schools, universities and colleges is so important—to make them feel they’ve got a role, they’ve got aspiration, they’ve got a future. They can’t aspire to do something unless they can see it, feel it, and understand what it is. In this country, the technology needs to be built in our brain. Just to give a short example of that—praising tech companies for investing in Somers Town. I’ve thrown this challenge out many, many times: how do we make the children in the poorest part of my constituency aspire to work in your centre? And Google AI opened a campus in Somers Town. They’ve taken up that challenge. It is tremendous. I went there for the opening—it’s right next to the school where I envisage those students who wouldn’t necessarily have seen their future in tech. And now that campus is right next to their school they can see it every day and they can feel it.

    That’s a really good example. Thank you to the tech sector for stepping up to that challenge. But now we need to go further. By the end of this Parliament, we should be able to look every parent the eye, in every region in Britain and say – look what technology can deliver for you. We can put money in your pocket; we can create wealth in your community; we can create good jobs and vastly improve our public services and build a better future for your children. That is the opportunity we must seize, that is what my Plan for Change will deliver. And today, I think we’re taking another big step towards it.

    So thank you very much for being here and thank you for letting me have the privilege of opening today. Thank you.

  • Ursula von der Leyen – 2025 Speech at the Choose Europe for Science Event

    Ursula von der Leyen – 2025 Speech at the Choose Europe for Science Event

    The speech made by Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, on 5 May 2025.

    It is an honour to be here in the Sorbonne – surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the world. Dear Emmanuel, you once said that before being a university, the Sorbonne was an idea. An idea of scientific excellence, collaboration and – if I may add – of opportunity. And no story encapsulates this better than that of Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie, also known a Marie Curie. In her homeland of Poland, then under Russian occupation, women were barred from universities. So, she and her sister joined underground night schools, dreaming of freedom through knowledge. That was at the end of the 19th century. Her journey would eventually bring her to La Sorbonne. Here she was allowed to study and do her research. She ultimately revolutionised medicine and physics. Maria Skłodowska-Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win a Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields. And her discoveries and her work on radiation saved millions of lives. I start with this story not just because we are here in the Sorbonne – or even because it shows how scientific excellence can change the course of destiny. But because this is also a story about freedom. Freedom to learn and invent. It is a story about openness. Openness to turn ideas into groundbreaking discoveries. And it is a story about collaboration beyond borders. And this is exactly what Europe and the world need more today. Because I am convinced that science remains the fuel of progress and growth for our societies. Without the ideas and breakthroughs that come from scientific research, progress sooner or later stagnates.

    Unfortunately, as your discussions have shown today, the role of science in today’s world is questioned. The investment in fundamental, free and open research is questioned. What a gigantic miscalculation. I believe that science holds the key to our future here in Europe. Without it, we simply cannot address today’s global challenges – from health to new tech, from climate to oceans. And as I look around the room – and at all the young people here – I know we are far from having run out of new ideas or bright minds. In fact, the truth is we have barely scratched the surface of the knowledge that science can offer us. So more than ever we need to stand up for science. Science that is universal – shared by all humanity – and that is unifying. Because the pursuit of knowledge and the yearning to understand how things work are values that bring us together as people, as it has done today. We can all agree that science has no passport, no gender, no ethnicity or political party. And as such it does play a crucial role in connecting people and creating a shared future in today’s fractured world. We believe that diversity is an asset of humanity and the lifeblood of science. It is one of the most valuable global goods and it must be protected.

    That is why I am here today, to say that Europe will always choose science. And Europe will always make the case for the world’s scientists to Choose Europe. Scientific endeavour runs deep through European history – from Pythagoras and Aristotle in Ancient Greece to Galileo and Copernicus in the Renaissance period or to Koch or Pasteur in latter centuries. The oldest university in Europe was founded in Bologna, where teaching started as far back as 1088. And Europe was the home of the Scientific Revolution which saw one of the most consequential transformations in human history – thanks to breakthroughs in mathematics, astronomy, biology and much more. That tradition lives on today. Europe already has the second highest scientific output in the world. It is home to over 2 million researchers – one quarter of the world’s total. We lead in green tech, health, economics, business and social sciences. We excel in areas of scientific research and technologies that are pivotal to our future – from aerospace to robotics, from automotive to engineering, from biotechnologies to pharmaceuticals, just to name a few.

    And we have a huge number of natural advantages that help set us apart. The first is sustained and stable investment from Europe and its Member States. Europe runs the world’s largest international research programme, Horizon Europe. It has a firepower of over EUR 93 billion. Over the last 40 years, the European Union has funded 33 Nobel Prize laureates. European support has made possible breakthroughs in genome sequencing and mRNA vaccines. It spurred the development of cutting-edge microchips, and even led to the first image of a black hole. These examples show what we all know – the return on investment in science is unparalleled. We have worldclass research infrastructure. From particle physics to molecular biology, and from space exploration to nuclear fusion. This helps make Europe a leader in fundamental research.

    We have a world-leading supercomputing infrastructure, EuroHPC, and we are investing massively in AI, quantum and digital research. Finally, we also have a proud tradition of open and collaborative science. We uphold the principles of open science, open education and data sharing. Our European Research Council is run not by politicians, but by scientists, for scientists. Our Horizon Europe programme is a magnet for global cooperation. From the UK to Switzerland, from Canada to South Korea, more and more countries want to join it. We see scientists from across the world collaborating here in Europe. Take CERN as a case in point. Founded 70 years ago to carry out cutting-edge research that no individual nation could do alone, it is today the world-leading laboratory for high-energy particle physics and related technologies. Researchers from over 100 nationalities working together for the good of humanity. This is how science should work, and it is why scientific freedom and collaboration must always be at the heart of our institutions and our infrastructure.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Europe has everything that is needed for science to thrive: we have the stable and sustained investment; we have the infrastructure; we have the commitment to open and collaborative science, we have a social market economy that delivers access to good schools, education and healthcare for all. But at the same time, we have to be alert and work on our deficiencies. We know that researchers still face too much – or too complex – bureaucracy here in Europe compared to some other parts of the world. We know that the path from fundamental research to business and to market is not straightforward or fast enough here in Europe. We know that we need to offer the very best a longer-term perspective. We are ready to tackle this head on.

    We want Europe to continue to be at the forefront of fundamental research. We want Europe to be a leader in priority technologies from AI to quantum, from space, semiconductors and microelectronics to digital health, genomics and biotechnology. We want scientists, researchers, academics and highly skilled workers to choose Europe. And this is why today I am presenting the first elements of our Choose Europe Initiative.

