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Category: Technology

  • Jeremy Quin – 2023 Speech on Skills, Efficiency and Technology in the Civil Service

    Jeremy Quin – 2023 Speech on Skills, Efficiency and Technology in the Civil Service

    The speech made by Jeremy Quin, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, at Old Queen Street in Westminster, London on 19 July 2023.

    I am pleased to announce that a total of £4.4 billion savings were delivered by the central government functions in the financial year 2021/22.  These are split between  audited cashable (£3.4 billion) and non-cashable (£1 billion).  The Cabinet Office has now published this on GOV.UK.

    This wasn’t a one-off event. In the year prior to that, the central government Function Teams also delivered £3.4 billion worth of audited savings. This means around £8bn of cashable and non-cashable savings were delivered in the last 2 years.  We have achieved this by thinking differently and driving success.

    The components of these savings vary year in year out – this year for example over £1 billion of savings were delivered by identifying and correcting fraudulently claimed Universal Credit (UC).  This is an area post our establishment of the Public Sector Fraud Authority which is likely to grow further.

    I am delighted that to take this work further the Treasury are releasing today a Government Efficiency Framework, ensuring consistent reporting of efficiencies across the whole of Government and reporting processes to track delivery and drive continuous improvement.

    Another step along the remorseless but critical path of delivering improved productivity across the civil service.

    Our modernisation work is not limited to the services delivered by central government.

    UK’s public bodies which play a vital role in delivery but whose independence of action can risk them becoming divorced from a culture of continuing improvement are subject to reviews and improvement.

    To date, 71 of the initial 125 public body reviews have been launched covering over 90% of ALB expenditure.

    Most of the largest ALBs will be reviewed in the next 18 months, benefitting from experienced teams and the active support of ALB boards:  completed reviews have recommended actions to improve governance, capability and use of resources to deliver the best possible value for the taxpayer.

    REFORMING PROCUREMENT

    As a Government we provide services. We spend, across the Public Sector, £300bn annually on procurement, and we deliver enhancements to our national infrastructure.

    After a substantial effort we are now within weeks of the Procurement Bill clearing both houses.  In a rare example of Government adopting the refreshing motto of “Keep it Simple Stupid” it cuts down the 350 different procurement regulations founded on EU Procurement, to create one simple rulebook.

    It will help set the framework of an ever more outcomes-based approach to procurement so that we can buy goods and services: don’t tell the market exactly how to build a bridge, engage with them on how we can best cross the water.  You may be amazed by what you discover.

    STRONGER PROJECT MANAGEMENT FOR BETTER SERVICES

    On which subject we know that better infrastructure delivers better productivity.

    Over the last two years the government’s major projects portfolio has doubled in size to oversee nearly 250 programmes, with a whole life cost of nearly £800bn.

    Bringing more projects into the central portfolio has created better central oversight and investment, enabling more transparency and closer scrutiny. 89% of those projects now have a green or amber delivery confidence, up from 64% in 2020.

    So, this rigorous focus on efficiency, on improving procurement and better project management is delivering the foundation to improve our productivity and enhance our public services.

    When Francis introduced the functions it amounted to a revolutionary step – the Victorian departmental silo model being complimented by a lattice of cross-departmental experts with which most in the commercial sector will be familiar.  12 years on they continue to flourish, they continue to deliver and the GEF will make their job easier and their results even more transparent.

    BUILDING A MODERN CIVIL SERVICE: PLACES, PEOPLE, PROCESS AND PROGRAMME ASSESSMENT

    Functions delivering is but one aspect of the Declaration to which we as ministers and civil servants are committed.

    To continue the process of reform we need to be open to the views and experiences of those outside the public sector who recognise the extraordinary opportunities it provides and want to add their talents to the many we employ.

    We need to ensure that they are supported in a modern workplace environment making the most of the myriad opportunities of data and AI.

    And we need to help them to focus their time and their energy on what works.

    First on People.

    For too long, policy making and the leadership of the Civil Service has been too London-centric.  That’s why we committed to relocating 22,000 Civil Service roles out of London by 2030.

    This year we have crossed a major milestone having relocated over 12,000 roles outside of London and the South East…

    That is more than half of our total commitment in just the first three years of the programme and more than 75% of our ambition to relocate 15,000 roles by 2025.

    We’re also well on our way to the target of 50% UK based SCS outside London, with 30% now based outside the capital.

    We’ve launched multiple departmental second headquarters including Cabinet Office’s second headquarters in Glasgow.  The Cabinet Office is not alone in looking to Scotland – nearly 20% of the roles moved out of London have been relocated to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with additional government hubs in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

    We have also launched a major policy campus in Sheffield, creating the largest centre of policy making outside London.

    The benefits of this to levelling up, to VFM and to strengthening our Union are important, obvious and are rightly regularly praised.

    I want however to be selfish – I see the benefits in simple terms – the opportunity it provides to recruit brilliant civil servants – many of whom I have met in Scotland and Wales, the North and South West into our teams.

    I believe we will find further scope to enhance Places for Growth – including by focussing on our Arms Length bodies.

    But we need to do more beyond PfG to broaden our base of talent.

    Above all we need to be an employer that welcomes new blood at every stage of someone’s career.

    Just 1 in 5 new entrants to the Senior Civil Service are currently external. I want to ensure that every potential recruit who wants to bring their expertise to bear in the public interest can feel able to apply to do so.  And I want us to be able to harness that talent where we know it will add value.

    That’s why last year we cemented a much stronger requirement for all Senior Civil Service roles to be advertised externally, a move recommended by Policy Exchange.

    It’s no longer possible to hold an internal recruitment competition for a senior civil servant role without explicit Ministerial approval.

    Whilst this change is already making a difference, we can and should do more.

    It is not enough simply to advertise a job externally..

    Currently, the ‘street to seat’ recruitment process can take as long as 80 days, if not longer and that’s before vetting…

    If we are fishing in a competitive pool for talent, trying to persuade those with much to give to turn their back on other opportunities and follow the rewarding path of public service, we need to get real about how we perform as recruiters.

    We must ensure that every aspect of civil service recruitment, from how we advertise, to how we recognise external expertise, to how we select and onboard recruits, supports good candidates.

    So, we are asking departments and professions to trial alternative recruitment approaches.

    They will experiment with running recruitment campaigns with simplified job adverts, ridding them of Whitehall speak…

    And they will speed up recruitment, with a focus on cutting the bureaucracy that puts off or times out brilliant candidates…

    And to help speed up onboarding,  we are improving our vetting system. UK Security Vetting are recruiting new staff and improving processes and systems to bring KPIs up to the levels we need to see. We are determined to deliver a radical overhaul of policy, process and systems.

    EMBRACING DIGITAL AND AI

    Growing our talent pool is great but our civil servants need the tools to finish the job.  A revolution is underway in digital and AI and our civil servants must be part of it: taxpayers will, rightly, demand the same ease of access to services and support that will become second nature in the private sector.

    We need to be better at utilising the digital talent we already have within the Civil Service and in stressing its importance.

    This September, our government-wide initiative ‘One Big Thing’ will be launched:. The focus for 2023 is data-upskilling.  It will engage every single civil servant – that’s half a million training days on data this autumn. This shows our determination to build knowledge and deliver.

    Over the next two years we are rolling out two new digital platforms to enable us to understand, develop and utilise the skills of our workforce and help staff move more easily between departments.

    The Government Skills Campus will provide a single platform across Government with better access to the learning civil servants need. It will use skills data to intelligently drive the right content to learners and provide the skills data needed to inform workforce planning.

    Another new platform will then enable all civil servants to move from one department to another – at pace and without friction. Not only will this save money – approximately £100m over the next 5 years – it means it will be easier to move the people with the right skills and experience to the right roles in government.  Placing colleagues in more satisfying roles and gleaning the benefits of targeted experience.

    Digital and data innovations like these are the defining tools of the 21st Century but they can only be effective when senior leaders understand them.  I am delighted that we are on track to exceed our ambition for 50% of Fast Stream hires for 2023 to have a STEM subject background.  But we cannot wait decades as they progress….

    Through the Digital Excellence Programme we will be equipping government leaders with these skills, starting with 3,000 senior leaders this year.

    We can offer digital technicians the most extraordinary opportunities to put their talents to the test in delivering solutions which matter to people day in day out.  I know how competitive that talent pool is but what better way to invest in your staff than to give them the opportunity of taking on some of the most fascinating challenges.

    To enhance our secondment programme we are developing a specific Digital Secondments pilot with our digital team in the Central Digital and Data Office.

    I know that there are people from the best tech firms in the country who believe in public service…

    Who want to help with the biggest challenges facing society today…

    So we will create a pathway for them to join the civil service through a secondment and empower them to drive real tangible change….

    DRIVING IMPROVEMENTS IN DIGITAL PROCESS

    We must attract and retain the best in digital talent so that we can harness the power of digital, data and technology in order to deliver most efficiently and effectively for the public.

    Our groundbreaking Roadmap for Digital and Data, encompasses 21 ambitious commitments to be achieved by 2025.

    Among these commitments, we have pledged to elevate 50 of the government’s top services to a “Great” standard and we are introducing One Login, a vital new system that will allow citizens to access all central Government services effortlessly using a single account.

    We need to ensure that GOV.UK, with over 1m visits a day and over 29bn page views since 2012 provides a service equal what we would expect to see in the public service.

    That’s why we’ve established a team to lead on digital service transformation across government. This team identified the opportunities, blockers and support to improve services.

    That’s also why 32 organisations in government have adopted the same pay framework to drive recruitment and retention of digital professionals, saving taxpayer money by reducing reliance on contractors and managed services.

    Recent months have seen huge developments in Artificial Intelligence technology, presenting, if developed appropriately, clear opportunities for government. Our ambition is to use AI confidently and responsibly, where it matters most, to improve public services and boost productivity.

    Our central team of digital and technology experts is creating a practical framework to put this technology to work across the civil service, solving problems of privacy, ethics and security, and bringing insights and best practice from industry.

    I am excited to announce that following last year’s pilot the incubator for Automation and Innovation, known as i.AI, will become a permanent civil service team focussed on some of our most important and intractable challenges.

    And right at the heart of government, the Number 10 Innovation Fellowships program is bringing in AI experts from industry and academia to help solve problems in public service delivery using AI and automation.

    We are already creating a Data Marketplace to break down barriers to sharing data inside government. But we also know the potential for government data to drive value and innovation in the economy. Therefore, as recommended by the Vallance review, our ambition is to make the marketplace available to third parties outside government, such as businesses and researchers.  By 2025 our aim is to do just that.

    We will launch and scale a cross government digital apprenticeship programme to support recruitment and development of 500 new DDaT professionals this financial year.

    STRONGER ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC PROGRAMMES

    It’s an old adage that the only mistake you can make is by not learning from it…

    That is why since the Declaration on Government Reform we established the Evaluation Task Force to improve Government programme evaluation:   to better inform decisions on whether programmes should be continued, expanded, modified or stopped.

    I learned, to my exasperation as Minister for Defence procurement, that while I was desperately securing cash to back brilliant innovative ideas, without rigorous Ministerial testing others could quietly languish long after it became apparent they weren’t fit for purpose.

    In innovation a failure is when the project is allowed to continue when all hope is lost – fail fast, reinvest.

    The same must be true of policy.

    We need evaluation baked in from the outset in everything we do.

    Yes this can identify where policy, whisper it not, doesn’t deliver. It can happen.  Where it does, let’s act not hide.  A productive public sector is not one which is too shy to accept that not everything works.  In the commercial world it’s known, recognised, embraced.  We need to lose our hang ups.