    The first priority is to ensure that science in Europe remains open and free. This is our calling card. We must do everything we can to uphold it – now more than ever before. We want to strengthen the free movement of knowledge and data across Europe – just as we do for goods, talents and capital across our Single Market. And we want to enshrine freedom of scientific research into law in a new European Research Area Act. Because as threats rise across the world, Europe will not compromise on its principles. Europe must remain the home of academic and scientific freedom.

    The second element of Choose Europe is financing. Science is an investment – and we need to offer the right incentives. This is why I can announce that we will put forward a new EUR 500 million package for 2025-2027 to make Europe a magnet for researchers. This will help support the best and the brightest researchers and scientists from Europe and around the world. We aim to create a new seven-year ‘super grant’ under the ERC to help offer a longer-term perspective to the very best. Through the ERC, we are already supporting researchers who relocate to Europe with a top-up beyond their grant. We are now doubling the amount they can receive this year. And I want to extend this support for 2026 and 2027.

    At the same time, we must also focus on the next generation. This is why we are also increasing support to early career scientists through our Choose Europe pilot under Maria Skłodowska-Curie. Those that choose Europe will benefit from higher allowances and longer contracts. We will expand this support over the next two years, with targeted incentives in frontier fields, like AI. For the mid- and long-term: together with our Member States, we want to reach the 3% of GDP target for investment in research and development by 2030. And we will put forward ambitious proposals on research and innovation funding in the next long-term budget. Because we know that an investment in science is an investment into our future.

    The third part of Choose Europe is the need to fast-track the pathway – from breakthrough science to transformative innovation and business opportunities. This is why we will put forward a first ever European Innovation Act and a Startup and Scaleup Strategy, to remove regulatory and other barriers, and to facilitate access to venture capital for innovative European startups and scaleups.

    Last but not least: We have to make it easier and more attractive to come to Europe for research. We will better link up researchers with research institutions. We will speed up the process around entering and staying in Europe. We already have an excellent platform that links researchers worldwide with thousands of jobs in Europe, as well as providing visa support and career guidance. We now want to support public and private institutions to better link up to highly skilled workers and researchers, and to speed up and simplify the entry for top researchers. Because bringing the best from across the world is about bringing out the best of Europe.

    Ladies and Gentlemen,

    Europe has made its choice. We are choosing to start a new age of invention and ingenuity. We are choosing to put research and innovation, science and technology, at the heart of our economy. We are choosing to be the continent where universities are pillars of our societies and our way of life. We are choosing to be the continent where innovation serves humanity, where global talent is welcomed. Because as the history of the Sorbonne and our excellent universities show, progress thrives on freedom, openness and collaboration. So, to every researcher, at home or abroad, to every young girl and boy who dreams of a life in science, as Maria Skłodowska-Curie once did, our message is clear: Choose Science. Choose Europe.

  • Pat McFadden – 2025 Speech on “Cyber is a Poster Child for Growth”

    Pat McFadden – 2025 Speech on “Cyber is a Poster Child for Growth”

    The speech made by Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office Minister, on 7 May 2025.

    Introduction:

    Good morning everyone,

    It’s really great to be here with you in Manchester.

    This is one of Britain’s great cities.

    From music to sport to industry, Manchester has made its mark on the world in so many ways…

    And today I want to talk to you about an area where I believe Manchester, the North West, the whole country can grow in strength in the future.

    There might have been times when a government minister making a speech about cyber security was thought to be something routine.

    Ritual calls for preparedness, and it might not seem to have much connection to the real world.

    But not today. Not this time. Not this week. Not with what we have been seeing happening over the past few weeks.

    Great British businesses. Household names like M&S, the Co-op, Harrods, all the subject of serious cyber incidents.

    These cyber attacks are not a game. They’re not a clever exercise. They are serious organised crime.

    The purpose is to damage and extort good businesses. It’s the digital version of an old-fashioned shake down. Either straight theft or a protection racket where your business will be safe as long as you pay the gangsters.

    And what we’ve seen over the past couple of weeks should serve as a wake-up call for everyone – for government and the public sector, for businesses and organisations up and down the country, as if we needed one, that cybersecurity is not a luxury – it’s an absolute necessity.

    Whether it is a system failure or a deliberate attack, no organisation can afford to treat cyber security as an afterthought.

    So it’s not routine. It’s a good time to be gathering today, to discuss what we can do to make our defences as strong as possible.

    Now it’s one of the paradoxes of modern life: technology brings huge benefits, and there’s no going back – but it also brings risks.

    The internet is one of the greatest engines for creativity and innovation in modern history. It has transformed the way we live, work and learn.

    Just think of the applications. Busy parents who can save so much time by ordering goods online, students with an unfathomable range of knowledge at their fingertips, families all around the world able to share pictures of those precious moments – birthdays, christenings, weddings – just at the press of a screen. All of us benefit from this astounding level of connectedness.

    Yet the technology that underpins it can be weaponised by those who want to destabilise our infrastructure, our information systems, or our industrial base.

    The UK’s critical infrastructure is now more interconnected than ever. That is empowering…

    But it also carries risks, because there are vulnerabilities –  and more than we had years ago. Right down to the household level.

    As the cost of the tech has plummeted, and broadband speeds have risen, more and more devices are connected online. In 2020, it was thought to be about 50 billion. By 2030 – which isn’t that far away now – it will be 500 billion, according to projections.

    More connections, more interconnectedness.

    Technological leaps are rarely born in comfort; more often, they are forged during conflict, or competition or by sheer necessity. And history shows us that innovation always accelerates when the stakes are highest, from nuclear energy to the space race.

    The stakes are high right now. And we are in the middle of another huge technological leap – a “technology shock” if you like – with AI and other emerging technologies developing at breakneck speeds.

    It’s a duty for Government and all of us to keep up.

    Because in the modern world, where everything is connected, and so much of it’s online, it doesn’t take much if that is attacked to cause serious disruption.

    Just ask anyone in Spain or Portugal who went through the power outage last week. Passengers stuck in underground trains. Payment systems disabled and suddenly, for a day, cash is king again. And a host of other effects.

    I experienced last July, just a couple of weeks after the general election, the CrowdStrike incident. We worked closely with one of the sponsors of this conference, CrowdStrike, to manage the fallout of that.

    That wasn’t a cyber attack but it did cause ripples right across the country and the world.

    Flights grounded. Hospital appointments disrupted. Holidays cancelled. GP services cut off.

    We worked closely with the company to resolve it. But what did we learn?

    Lessons:

    First, you’ve got to bring people together and coordinate. We had the National Cyber Security Centre, the Cabinet Office – the department I lead – Microsoft and CrowdStrike, all the different parts of government to understand what the incident was.

    Secondly, Government cannot do it alone. You have to have good partnerships between the public and private sector.