    But we can and must learn from our successes

    The DLUHC supporting families evaluation showed not only the impact of the policy in reducing adult and juvenile custodial sentences, but was robust enough to know that for every pound we spent on the programme, it delivered £2.28 of economic benefits and £1.52 of financial benefits.

    The Task Force has provided advice on 211 evaluations across government, covering £115bn of spending.

    On the basis that only idiots learn from their own mistakes, the wise from other peoples’….

    I am delighted to announce that the Evaluation Task Force is launching the Evaluation Registry, which will provide, for the first time, a single online focus for evaluations across government.

    The Evaluation Registry has been built from the ground-up to be best-in-class in driving evidence based policy making. When it launches, it will be one of the biggest stores of information on social policy evaluations in the world, containing over 2000 evaluations from the outset.

    It will be available to all government departments this year and in the future supported by funds worth over £50m for evaluations to generate new evidence in critical areas of policy making.

    CONCLUSION: BRILLIANT PUBLIC SERVICE

    So let’s get back to our fictional Sir Arnold.

    Were he to return to our screens today he would I hope be disquieted by the notion that a new recruit may start their career, progress their career and end their career as a Permanent Secretary without necessarily ever working within 10 miles of Peter Jones.

    What’s more, talent is not only arriving directly into the upper echelons of the SCS, it’s being actively pursued and welcomed.

    We are embracing the opportunities of digital and AI and what that will mean for making us more efficient and improving the services we deliver.

  • Chloe Smith – 2023 Speech at London Tech Week

    Chloe Smith – 2023 Speech at London Tech Week

    The speech made by Chloe Smith, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, at London Tech Week on 14 June 2023.

    Thank you for that warm introduction, Alex [Webb].

    And a big thanks to London Tech Week, not just for inviting me to join you today, but for hosting another outstanding event.

    One that’s convened the best and brightest of the global tech sector, that’s showcased the very cutting-edge of British innovation, design and technology, and that’s brought together many of the world’s greatest thinkers to debate some of the most pressing questions of our digital age.

    Founders Forum, Informa, London & Partners and Tech London Advocates all deserve credit for ensuring that this London Tech Week, now in its tenth year, has sent the strongest of signals – that when it comes to tech, the UK is fully open for business.

    I’ve certainly seen that first-hand in the events I’ve been part of this week.

    Whether it’s the relaunch of Silicon Valley Bank UK as HSBC Innovation Banking and the multi-million-pound investment it’s feeding into our home-grown Fintech, Life Sciences and Consumer businesses so they can scale up and grow.

    Or in our announcement of a new MoU between Australia and the UK on diversifying telecoms. An agreement that will boost the roll out of more 5g networks and safe, secure, superfast broadband to communities even in the most far-flung of communities.

    This week saw the announcement of our Smart Infrastructure Pilots Programme, helping councils in different parts of the country test new smart lamp posts that extend mobile coverage and increase connectivity for more homes and businesses than ever before.

    My colleague Oliver Dowden and I also hosted over 80 Indo-Pacific business leaders from unicorns and scale-ups at the London Stock Exchange for the market close earlier this week. An invaluable opportunity to strengthen a long-standing trading relationship worth over 250 billion dollars and growing.

    The UK Tech Sector’s Success

    Everyone here knows that in recent years, the UK has become one of the most competitive countries in the world for tech.

    We have the largest tech sector in Europe and the third largest in the world behind the US and China.

    Last year, we became just the third country to date with a tech sector valued at $1trillion.

    And it’s fair to say that when it comes to AI, Fintech and Bio-tech, the UK is consistently punching well above its weight, having created more billion dollar ‘Unicorn’ tech start-ups than Germany, France and Sweden combined.

    Our unique combination of world class talent, R&D capability, and pro-enterprise regulation means the UK is the best place anywhere in the world in which to start and grow a tech business.

    Growing the economy

    It’s these businesses which are making people’s lives better, spurring growth and creating employment opportunities that will unlock the full potential of communities right across the UK.

    Businesses such as Darktrace, who are using artificial intelligence to protect people against even the most sophisticated cyber-attacks…

    Companies like Quantinuum, who are harnessing the immense power of quantum technologies to build machines that eclipse conventional computers.

    Or semiconductor and software designers like Arm, in Cambridge. Pioneers in modern engineering and machine learning, whose CPUs are used in virtually all modern smartphones.

    So, we’ve come a long way together.

    But the Government is not complacent about what’s required to maintain the UK’s pole position in the global tech race.

    We know that there has to be a steady pipeline of investment over the coming years and that’s exactly what we’re providing.

    With £370 million of funding going towards five transformative technologies that are front and centre of the 21st century tech revolution: Quantum, AI, Bioengineering, Telecoms and Semiconductors.

    Investment that will bring profound benefits to our society in converting household waste into biofuels, in developing the next generation of green, self-driving cars and enhancing road safety, in new gene editing technologies to personalise medicine and support the early detection of diseases.

    Start-up businesses are being supported too through our £12 million Digital Growth Grant -run through Barclays Eagle Labs.

    Funding for specialised support to accelerate the growth of at least 22,000 UK tech startups through mentoring sessions, market research and insights, and guidance for budding tech entrepreneurs.

    We’re also fulfilling our commitment to spend £20 billion per annum in R&D by 2024/25 – with every £1 of public expenditure leveraging double the amount of private investment.

    And we’re keeping our promise to level up all parts of our United Kingdom by increasing public investment outside the greater South East by over a third. It means that cities like Newcastle which are hotbeds for tech start-ups right now can share in the UK’s success too.

    But you and I know that investment alone, however great, is no guarantee of success.

    That’s why, back in March, my department’s published its Science and Technology Framework – a bold 10-point plan to keep the UK at the forefront of global science and technology this decade.

    It’s a framework to ensure that researchers have access to the best physical and digital infrastructure that we leverage our post-Brexit freedoms to pursue pro-business regulation.