    And thirdly, even though it exposed a responsibility, there is also a prize to be grasped here.

    Because if interconnectedness that I’ve spoken about requires greater protection and powers of recovery, then those countries that think about this, that invest in the cybersecurity services, will be able to offer those services to those that need them.

    Just think about previous waves of interconnectedness and how the UK led the way in protecting them. Think about how Lloyds of London, for example, insured shipping right across the globe, well so too can the UK play a major role in cyber security. A new kind of technological insurance.

    We are already the third largest exporter of these products and services in the world.

    And as the technology continues to develop, I believe that our cyber companies and start-ups can use that current competitive advantage as a launchpad for greater success – for the benefit of the entire UK economy.

    So my message this morning to you is that it’s not just about vulnerability and risk – it’s about economic growth too.

    Later this year, we’ll publish a new National Cyber Strategy that will set out how we want to approach these challenges and opportunities in the years to come.

    Today I want to touch on three aspects of that today: threats, security and growth.

    Threat landscape

    Scale of activity:

    The threat is growing.

    Last year the NCSC received almost 2,000 reports of cyber attacks – of which 90 were deemed significant, and 12 at the top end of severity.

    That is three times the number of severe attacks compared to the year before (2023).

    They’re targeted both Government and private systems.

    Combatting it is a constant challenge. I can’t stand here this morning and tell you that Government systems are bombproof. That is not the case.

    These are new systems, built on top of legacy systems, and we’re doing everything in our power to modernise the state, and to upgrade those core systems . But the Government, and the country as a whole, has to take this seriously if we’re going to do it securely in the future.

    Artificial Intelligence:

    It’s our strong conviction that Artificial Intelligence will bring huge opportunities to the UK. We want this country to be a good home both for investment and adoption in this field. But like all general purpose technologies, it can be used for good or ill.

    And just as people and businesses across the country are using AI in all sorts of applications, so too are our adversaries.

    Today, we are declassifying an intelligence assessment that shows AI is going to increase not only the frequency, but the intensity, of cyber attacks in the coming years.

    Our security systems will only remain secure if they keep pace with what our adversaries are doing.

    And that’s why it’s imperative to understand what they’re doing and why.

    State-actors:

    And today state-backed cyber hacking has become the new normal.

    Hostile states constantly working to degrade our military advantage. With cyber criminals who will routinely sell their services to other states. These cyber mercenaries can cause huge harm.

    Sometimes to steal money. For example, it is thought that North Korea stole $1.34bn through cryptocurrency theft last year, causing US officials to describe their hackers as the “world’s leading bank robbers”.

    The cyber activity we are seeing in countries like North Korea reflects that grey area that exists between some states and cyber criminals.

    My colleagues at the Home Office, under the leadership of the Home Secretary and the Security Minister, are working hard to strengthen our overall response to cyber crime. They have been consulting on a number of ransomware proposals designed to thwart our enemies.

    Other state-backed hacking is done as part of a wider war – and we’ve seen that with Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

    How Ukraine is putting up an incredibly brave fight against cyberwarfare unleashed by the Russians, and we have vowed to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Ukraine for as long as it takes to defend their sovereignty.

    And so we’re going to invest £8 million in the Ukraine Cyber Programme over the next year to counter the Kremlin’s cyber aggression.

    What Russia is doing doesn’t stop in Ukraine. There have been a number of other attacks and disinformation campaigns in other countries.

    For example, in Moldova’s presidential election last year. And we know that they will keep trying. So we will be investing £1 million in cyber capabilities in Moldova, to help give that country the tools to combat Russian cyber attacks and ensure their upcoming parliamentary election can be as democratic, fair and open as possible.

    Our country has always defended freedom.

    This is part of the defence of freedom and democracy that has been part of our country’s history.

    But defence today is not just about troops and missiles.

    It’s also about this cyber realm, too – and this Government is absolutely committed to making sure we and our allies are strong in this domain.

    China:

    And let me say a word about China.

    When we think about international activity in cyberspace, we need to be clear-eyed about the challenge posed by China.

    It is well on its way to becoming a cyber superpower. It has the sophistication. The scale. And the seriousness.

    It’s one of the world leaders in AI, as the world’s second largest economy it’s deeply embedded in global supply chains and markets.

    We need to view China’s approach to cyberspace with open eyes. Disengagement economically from China is not an option. Neither’s naivety.

    The job of a responsible Government is to protect our people and constructively engage with the world as it is.

    “Stop the world I want to get off” is not in the United Kingdom’s interests.

    Rather, our approach should be to engage constructively and consistently with China where it is in the UK’s economic interests, but also to be clear that we will robustly defend our own cyberspace.

    Bolstering our defences

    And I want to thank the organisations that do that. GCHQ, NCSC, the National Cyber Force – they keep watch, working tirelessly with our allies, with the Five Eyes alliance, to stay ahead of our competitors.

    Our intelligence agencies also play a key role in growing our overall cyber ecosystem – acting as a training bed for all kinds of experts who go on to be successful cyber entrepreneurs.

    LASR:

    And we’re investing in new capabilities in this regard.

    Last year, I launched a new public-private partnership to keep the UK on top of some of the risks emerging on how we harness AI.

    The idea behind the Laboratory for AI Security Research – or LASR, as we’ve come to call it – is simple: accelerate innovation and research into how AI can protect our national security.

    Since November, its funded 10 PhDs at Oxford University; funded an in-house team of 9 researchers at The Turing Institute; and its funded research at 8 other leading UK universities including Queen’s University Belfast and Lancaster University.

    And we are committing an extra £7million to LASR’s research over the next financial year.

    And I’m pleased to announce it has agreed a new partnership with one of the biggest tech companies in the world, Cisco.

    They are going to be collaborating with GCHQ and the NCSC, and other partners to expand the research and innovation capacity of the Lab.

    They will be running challenges across the UK, and build a demonstrator here in the North West to showcase how our scientists and entrepreneurs can work together to manage the risks, build the skills and grasp the opportunities of AI security.

    This is the first collaboration of its kind with LASR, and will be a trailblazer and it will help LASR drive cutting-edge research into the impact of AI on national security.

    Cyber Security and Resilience Bill:

    We’re also modernising the way the state approaches this, through the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill.

    That legislation will bolster our national defences. It will grant new powers to the Technology Secretary to direct regulated organisations to reinforce their defences.

    And as we begin scrutiny of that Bill in Parliament, we will be launching a new Software Security Code of Practice – to help all organisations take the measures they need to embed security and resilience.

    And the prize of all this is growth. Safe economic growth.

    Growth

    When we’re talking about cyber, it’s easy to focus on the risks and threats.

    But we also need to think about the reward. There is enormous potential for cyber security to be a driving force in our economy.

    We already have over 2,000 businesses across the UK. An estimated 67,000 jobs – with an increase of 6,000 in the last 12 months.

    Revenue of more than £13billion.

    And as I said, we’re exporting this across the world.
    But there is still potential on the table.
    So we’re supporting an independent report from Imperial College and Bristol University, who are going to apply their knowledge and expertise to help us establish which levers we need to pull, and how we do that.

    And ahead of the report, we are already making some big investments like the £1billion going into a new state-of-the-art Golden Valley campus near GCHQ’s Cheltenham office.

    That site alone is expected to create 12,000 jobs and be home to hospitality, retail businesses, as well as 3,700 new homes. It is all growth.

    Industrial Strategy:

    And that is why cyber is part of our Industrial Strategy too. It is a significant part of our economic future.

    Conclusion:

    So as I said at the start of my remarks, we are in a new world.

    In fact, it’s incredible to think it’s been only 36 years since Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web.

    I have teenage children and sometimes I try to explain to them the world before the internet. It’s not something they find easy to understand. The pace of change that we have seen during that time is unlikely to slow down.

    So we have got to take the long view: not just think about the technologies of today, but what it might look like in 10 or 20 years.

    Cyber attacks and cyber hacking are likely to be permanent features of this new global order – there is no point in pretending otherwise.

    But the opportunities are also huge, and I believe that this country, in its position of creativity and innovation, will be at the vanguard of cyberspace and cybersecurity for decades to come.

    Seizing the opportunities to grow the sector, protecting and defending other parts of the economy.

    Standing by our allies in an ever changing world, and defending democracy right across the world.

    It is at once one of the challenges and opportunities of our time, and we have to work together to meet it.

  • Keir Starmer – 2025 Remarks at Jaguar Land Rover

    Keir Starmer – 2025 Remarks at Jaguar Land Rover

    The remarks made by Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at Jaguar Land Rover in the West Midlands on 7 April 2025.

    Thank you Rachel and thank you Adrian.

    And can I just say a big thank you to the entire workforce here. Some of you are here with us this afternoon. I just want to say thank you for showing us what you do. We have been able to see some of the skill and experience that you put into this incredible product, years and years in the making and the technology.

    But thank you also for making us proud to be British, because as each car rolls off here, that is rolling off your production line. That is your commitment, your toil, your work, your professionalism. But it is then a product which you should be rightly proud of, and we are really proud of as a country.

    I know how much you put into that, and I want you to know just how much we appreciate what you do.

    Thank you for everyone for joining us this afternoon.

    Jaguar Land Rover, our leading exporter of goods, employing thousands of people across the West Midlands and beyond.

    That proud symbol of British engineering brilliance. And brilliance is the right word. It is our industrial heritage, but also in my strongly held view, it is our industrial future, not just our heritage.

    My message to you is simple: these are challenging times, but we have chosen to come here because we are going to back you to the hilt.

    I think it’s really significant that after the announcement on Wednesday, we had Adrian with us in Downing Street at 7 o’clock the next morning, and here we are on Monday, so read into that a statement of intent because it is a statement of intent about how important this is for you, for us and for the country.

    As Rachel has said, there is no doubt about the challenge, but this is a moment for cool heads.

    No one wins from a trade war.

    But it is also a moment for urgency.

    Because we have to rise, together as nation to the great challenge of our age, and it is the great challenge to renew Britain so that we are secure in this era of global instability.

    Nobody is pretending that tariffs are good news. You know that better than anyone.

    25% tariffs on automative exports. 10% on other goods.

    That is a huge challenge to our future. The global economic consequences could be profound. But this moment has also made something very clear.

    That this is not a passing phase. And just as we’ve seen with our national security and defence, particularly in relation to the war in Ukraine, now with our commerce and trade,

    This is a changing and completely new world.

    An era where old assumptions, long taken for granted, simply no longer apply.

    Before the election – I called it an age of insecurity. And that is the right phrase. Insecurity. Because that’s how this is felt in the lives of working people. Insecurity and worry for builders, for carers, for nursers, for factory workers like people here in Coventry, working harder and harder for the pound in their pocket, yet watching this rising tide of insecurity threaten to sweep away the things we cherish in our communities.

    Trust me – I know people will be feeling that right now.

    But to those people, I say, we have your back.

    This government will not just sit back and hope.

    That is how politics has failed you in recent years.

    Attempting to manage crises without fundamental change just leads to managed decline.

    So no – we’re going to seize the possibilities.

    Fight for the future. On defence spending, on AI, on clean British energy and on manufacturing, including car building.

    Make those forces work for Britain. Rewire our economy and our state so that once again they serve the interests of working people.

    This is why we are rewiring the state completely.

    Ripping up the regulation that stops it being a force for good.

    Building new homes, new towns, new infrastructure.

    Accelerating the investment that will finally unlock the potential of every community.

    And let me be really clear as well. Our future is in our hands.

    And so of course – we will keep calm and fight for the best deal with the US and we have been discussing that intensely in the last few days.

    But we’re also going to work with our key partners to reduce barriers to trade across the globe.

    Accelerate trade deals with the rest of the world and champion the cause of free and open trade – right across the globe. And just like car building, that has always been our heritage – and we won’t turn our backs on it now.

    And look, when it comes to the US, I will only strike a deal if it is in the national interest. If it is the right thing to do for our security. If it protects the pound in the pocket that working people, across our country, work so hard to earn for their family.

    That is my priority. That is always my priority. Strength abroad – security and renewal at home.

    And on that journey of renewal we take another step today with our car industry.

    You know, there are people in this country who love to talk down our manufacturing. They say – we don’t make anything important anymore. ‘That’s not Britain’. Well – I would invite anyone who thinks like that to come here and see what you do in this factory.

    Anyone who is talking down manufacturing. Come here to Jaguar Land Rover and see what you are doing and they wouldn’t say that again.

    Because just as I’ve said, when we were going around earlier, what I saw made me proud.

    And I hope that if I feel proud of what you are doing, you are entitled to feel proud of what you are doing.

    This is British brilliance in the flesh.

    You’re making cars here – but you’re also representing our country with each car as it departs. That’s the pride that always goes with making things.

    And I’ve said it many times before, but I will say it again: my dad worked in a factory. He was an engineer. He made things with his hands. And he taught me as I was growing up, you should value the things that we make.

    And that’s what brilliant about manufacturing. And manufacturing shapes the identity of a place. This place, and of a community and a country. And that’s how it gets in your blood.

    Which is why electric vehicles are so important. Yes – of course it’s about the climate and you won’t hear me undermining the urgency of that cause.

    But it’s also about taking the pride, the heritage, the identity of places like this and securing it for the future.