    And that we continue to showcase the UK’s towering science and tech strengths both here at home and abroad.

    It’s a Framework which recognises that innovation and technology are our future and are key to unlocking our long-term prosperity.

    We recognise, too, that in order for the UK to stay ahead of the pack, we need to develop a whole tech ‘ecosystem’ supported by smarter regulation, a greater focus on skills and training, and long-term industry-backed strategies.

    And I’m going to say more about what those ambitions look like in turn.

    Regulation

    When it comes to the regulatory environment, we said from the get-go that we wanted to make the UK a competitive, fair and open market for the tech industry.

    And we believe our Digital Markets Competition and Consumers Bill is helping us make that vision a reality by creating a more dynamic digital economy.

    It will ensure that businesses which rely on the biggest, most powerful tech firms, including the news publishing sector, are treated justly and aren’t strong armed with unfair terms and unfair contracts.

    Smaller digital firms will also find it much easier to enter new markets, without being crowded out by the biggest firms.

    And we’ve taken a similar, common-sense approach to the regulation of Artificial Intelligence.

    Countries all over the world are thinking long and hard about how they should prepare for a technological change so fast and so significant that it could redefine the way we work and live our lives.

    In contemplating AI, we’ve always said that governments must play their part to ensure the guard rails are there for this technology to develop in a safe, transparent and fair way.

    And here in the UK, as the Prime Minister rightly asserted at the beginning of this week, our strategy on AI is to lead at home; to lead overseas; and to lead change in our public services as well.

    We’ve committed to holding the first major global summit on AI safety this Autumn to develop an international framework. It will help ensure this technology develops in a reliable, safe and secure way.

    That’s complemented by £100 million of start-up funding for our new Foundation Model Taskforce which the Prime Minister announced earlier this year. A taskforce responsible for accelerating the UK’s capability in rapidly emerging types of artificial intelligence so that we remain globally competitive.

    We’ve published our AI White Paper showing how we intend to identify and address risks but also create a regulatory environment which fosters innovation and growth.

    Instead of targeting specific technologies, it focuses on the context in which AI is deployed and enables us to take a balanced approach.

    We recognise that using a chatbot, for example, to summarise a long article presents very different risks to using the same technology to provide medical advice. The rules governing one will be markedly different to the other.

    And this flexibility runs throughout our White Paper with a commitment to work in close partnership with regulators and business on sensible, pragmatic rules.

    Indeed, there’s still time for businesses and the public to join the debate on how we should best set the rules for regulating AI.

    Our consultation closes [next Wednesday] and I would encourage anyone with an interest in helping us shape the regulatory environment for this technology to submit their responses.

    Skills and talent

    So, creating the right conditions for our tech industry to freely innovate is vital.

    But so is ensuring the sector has access to the right talent and skills.

    I want the next generation to be equipped with everything they need to compete and thrive in the global economy.

    AI Scholarships

    That’s one of the reasons why we set up the Digital Skills Council last year, to consult the views of industry leaders. And to encourage investment in employer-led initiatives focused on upskilling and digital apprenticeships.

    That’s accompanied by a £30 million package to support a new generation of AI talent through scholarships, each worth £10,000 so that more young people can become masters in the technologies of tomorrow.

    This funding supports conversion courses for a diverse group of non-STEM students, allowing them to gain an MA in Artificial Intelligence and data science.

    UKRI Announcements

    And that’s not the only way we’re driving forward big improvements in hands-on training and education.

    Building on the Prime Minister’s announcement earlier this week of two new Turing AI World Leading Fellowships, my department is today announcing a £50 million package with UK Research and Innovation – funding for 42 new projects to explore the acceleration of responsible AI and machine learning.

    We’re backing a consortium led by the University of Southampton, spanning the whole of the UK, to create an international research and innovation ecosystem for responsible and trustworthy AI.

    And finally, we’re green-lighting a whole host of new UKRI projects for AI technologies that will help us reach our ambitious net zero targets.

    Projects to help decarbonise our transport systems, integrating renewable energy sources like wind power to make our farms and our rural communities more self-sufficient and kinder to the environment.

    Projects that will see a massive acceleration of energy efficient CO2 capture, especially in our new freeports and green freeports on the Scottish coast.

    And projects that will develop AI solutions to improve our country’s resilience against flooding and severe weather, all while hastening our journey to Net Zero.

    Research Ventures Catalyst

    We want to continue diversifying how cutting-edge science is funded too.

    With that in mind, I am delighted to announce that my department will shortly launch an open call for proposals to pilot new collaborative approaches for performing science in the UK.

    Backed by up to £50 million of government funding to drive investment and partnership with industry and the third sector, we want to catalyse new ideas and new ways of working with the potential to deliver transformational breakthroughs.

    We want to fund ideas that aren’t being adequately addressed elsewhere in the UK research landscape.

    I encourage researchers and innovators across all fields to consider applying when our call for proposals opens in a few weeks.

    Enabling core technologies

    With the right investment, the right regulation, the right skills and talent, I believe the UK is primed for a new era of innovation and growth.

    But to really shoot for the stars, we also need to do something else – we need to strategize for the long term.

    We need to consult industry experts and reflect fully on how we want to see some of our core technologies evolving not just over the next one or two years but over the next ten to fifteen years.

    Geospatial Strategy

    If we take geospatial technology, for example, we know that here again the UK is already a global trendsetter.

    We’re ranked second in the world for geospatial readiness and boast some of the best geospatial organisations going – Ordnance Survey, the Met Office and the UK Hydrographic Office, to say nothing of our brilliant research centres at universities like Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham and Southampton.

    We want all organisations to take full advantage of the latest developments in location data and services including mobile apps.

    That’s why today I am announcing our new UK Geospatial Strategy 2030 to help us deliver on that objective and to secure the UK’s position as a geospatial world leader.

    The strategy includes three missions.