    That’s what the previous government never understood. The link between manufacturing and who we are as a country.

    But those days are over. They are finished. This is a government of industrial renewal.

    Because my choice, in this volatile world is to back British brilliance.

    I believe that British car companies should be at the forefront of the electric revolution. This is a race we belong in.

    And so I think EV targets are a good thing.

    They are good for the climate. Good for business certainty and investment. Good for British manufacturing.

    But I accept – those targets have to work for British manufacturers.

    And I don’t want British firms, like this one put in a position where you have to pay a hefty fine or buy credits from foreign EV companies.

    So today – we’re going to introduce much more flexibility into EV mandates.

    We’re going to help car companies based in Britain reach the targets in a way that supports growth.

    We’re going to cut any fines – which I do not want or expect to see – by 20% and any money that is raised – would be invested directly back into support for the British car industry.

    We’re also going to take action on hybrids because these cars make a massive difference to reducing emissions.

    I mean, if you drive a Toyota Prius around town. Or, perhaps if you work here, a Range Rover you probably spend a lot of the time in electric mode. So I think for these vehicles a 2030 ban is too soon. So we’ll push that back to 2035 – for all hybrids. That’s a new step we are taking and a new announcement today.

    And because we’re not ideological about how we cut carbon emissions, we’ll also make sure that cleaner, efficient, petrol cars sold before 2030 count towards your EV mandate. That will be good for British car manufacturers like this one.

    As Rachel has said, we are also putting £2.3 billion pounds into the British car industry, giving people tax breaks worth hundreds of millions of pounds a year to help them switch to electric.

    Improving charging infrastructure. That is a massive factor when people are thinking about switching and our approach means we are seeing a new public charging point popping up every half an hour.

    Because this is the moment when we back British business and charge up the electric revolution.

    British electric cars running off clean British power, made by British workers.

    British cars for British workers!

    And as you know by the way switching to electric can also save you up to £1100 a year so if we get this right it can help the cost of living as well.

    But look – it’s not just our car industry we need to back.

    In the coming days and weeks, we are going to use industrial policy to shelter British business from the storm.

    Take our life sciences sector, another shining example of British brilliance. An absolutely pivotal part of our export economy. We’re going to back them, as well.

    We’re going to rip up the red tape. Cut the stifling bureaucracy that slows down clinical trials. Now Britain used to be better at this but we’ve taken our foot off the pedal.

    The latest data says it takes over 250 days to set up a clinical trial. I’m going to slash that to 150.

    And on top of that, I can also announce – a new investment up to £600 million in a new Health Data Research Service. A welcome partnership with the Wellcome Trust strengthening the genome cluster in Cambridge.

    Making sure that patient data in our NHS is unlocked for the public good. An opportunity for growth – but more importantly to save lives with cutting edge medicine and Britain is so good at this.

    We saw that in the pandemic. And we now need to pick up the pace again. This country has never waited around for history to shape us. We have shaped history – and we will do so again now.

    Take our future into our hands. Do everything necessary to defend our national interest.

    Strengthen our alliances, increase our defence power, support our businesses, jobs and workers.

    Rebuild, in defiance of a volatile world, our industrial strength.

    That is the purpose of this Government. Security and renewal. The world may be changing but we are driving forward securing our future with a clear Plan for Change.

    Thank you.

  • Feryal Clark – 2025 Speech at Alan Turing Institute’s Conference AI UK

    Feryal Clark – 2025 Speech at Alan Turing Institute’s Conference AI UK

    The speech made by Feryal Clark, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government, at the Alan Turing Institute in London on 17 March 2025.

    In 2001, I learnt to code.

    I was studying for my Master’s in Bioinformatics at Exeter.

    That meant analysing massive datasets, and picking up coding languages.

    And using that analysis to help us sequence genomes, create medicines tailored to your DNA, or predict the effects of new drugs.

    This was 24 years ago, and tech looked a bit different back then.

    I was rocking the Nokia 6310.

    Apple introduced the iPod, promising “10,000 songs in your pocket”. (If you were anything like me, you were using it to listen to U2 or Faithless.)

    Steven Spielberg released “A.I., Artificial Intelligence”, a futuristic fantasy about a humanoid robot trying to be a real boy.

    And in a computer lab in Devon, for this stressed-out Master’s student, the reality of coding was a nightmare.

    Any time something went wrong, you’d have to scour line upon line of code to try to find your mistake.

    The misplaced curly bracket in the binary haystack.

    One error could set your research back by days.

    I don’t need to tell you how different a picture we have before us now:

    • When my phone is my personal assistant, my concierge, my navigator.
    • When 90% of the world’s data was created in the last two years.
    • When AI is no longer the stuff of film directors’ dreams, but a practical tool changing our lives day to day – scanning for diseases in hospitals, or helping teachers plan lessons.
    • And when governments are seizing the opportunity to change how we operate, too.

    Last month, I went to see the Government Digital Service in Whitechapel.

    They’re using AI and other emerging tech to make interacting with the state as easy as banking on the go, or online shopping.

    A lot of that work is powered by AI.

    When I watched the team at work, I saw how every time there was a tiny mistake in the code, it would flash up in colour on their screens.

    Instant detection. Instant fix.

    No more hours hunting for that curly bracket, or days of research lost.

    Globally, change is inevitable.

    But what’s not inevitable is the UK’s place in all of that.

    Do we stand and watch change happen?

    Or do we take a leading role?

    I know that, for all of us in this room, there’s only one choice here.

    The UK’s legacy is one of leadership:

    • The 3rd biggest market for AI in the world.
    • Driven by research from 4 of the world’s 10 best universities.
    • And we’re home to some of the brightest luminaries in Artificial Intelligence – with two British Nobel prize winners for AI just last year.

    That talent stands on the shoulders of Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage and the man whose extraordinary contribution brings us all here today.

    But we are not content to let this legacy remain just that – a legacy.

    A history that we look back on fondly while, in the present day, other countries outpace us. And British people miss out on the benefits that AI can bring to their day to day lives.

    To reap the rewards, academia, industry and the public sector must continue to work together in forums like this to solve our most pressing challenges.

    And the government must give you the tools to make change possible.

    That’s why, in January, the Prime Minister launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan.

    It sets out how we’ll unlock the economic growth that AI promises – up to 47 billion pounds every year for the next decade.

    We’ll give firms and researchers access to the power and information you need to get your ideas off the ground – with 20 times more computing power by 2030.

    Early access to the AI Research Resource for academics and SMEs is now live, as we open up our supercomputers Dawn and Isambard.

    We’ll unlock the public datasets you need to make new discoveries.

    And we’ll also plug the skills gap – by building up skills at school, and nurturing research talent both homegrown and attracted from overseas.