    The first is to embrace enabling technologies to accelerate geospatial innovation.

    Using anonymised population movement data and satellite imagery to help us design new homes, integrated transport systems, and improve the sustainability of cities so they better meet the needs of residents. It could also help our emergency services improve response times with more accurate understanding of where assistance is needed in real-time.

    The second mission is to drive greater use of geospatial applications and insights across the economy. Using location data, for example, to build a digital map of underground infrastructure so we can reduce disruption when pipes or cables need fixing, or to understand where we need to install more superfast charging points for long journeys with electric vehicles.

    The third mission is to build confidence in the future geospatial ecosystem – increasing the UK’s international standing through bringing together countries from around the world to share knowledge and insights so that we move geospatial technology forwards together.

    Conclusion

    So that’s what lies ahead.

    A government working hand in hand with our partners in industry, in academia, in global forums like London Tech Week to keep the UK at the forefront of this new digital frontier.

    A government that will proudly champion our world-leading science and tech sectors to drive investment, to level up communities throughout our United Kingdom.

    And to ensure that this growth translates into real improvements to people’s lives.

    Whether it’s more high-skilled, high-paid jobs on their doorsteps, whether it’s new training and educational opportunities in the technologies of tomorrow, whether it’s better diagnoses and treatment of life-threatening diseases.

    The UK is already the greatest tech and science success story of this decade. Together let’s make it a true tech and science superpower in the next decade and beyond.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech at London Tech Week

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Speech at London Tech Week

    The speech made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at London Tech Week held at QEII Centre in London on 12 June 2023.

    It’s great to be back at London Tech Week at what I think is a moment of huge opportunity.

    We are an island of innovation.

    But at a moment like this, when the tectonic plates of technology are shifting – not just in AI, but in quantum, synthetic biology, semiconductors, and much more – we cannot rest, satisfied with where we stand.

    We must act – and act quickly – if we want not only to retain our position as one of the world’s tech capitals but to go even further and make this the best country in the world to start, grow, and invest in tech businesses.

    That is my goal.

    And I feel a sense of urgency and responsibility to make sure that we seize it, because one of my five priorities is to grow our economy.

    And the more we innovate, the more we grow.

    But this isn’t just about economics.

    Like you, I believe that innovation is one of the most powerful forces for transforming people’s lives.

    And right now, there is an opportunity for human progress that could surpass the industrial revolution in both speed and breadth.

    I believe the UK can achieve this goal because we start from a position of strength.

    We’ve created 134 unicorns in the last decade – third in the world, behind only the US and China.

    We’re one of the most digitally literate societies in the world, with a higher percentage of STEM graduates than the US and 4 of world’s top 10 universities.

    We’ve got extraordinary strengths in Fintech, cyber and creative industries and engineering biology – where from the Crick and the Biobank to DeepMind’s Alphafold we’re pushing at the boundaries of what is possible in health.

    And the UK is the best place in Europe to raise capital with more invested in tech here than in France and Germany combined.

    But today, I want to answer a simple question.

    What’s the single most important reason innovators like you should choose this country?

    The answer is leadership.

    Do you trust the people in charge to really get what you’re trying to do?

    With this government, and with me as your Prime Minister, you can.

    Judge us – not by our words, but our actions.

    It’s this government that’s building the most pro-investment tax regime, that’s increasing public R&D investment to record levels and that’s making our visa system for international talent one of the most competitive in the world.

    We’re overhauling our listing rules to make it easier for companies to raise public funding, and changing our pensions rules to unlock new private capital.

    And we’re changing the way government itself works.

    I created a new department focused on science, innovation, and technology with a mission to do things differently – from bringing in world-leading experts to taking more risks in support of innovation.

    And when the moment came, it was this government that acted to rescue Silicon Valley Bank.

    So today, I’m proud to announce the launch of HSBC Innovation Banking the most significant global tech bank combined with HSBC’s firepower and headquartered here in the UK.

    And of course, it’s the UK where Google chose to bring together its entire AI division under the leadership of a Brit – Demis Hassabis – at Google Deepmind.

    And if our goal is to make this country the best place in the world for tech AI is surely one of the greatest opportunities before us.

    As Chancellor, I doubled the number of AI scholarships because even back then I recognised the potential of AI as a general-purpose technology.

    Now, with most things in life, the more you learn about them, the less magical they appear but the more we learn about frontier technologies like AI, the more they widen our horizons.

    Already we’ve seen AI help the paralysed to walk.

    And discover superbug-killing antibiotics.

    And that’s just the beginning.

    Combined with the computational power of quantum we could be on the precipice of discovering cures for diseases like cancer and dementia or ways to grow crops that could feed the entire world.

    The possibilities are extraordinary.

    But we must – and we will – do it safely.

    I know people are concerned.

    The very pioneers of AI are warning us about the ways these technologies could undermine our values and freedoms through to the most extreme risks of all.

    And that’s why leading on AI also means leading on AI safety.

    So, we’re building a new partnership between our vibrant academia, brilliant AI companies, and a government that gets it.

    And we’ll do that in three ways.

    First – we’re going to do cutting edge safety research here in the UK.

    With £100 million for our expert taskforce, we’re dedicating more funding to AI safety than any other government.

    We’re working with the frontier labs – Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic.

    And I’m pleased to announce they’ve committed to give early or priority access to models for research and safety purposes to help build better evaluations and help us better understand the opportunities and risks of these systems.

    Second – AI doesn’t respect traditional national borders.

    So we need global cooperation between nations and labs.

    Just as we unite through COP to tackle climate change so the UK will host the first ever Summit on global AI Safety later this year.

    I want to make the UK not just the intellectual home but the geographical home, of global AI safety regulation.

    And third, we’re going to seize the extraordinary potential of AI to improve people’s lives.

    That’s why we’re already investing record sums in our capability including £900 million in compute technology and £2.5 billion in quantum.