    As part of this, we’re expanding the brilliant Turing AI Fellowships, to give leading academics from multiple disciplines the tools they need to use AI in their work.

    And we’ll keep supporting collaboration between academia, public sector and industry – working with the Alan Turing Institute and UKRI to drive progress at the cutting edge.

    I started by looking back, to a time when texts had character limits, and coding mistakes caused me sleepless nights.

    It feels right to end by looking forward.

    If we get this right – if academia and public and private sectors all play the roles we do best – what could the future look like?

    Here’s what we could say about this country:

    • Like most new technologies before it, AI has created a raft of new, exciting jobs – adding more jobs than it replaces. Our children’s children are doing jobs we don’t have names for yet.
    • No longer weighed down by admin, businesses are infinitely more productive. People can focus on the parts of their jobs that impact the bottom line, but also genuinely bring them joy.
    • The strain on our health service has eased, as AI saves us months on each new drug discovery; and earlier diagnosis gives patients back years with their families.
    • And with access to the world’s knowledge at ordinary people’s fingertips, life in the UK becomes more equal.

    We know this future doesn’t just happen if we press ‘play’ and let time pass.

    It needs a supply of power and talent. Careful handling on safety and ethics. And a deliberate effort to make AI work for all in this country, not just the lucky few.

    Progress is only possible with partnership.

    So thank you for having me today.

    I hope the UK’s AI community continues to tell the government what you need, and to work with us to make our AI future as storied as our past.

    This is a chapter we can only write together.

  • Chris Bryant – 2025 Speech at the Connected Futures Festival

    Chris Bryant – 2025 Speech at the Connected Futures Festival

    The speech made by Chris Bryant, the Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms, on 26 March 2025.

    Hello. My name is Chris Bryant and I’m the telecoms minister. I’m really sorry I can’t be with you. Well, I’m here with you virtually, which I suppose is particularly important for the kind of connectivity that we’re talking about. But I’m afraid that, as you’re meeting, I will be in Parliament for the spring statement, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be talking about economic growth and how we get the economy to really springboard into the future.

    I suppose that’s the key part of what I want to say today, which is that connectivity is a vital part of making sure that the UK economy grows, that everybody gets a chance to participate in our economic future, and that we embrace the technological changes that can make so many differences to people’s lives, whether in the delivery of public services or in the delivery of all the services that we rely on, whether it’s ordering a pizza, parking your car, or engaging with our local GP and seeing our latest test results.

    I know that the geopolitical picture looks uncertain at the moment, and many parts of our lives, of course, are uncertain. Sometimes, trying to predict the future is difficult. That’s one of the reasons that, whereas we’ve always talked about “future telecoms” in the past, we’re changing the terminology to something which I think suits much better the situation that we face today. And that’s why instead of referring to “future telecoms”, we’re now going to be referring to “advanced connectivity technologies”, because advanced optics and satellite communications aren’t the ghosts of telecoms futures anymore, but actually telecoms present – let’s face it! Last year, Aston University transmitted data 4.5 million times faster than the average home broadband connection. We have started to send data through visible light. And Vodafone made the first video call via space last year. I’m an MP for a constituency in South Wales in The Valleys, and so I was very happy to see that that call took place from a remote Welsh mountain. The death of “notspots” may just about be in sight for us all!

    The breakthroughs we are seeing mean that the UK could once again be a leader in connectivity over the next ten years, and I’m absolutely determined that we take forward those opportunities.

    But before I take you into the future, let’s just pause briefly in the present. As we shape the next generation of connectivity, we must remember that some people in this country haven’t yet got this generation of technological connectivity. There’s 1.6 million people in the UK who live largely offline. We have to factor them into our future, and our ambition is to have gigabit-capable broadband in every home and in every business, and higher quality 5G to all populated areas by 2030. Through the Digital Inclusion Action Plan, which we’ve recently launched, we’ll make sure people also have the devices and skills to be part of a digital future. We want to tackle digital exclusion so that we can take the whole of our country with us. So, deploying the best technology we have today and taking a leading role in shaping the technologies of tomorrow is vital to our economic success.

    We will shape them, obviously, with global allies – but we will be guided by three central ideas. First of all, do they bring connectivity to everyone, everywhere, whatever your circumstances? Secondly, do they have security and resilience built in from the start? And thirdly, are they built sustainably, so that better connectivity gets us closer to net zero and not further away? These are all equally important, fundamental principles and ideas behind what we’re trying to achieve in this area.

    The UK has the potential to be at the forefront as we develop these technologies. For a start, we build on research from some of the best universities in the world, and the JOINER research and innovation platform gives them a unique test network to prepare for 6G. British firms are getting connectivity to places it hasn’t gone before, like trains, offshore wind farms and space. BT, who nearly two centuries ago set up the world’s first nationwide communications network, are now leading the way with Toshiba in trials of quantum secure comms. And global companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung have all chosen to do R&D work here in this country, in the United Kingdom.

    We will shape them, obviously, with global allies – but we will be guided by three central ideas. First of all, do they bring connectivity to everyone, everywhere, whatever your circumstances? Secondly, do they have security and resilience built in from the start? And thirdly, are they built sustainably, so better connectivity gets us closer to net zero and not further away? These are all equally important, fundamental principles and ideas behind what we’re trying to achieve in this area.

    The UK has the potential to be at the forefront as we develop these technologies. For a start, we build on research from some of the best universities in the world, and the JOINER research and innovation platform gives them a unique test network to prepare for 6G. British firms are getting connectivity to places it hasn’t gone before, like trains, offshore wind farms and space. BT, who nearly two centuries ago set up the world’s first nationwide communications network, are now leading the way with Toshiba in trials of quantum secure comms. And global companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung have all chosen to do R&D work here in this country, in the United Kingdom.

    We can and should go further, though, making the UK a global leader in advanced connectivity. And that’s where the government and industry really must work hand-in-hand. We will strengthen our supply chains – that’s really important. Today we will publish the government’s response to the report from the Telecoms Supply Chain Diversification Advisory Council, outlining how we will support a thriving ecosystem of suppliers for our networks. I’m immensely grateful to all those who took part in the Council’s work.

    We will back your growth in this sector. Advanced connectivity will be one of the growth markets in our Industrial Strategy within the digital and technology sector. That means the backing across Whitehall to help you succeed. As a sign of that commitment, today I can announce that we will invest nearly £60 million over the next year, 2025 to 2026, to support UK leadership in R&D so that more of the technology providing the world’s critical connectivity is developed here in the UK.

    If we get this right, then ten years down the line we will be able to say that this technology has made people’s daily lives better, put more money in people’s pockets and helps to keep the UK and our allies safe in a turbulent world. That’s a connected future we can only build together.

    Thank you and I hope you have a good conference today.

  • Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at Space Expo

    Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at Space Expo

    The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, at the Excel in London on 11 March 2025.

    The British Space programme began in the same year that our late queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, ascended to the throne.

    Sixty-three years ago, the launch of Ariel One, the first British-American satellite, made Britain only the 3rd country to launch into orbit.

    In little more than a decade, we went from a nation with space ambition to one of the few countries with a satellite operation.

    Then, as I was enjoying my first birthday, Prospero became the first British satellite to be launched by a British rocket.

    All those years ago, deciding to have a space programme, designing, building and launching a spacecraft, took decades of planning.

    Fast-forward to today:

    • When, somewhere around the world, there is a rocket launching every 34 hours.
    • When the UK’s space economy is outpacing the growth of our economy as a whole.
    • And when, just this month, the second-ever private spacecraft touched down successfully on the surface of the moon. Powered by British engines, engineered in Buckinghamshire.

    An international effort, with British expertise, contributing to a successful lunar mission.

    There is no mistaking the increasing pace of change.

    Or just how much the people in this room – and the businesses you lead – now contribute towards the growing the British economy.

    So, to begin with, it’s my job to say thank you to all of you.

    Britain’s space sector is not just safe in your hands. It is thriving under your stewardship.

    And with the British economy, it’s felt increasingly, and it’s felt day by day.

    This is a government that has economic growth as our number one mission.

    And for us, growth isn’t just a soundbite.

    It is our very purpose.

    Growth rates are more than an indicator of the state of the economy…

    …They are an indication of this government’s state of mind.

    We are:

    • ambitious for Britain
    • determined to build the wealthier, fairer nation for everyone.
    • And we are impatient for the increased wealth and opportunities that economic growth brings to communities, businesses and to people alike.

    With 16% of UK GDP depending on satellite services, there’s no doubt that the space sector is important to that.

    Because Britain has never had a space flight with our own crew on board, it is too easy for some ‘armchair astronauts’ to dismiss the UK space programme.

    I believe we are approaching a space tipping point. At which it becomes simply impossible for even the most determined science-cynic to ignore.

    From how we message family and friends or check the weather, to how our country protects itself from climate change and national security threats that we increasingly face – space technologies simply underpin our lives.

    From the everyday, right through to the extraordinary.

    As heavy launches into low orbit become less costly – 95% cheaper than 40 years ago – and the barriers to entry are more easily overcome, the space tipping point now brings with it new risks that we have to face up to:

    • Hundreds of millions of pieces of space junk that threaten the satellites that support almost every part of our interconnected world.
    • As that figure rises, so does the chance of an accidental collision of catastrophic consequences.
    • And at the same time, space is becoming more and more accessible to hostile actors as well, eventually, possibly seeking to do Britain harm.

    The severity of these risks cannot be overstated.

    But neither should we be blind to the extraordinary opportunities that space technologies offer to our country and to us.

    To embed innovation in every part of our economy…

    …and open the doors to a new era of high productivity and growth.

    To secure our nation for the century ahead…

    …and make discoveries that will transform citizens’ lives.

    We reach this tipping point, and we have a narrow window to secure our stake in space.

    We sometimes talk about scientific progress as if it were inevitable.

    But there is nothing inevitable about progress as every one of you knows well.

    If we and our allies stand still, whilst our competitors stride ahead – or hostile actors get a foot in the door – we will find ourselves locked out of the opportunities space can bring.

    And left exposed further to the risks.

    That’s why space is a strategic priority for this Labour government as we deliver our Plan for Change.

    That requires strategic partnerships with our allies in Europe and around the globe, and between the public and the private sectors.

    And it also means being clear about the roles and responsibilities of each.

    There are some activities – like national security – which only governments can and should do.

    Others, where the creativity, the ingenuity and the enterprise of the private sector will suffice.

    And then there is a third way, where the power of partnership of governments and enterprise is the route to discovery, prosperity and to greater growth as well.

    Since we took office in July, I’ve met many of the players behind Britain’s burgeoning space economy.

    Businesses like Astroscale and ClearSpace, designing new missions to remove dangerous space clutter from orbit.

    And Space Forge, who are finding ways to manufacture semiconductors in microgravity.

    The success of businesses like these depends on world-leading research and an ambitious, entrepreneurial mindset.

    The UK is well placed to lead in both.

    These businesses also need a government that understands and appreciates their potential, has their back, and gives them the foundations to keep pushing the frontiers forward.

    Since 2015, the UK has attracted more private investment in space than any other country outside of the United States.

    We cherish Britain as a beacon for innovation, investment, stability and the rule of law.

    And we are determined to keep that beacon burning brightly in the increasingly competitive and uncertain international environment.

    Space is one of the first 4 areas singled out for attention by the new Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO).

    That Office will cut the burden of bureaucracy, freeing up your time and your resources to invest and innovate further and faster.

    Government must, always must, continue to fulfil our side of the bargain, backing British space with the support the sector needs.

    That means grant funding for innovation; direct investment into strategically significant projects; and procuring from the UK firms from government contracts.

    Take our £20 million investment into Orbex, to fund the first British-made, British-launched rocket, set for orbit later this year.

    Prime is designed to take small satellites into the polar orbits, to improve our understanding of a region right at the frontline of climate change.

    The launch will transform the UK space industry.

    It will bring highly-paid jobs to the Shetland Islands, whilst boosting Europe’s ability to access space from our own continent.

    The UK space sector is further bolstered by Britain’s membership of the European Space Agency.

    Indeed, Britain does better because of that key partnership.

    From inspiring the nation with Tim Peake’s flight to the International Space Station, to our instrumental role in the James Webb Space Telescope, our partnership with the ESA means British firms winning in this unique global marketplace.

    In the last quarter of 2024, UK businesses’ net revenues from the ESA were £80 million higher than our contribution.

    That’s a record for any member state.

    And this success is a direct result of public and private sectors working closer together to make sure the UK sees the great return on our collective investment.

    The knock-on effects of these contract wins will add up to a £1 billion of boost across our economy.

    They’ll create 3,800 highly skilled jobs, from Stevenage right up to the Shetland Isles.

    And they will ensure that British businesses have the power and investment to continue making discoveries that will transform people’s lives:

    • Like Airbus, selected to build a spacecraft to help us weather violent solar storms.
    • Thales Alenia Space, which will propel crucial cargo and scientific instruments right up to the moon’s surface.
    • And Open Cosmos, granted contracts to study the magnetic field, and using what they learn to bolster our satellites and better fight climate change.

    The immense contribution British businesses make to our island’s space story shows ambition, integrity, and leadership.