    And we’re harnessing AI to transform our public services from saving teachers hundreds of hours of time spent lesson planning to helping NHS patients get quicker diagnoses and more accurate tests.

    AI can help us achieve the holy grail of public service reform: better, more efficient services.

    So this is our strategy for safe AI:

    To lead at home; to lead overseas; and to lead change in our public services.

    All part of how we meet our goal of making this the best country in the world for tech.

    And let me just conclude with this final thought.

    I was recently looking through a collection held by the British Library.

    And I saw a letter from Charles Babbage to the then-Chancellor, dating from the 1830s thanking him for funding his difference engine – the forerunner of the modern computer.

    That was a decisive moment.

    The British government broke with the conventions of the time, and for a decade, backed this breakthrough technology.

    We’re at a similar moment today.

    And I’m determined that when future researchers visit the British Library in 200 years’ time they will discover that this government, and all of us here in this room met this moment with the same courage, vision, and determination.

    Thank you.

  • Chloe Smith – 2023 Speech at the Global Forum for Technology

    Chloe Smith – 2023 Speech at the Global Forum for Technology

    The speech made by Chloe Smith, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, in Paris on 6 June 2023.

    Thank you for that warm welcome, Secretary General Cormann.

    It’s a privilege to be joining you and everybody here at the inaugural Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Technology.

    Today’s event is unique, it is ambitious, and it is truly global.

    It is wonderful to be able to welcome such a rich and diverse group of open and democratic countries, and leaders in academia, industry and civil society from across the world.

    I must first express my sincere thanks to the OECD for their efforts in shaping today’s programme.

    With its world-leading expertise on tech and the digital economy, and its vital role in developing policy guidance and approaches to governance that we value highly in the UK, there is nowhere better placed to hold a forum like this.

    My thanks also go to the US and Spain for their support in getting us here today, and to the many other countries and stakeholders that have shaped, and will continue to shape, this forum in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead.

    Within a relatively short period of time, it’s fair to say that technology has evolved at breakneck speed. The meteoric rise of ChatGPT and of AI more generally, of virtual assistants, of self-driving cars – of all this incredible technology – has the power to fundamentally change society as we know it. What were once regarded as the challenges of tomorrow have fast become the challenges of today.

    And the geopolitical context is increasingly uncertain, too.

    Against this backdrop, we need to work even harder to make sure that the values and fundamental principles of democracy are embedded in the design, development, deployment, and governance of new technologies.

    Strengthening collaboration with industry, academia and civil society around the world, not just among OECD countries, is essential to achieve that vision.

    This Global Forum on Technology provides us with the platform to tackle the challenges we face in doing so, head on.

    Everybody here today shares a commitment – to shaping a future where new technologies strengthen open societies, support human rights, and empower citizens, even as they turbo-charge innovation and sustainable growth for the benefit of all.

    We know that technology and scientific discovery are key to realising our future prosperity and wellbeing – as long as the critical foundations of digital infrastructure, digital skills and digital literacy are addressed first.

    In fact, when you take three of our biggest global challenges – food, fuel, and healthcare – it’s clear that those opportunities are already here.

    Right now, engineering biology is revolutionising agriculture, developing crops that are more resilient and nutritious, enabling us to take enormous steps towards achieving our Zero Hunger sustainable development goal.

    Engineering biology is also bringing us closer to delivering affordable, reliable, sustainable energy for all, through advances in everything from carbon capture technology and the bioremediation of pollution to the sustainable production of new materials and biofuels.

    And the chance for change is just as exciting in enhanced healthcare. Speaking personally for a moment, I’ve beaten breast cancer, and cancer will have touched many of us in this very room. So we can be excited that AI-powered image analysis tools can help doctors to identify cancer cells more accurately, while Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are being used to create immersive experiences that can help patients to better understand their condition and empower them to shape their own care.

    We must do all we can to seize these opportunities. But, of course, they come with risks, too. We know that there are real and legitimate concerns about how to ensure that the transformative power of tech is harnessed safely and responsibly.

    We know that virtual reality, for example, has the power to bring people together in new ways. To revolutionise education, training, entertainment and a whole host of other sectors. But, like social media, we want to ensure that this immersive world does not become a breeding ground for hate or intolerance.

    Discrimination can be baked into algorithmic decision-making, too.

    The data that Generative AI is trained on, for example, is overwhelmingly created by people in wealthy, developed countries, making these powerful tools less relevant to those in poorer parts of the world.

    And there are risks elsewhere. Synthetic Biology has the potential to revolutionise many aspects of our lives, making them longer, happier, and healthier. But it could also be used to create new pathogens that threaten human health, and bioweapons that could be used to harm people or disrupt critical infrastructure.

    So, the question we must ask ourselves is: how do we put people at the centre of our technological future, protecting democracy, freedom, and human rights, while capturing those benefits.

    As governments, we know we can’t only rely on traditional governance models to do this. These are powerful new questions, and old answers just won’t do.

    We do need to look to innovation, creativity and flexibility. I think we need to work with business to grow economies – creating jobs and prosperity for citizens, building public trust.

    And the Global Forum is critical in this endeavour… in its breaking down of barriers between communities – bringing together, industry, civil society, academia and policy makers – to gain a better understanding of the challenges we face, and how to overcome them.

    We have a real opportunity here for meaningful dialogue that addresses the kind of knotty issues we don’t necessarily discuss elsewhere. And by involving non-OECD partners from the start, we can ensure that our discussions are informed by a community of partners with truly global perspectives.

    I am personally deeply excited to see where today’s discussions will take us. I look forward to the journey ahead with all of you today.

    Thank you.

  • Chloe Smith – 2023 Speech at the Robotics and Automation Conference

    Chloe Smith – 2023 Speech at the Robotics and Automation Conference

    The speech made by Chloe Smith, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on 30 May 2023.

    Good afternoon.

    This time last year, the quiet backstreets of Oxford saw something the rest of Europe had never seen before; a fully autonomous vehicle on public roads – without a single person on board.

    This journey marked a milestone for Oxa, formerly Oxbotica, one of Britain’s most successful spinouts, in its mission to bring ‘universal autonomy’: the ability of any vehicle, of any size, in any place, to drive itself safely and sustainably.

    Meanwhile, in the skies above Oxford, we’re planning on building highways of a different kind.

    Project Skyway – with funding from our £125 million Future Flight Programme – intends to build the world’s longest and largest drone ‘superhighway,’ connecting the airspace above British towns and cities from Reading and Rugby to Coventry and Cambridge.

    Not that that’s the only thing happening up there in the air; British start-up, sees.ai, has just been granted permission to use its drones to inspect power lines beyond the visual line of sight.

    Uniquely capable of close inspection, sees.ai can cut the need for helicopters and planes, making a dangerous job safer, cheaper – and better.

    Each of these 3 stories show the extraordinary pace of the ‘robotics revolution’ since the millennium.

    And they show that Britain’s boldest entrepreneurs are right at the forefront.

    That’s just as well. Because we need innovation now more than ever.

    From the net zero transition to the impacts of an ageing society, today we find ourselves facing challenges new and old.

    For centuries, Britain has been defined by its ability to answer these kinds of big questions by rethinking, reimagining, and reinventing.

    And if we are to shape the world in the same in the century to come, then we must once more be bold enough to do things differently.

    Whether that means using robotics to help hard-working carers to make the lives of elderly people healthier and happier or applying automation to keep wind turbines turning far out at sea.

    The robots you will have seen just next door are already changing the way we interact with some of the most dangerous environments on Earth and beyond.

    From navigating nuclear decommissioning and exploring outer space, the £112 million we invested in the Robotics for a Safer World programme brought together our world-leading universities to create cutting-edge R+D in clusters across every corner of our country.

    And British companies are making a difference in other impactful ways, too.

    In Cambridge, CMR Surgical is using robotics to improve the safety, accuracy, and repeatability of keyhole surgery.

    And, having joined Britain’s ever-growing list of unicorns, its technology is already transforming care far beyond Cambridge.

    It’s reducing waiting lists and speeding up recoveries everywhere from Edinburgh to India, Bangor to Brazil.

    On every continent, then, British answers to those big questions are making our lives longer, healthier, and happier.

    And to the scientists, entrepreneurs, and investors coming up with their own answers beyond our shores, I can tell you with confidence that Britain is open for business.

    The opportunities here are extraordinary: our own statistics show that the productivity boost of robotics adoption in just 7 service sectors of our economy could be up to £150 billion in 2035 – that is just short of the current GVA of the entire UK financial services industry!

    But, of course, those opportunities come with risks.

    And, to tackle those risks, we’ve got to get the regulation right.

    So that, rather than ‘stealing’ our jobs, robots can do the dull, dirty, or dangerous work that people cannot or do not want to do and improve the quality, safety, and productivity of the work we can and want to do.

    Because my department’s mission doesn’t end with making Britain a ‘science and tech superpower’; we want to translate that superpower status into tangible benefits for the British people.

    That’s regulation is right at the heart of my agenda.

    Just last week, I met with the Prime Minister and CEOs from 3 of the world’s foremost AI businesses.

    Together, we discussed how we can capitalise on Britain’s unique position of influence and shared a commitment to deliver on the agile approach to AI governance that we set out in our recent White Paper.

    Because unlocking the potential robotics revolution requires public confidence that these technologies are being used in a safe and responsible way.

    And we are determined to work domestically and internationally, as well as with many of you, to put the necessary guardrails in place.

    Coming out of that meeting, I felt a renewed confidence.

    That a government unafraid to look to the world beyond Whitehall to work together with industry and academia can get it right not just on regulation, but on skills and investment, too.

    Whether you want to build self-driving cars, superhighways in the sky, or surgical robots in the operating room.

    Together, we can make Britain the best place in the world to start and scale a safe and successful robotics business.

    I wish you a safe and successful conference. Thank you very much for inviting me here to speak.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech at the PIER Annual Conference

    Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech at the PIER Annual Conference

    The speech made by Tom Tugendhat, the Security Minister, at Anglia Ruskin University on 23 May 2023.

    Good afternoon.

    It’s a pleasure to be here with you today.

    Before I begin, allow me to say a few words about the response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

    For those of you who took part, thank you. I know a lot of different experts have contributed in different ways to help our understanding and I hope you’re understanding as well of the situation that we’re facing.

    This independent enquiry was indeed a wake up call, it was extraordinarily important to shed a light on the unimaginable abuse that we’ve seen suffered by children over many many years. It found quite simply appalling examples of organisations placing their own interests ahead of children’s safety: either by turning a blind eye or covering up the abuse.

    Frankly it is deeply dispiriting to see.

    I deeply admire the courage of those survivors who came forward.

    We owe it to them – as well as to future generations – to ensure that it never happens again.

    Later today I’ll be speaking to a group of students.

    They are going to be asking the questions that students so often ask, I’m sure.

    They are going to be asking questions that are relevant to today and about gossip in the media that we’ve been hearing.

    They’ll be asking about the challenges we face, and yes, occasionally heckling me…

    One thing I can guarantee I’ll be asked is whether I would recommend politics as a career.

    It’s a difficult question to answer really and I’ve never really known how to answer.

    I’ve never thought of politics as a profession, at least not in the traditional sense.

    For me it’s a form of service.

    Now, having already met a few of you I’m very aware that I’m speaking to an audience of professionals.

    Many of you are at the top of your fields.

    But I also understand that for many of you protecting children online isn’t just a career.

    It’s more of a calling, every bit as personal as it professional.

    The reason I’m here today is that for me keeping children safe isn’t just another issue, or even just the right thing to do.

    It’s personal, and every bit as important as my role’s traditional focus on terrorism and state threats.