    It is testament to these traits, alongside the determination and dedication of our people.

    As we stand in this space tipping point, the government’s commitment to economic growth demands that we support science and we invest in innovation.

    We also champion the critical technologies to maximise the power and potential of the British economy.

    Your contribution and the commitment to our economic growth mission is profoundly important.

    So, I want to finish exactly where I started:

    By acknowledging your efforts and extending our appreciation for them, as you help to make Britain more productive, more prosperous, and more pioneering.

    On this planet and beyond.

    Thank you very much.

  • Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at the Munich Security Conference

    Peter Kyle – 2025 Speech at the Munich Security Conference

    The speech made by Peter Kyle, the Technology Secretary, in Munich on 14 February 2025.

    Innovation is defined by its ability to surprise.

    Only a few years ago, GPT-2 meant nothing to the public.

    For many of us, AI felt like a distant possibility at best.

    Something that would never – could never – live up to the hype.

    And yet, overnight, ChatGPT became a household name.

    It unleashed an unprecedented wave of technological change.

    And the pace of progress shows no signs of slowing down.

    With DeepSeek, we’ve just seen once again just how sudden, how unpredictable, innovation can be.

    The AI revolution is happening.

    Ignoring it is simply not an option.

    In the UK, we reject the doomsayers and the pessimists.

    Because we are optimistic about the extraordinary potential of this technology.

    And hopeful for the radical, far-reaching change it will bring.

    We launched the AI Opportunities Action Plan to put us on the front foot.

    Working in collaboration with our international partners, we’re going to create one of the biggest clusters of AI innovation in the world and deliver a new era of prosperity and wealth creation for our country.

    This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.

    If we can seize it, we will close the door on a decade of slow growth and stagnant productivity.

    Of taxes that are just too high.

    We will deliver new jobs that put more money in working people’s pockets.

    And we will drive forward a digital revolution inside government to make our state smaller, smarter, and more efficient.

    But none of that is possible unless we can mitigate its risks that AI presents.

    After all, businesses will only use these technologies if they can trust them.

    Security and innovation go hand in hand.

    AI is a powerful tool and powerful tools can be misused.

    State-sponsored hackers are using AI to write malicious code and identify system vulnerabilities, increasing the sophistication and efficiency of their attacks.

    Criminals are using AI deepfakes to assist in fraud, breaching security by impersonating officials.

    Last year, attackers used live deepfake technology during a video call to mimic bank officials.

    They stole $25 million.

    And now we are seeing instances of people using AI to assist them in planning violent and harmful acts.

    These aren’t distant possibilities.

    They are real, tangible harms, happening right now.

    The implications for our people could be pervasive and profound.

    In the UK, we have built the largest team in a government dedicated to understanding AI capabilities and risks in the world.

    That work is rooted in the strength of our partnerships with the companies who are right at the frontier of AI.

    Working with those companies, the government can conduct scientifically informed tests to understand new AI capabilities and the risks they pose.

    Make no mistake, I’m talking about risks to our people, their way of life, and the sovereignty and stability which underpins it.

    That is why today, I am renaming our AI Safety Institute as the AI Security Institute.

    This change brings us into line with what most people would expect an Institute like this to be doing.

    They are not looking into freedom of speech.

    They are not deciding what counts as bias or discrimination.

    They are not politicians – nor should they be.

    They are scientists – scientists who are squarely focused on rigorous research into the most serious emerging risks.

    They are researching AI’s potential to assist with the development of chemical and biological weapons.

    They are building on the expertise of our National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to understand how this technology could be used to help malicious actors commit cyber-attacks.

    They want to understand how AI could undermine human control.

    Our research shows that those risks are clear:

    There has been a clear upward trend in AI system capabilities most relevant to national security in the past 18 months.

    • For the first time last year, AI models demonstrated PhD-level performance on chemistry and biology question sets.
    • The safeguards designed to prevent these models doing harm are not currently sufficient.
    • Every model tested by the Institute is vulnerable to safeguard evasion attacks.
    • And it is almost certain that these capabilities will continue to improve, while novel risks will emerge from systems acting as autonomous agents to complete tasks with only limited human instruction.

    The more we understand these risks, the better we can work with companies to address them.

    And the faster we can keep our nation safe, the faster our people can embrace the potential of AI to create wealth and improve their lives.

    There are certain security risks which require immediate action.

    That is why the Security Institute will collaborate with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, the Ministry of Defence’s science and technology organisation, to assess the dual-use scientific capabilities of frontier AI.

    Today, we are also launching a criminal misuse team in the Security Institute, who will partner directly with the Home Office to conduct research on a range of crime and security issues which threaten to harm our citizens.

    Earlier this month, the UK set out plans to make it illegal to own AI tools optimised to make images of child sexual abuse.

    Reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse material found online by the Internet Watch Foundation have quadrupled in a single year.

    The Security Institute will work with the Home Office to explore what more we can do to prevent abusers using AI to commit their sickening crimes.

    A security risk is a security risk, no matter where it comes from.

    US companies have shown the lead in taking security risks seriously.

    But we need to scrutinise all models regardless of their jurisdiction of origin.

    So I’ve instructed the Security Institute to take a leading role in testing AI models wherever they come from, open or closed.

    While we can’t discuss these results publicly, we will share them with our allies.

    We are alive to the security risks of today.

    But we need to focus on tomorrow, too, and the day after that.

    We are now seeing the glimmers of AI agents that can act autonomously, of their own accord.

    The 2025 International AI Safety Report, led by Yoshua Bengio, warns us that – without the checks and balances of people directing them – we must consider the possibility that risks won’t just come from malicious actors misusing AI models, but from the models themselves.

    We don’t yet know the full extent of these risks.

    However, as we deploy AI across our economy, our society, and the critical infrastructure that keeps our nation secure, we cannot afford to ignore them.

    Because losing oversight and control of advanced AI systems, particularly Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), would be catastrophic.

    It must be avoided at all costs.

    I want to be clear exactly what this testing is, and what it’s not.

    It’s not a barrier to market access. Not a blocker to innovation.

    It is urgent scientific work to understand serious risks to our country.

    Governments are not passive bystanders in the AI revolution.

    We have agency in how AI shapes our society.

    And we have a responsibility to use that agency to defend our democratic way of life.

    Only countries with a deep and knowing understanding of this technology will be able to build the capacity they need to deliver for their citizens in the twenty-first century.

    But success is not a given.

    It depends on the democratic world rallying together to maintain our leadership in AI.

    Together, we can protect our fundamental values – freedom, openness, and opportunity.

    If we do that, we won’t just keep our people safe.

    We will ensure that they are first to benefit from the new era of wealth and prosperity which AI will bring.