    Let me explain why.

    Earlier this year I visited the US to meet my counterparts in intelligence and homeland security.

    While I was there I had the opportunity to visit the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, NCMEC for short, a heroic organisation on the vanguard of global efforts to keep children safe online.

    NCMEC receives reports of suspected cases of child sexual exploitation from US-based tech companies including enticement, where children are lured into sharing explicit images and videos of themselves; sextortion, when predators target their victims using blackmail; and the online distribution of child sexual abuse material.

    I’ll be straight with you.

    I wasn’t prepared.

    I wasn’t prepared for the depravity of some of the examples of offending they gave.

    I wasn’t prepared for the scale of the threat that our children face.

    And, as the father to a wonderful son and daughter of my own, I wasn’t prepared for the horror that children just like them are made to suffer every day.

    The thing that struck me was how vulnerable they are.

    To predators, social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are a one stop shop.

    Without leaving Meta’s ecosystem they can choose their target…do their research…start a conversation with them…and transfer that conversation onto a private messaging service.

    And that’s exactly what they do – in their thousands.

    In 2022 NCMEC received over 32 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation and abuse.

    21 million of these came from Facebook alone, which not only speaks to the severity of the issue they face.

    It also leads me to suspect that other companies are significantly under-reporting.

    I want to be clear – this isn’t a US issue.

    We face exactly the same problem right here in the UK.

    The NCA estimates that there are up 850,000 people in this country who pose a sexual risk to children, including both contact offending and offending online.

    Of course, in reality the scale of the threat our children face is much larger.

    We mustn’t forget that the computers in our children’s homes, and the mobile phones in their pockets don’t just make them accessible to people here in the UK.

    They connect them to the world.

    That works both ways of course.

    I’m appalled by the increase in so-called live streamed abuse, where predators pay to victimise children remotely – and often in other countries – via webcam.

    The UK is one of the top 3 consumers of livestreamed child sex abuse from the Philippines.

    Equally, in addition to the threat they face domestically, our children are also the targets of predators and offenders overseas.

    It’s clear, then, that this is a threat of immense scale and complexity, and I’m grateful for the valiant efforts of our law enforcement agencies.

    Every month UK law enforcement agencies arrest 800 people and safeguard 1200 children.

    Last week, for example, Bernard Grace was sentenced to 8 years in prison for making 600 payments to direct and livestream the sexual abuse of children in the Philippines.

    In March earlier this year, Christopher Manning was jailed for 25 years for using a chat platform to distribute child sexual abuse material and encouraging others to do the same.

    And in 2021 the NCA caught David Wilson, one of the most prolific child sexual abuse offenders the UK has ever seen.

    Wilson posed as a teenage girl on Facebook to manipulate his victims into sending sexually explicit material of themselves before using it to blackmail them into abusing their friends and siblings.

    His case is the perfect illustration of why our partnership with tech companies and organisations such as NCMEC are so important.

    He was brought to justice because law enforcement were able to access the evidence contained in over 250,000 Facebook messages.

    And he’s far from alone.

    NCMEC sends suspected cases of child sexual abuse in this country straight to the NCA, who process them before sending the resulting intelligence to the police.

    In 2021, they contributed to 20,000 criminal investigations across the UK.

    For predators that’s a significant deterrent.

    And for their victims, it’s a lifeline.

    That lifeline is now under threat.

    Despite its past record of dedicated protection, Meta is planning to roll out end-to-end encryption on Messenger and Instagram Direct later this year.

    Unless they build in robust safety measures, that poses a significant risk to child safety.

    Let me be clear.

    Privacy matters.

    The UK government is in favour of protecting online communications.

    And it is possible to offer your customers the privacy they expect…while also maintaining the technical capabilities needed to keep young people safe online.

    Meta are just choosing not to, many others have already taken the same path.

    The consequences of that decision are stark.

    Facebook and Instagram account for over 80% of global NCMEC referrals, meaning that 20 million suspected cases of child sexual abuse a year will go unreported.

    Meta will no longer be able to spot grooming – including cases like David Wilson’s – on their platforms, leaving tens of thousands of children in the UK, and around the world, beyond our help and in danger of exploitation.

    Faced with an epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse Meta have decided to turn a blind eye, and are choosing to allow predators to operate with impunity.

    This is extremely worrying.

    But it also raises questions for parents like myself right across the country.

    Questions about big tech, and the balance of power and responsibility enjoyed by social media companies.

    My children love going to a playground near where we live.

    While they’re there it’s clear who’s responsible for their safety.

    Me of course, as their parent – but also the council, who have a duty to ensure the environment is safe and well-maintained, and our local police force, who have a duty to make sure nothing dangerous or illegal is taking place.

    Both have clear lines of accountability to me and to our local community.

    My children are currently too young to have social media profiles.

    But what happens when they do go online?

    Who’s responsible for their safety?

    And is anyone accountable to them – or to me?

    In my view it’s clear.

    Companies like Meta enjoy vast power and influence over our lives.

    With that power should come responsibility.

    It’s not acceptable for tech executives to make vast profits from their youngest users, only to pass the buck when it comes to protecting them from the dangers on their own platform create.

    The first duty of government is to protect its people, and none are more precious than our children.

    In that sense, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

    Over the past few minutes we’ve covered a lot of frightening statistics.

    But we must never forget that behind every NCMEC referral, flagged image, and Police investigation is a real child being hurt in the real world, for whom the consequences of their victimisation are devastating.

    However it’s not just these children’s futures that are at stake.

    I personally believe you can judge a society by how it looks after its most vulnerable members, and that, in a nutshell, is why this is so fundamental.

    Because the importance we place on protecting our children isn’t just a policy issue.

    It speaks to the health of our society.

    This is a test for governments and tech companies alike.

    For governments: one of resolve, and standing up for what we believe in.

    For tech companies: one of priorities, and making sure they do no harm.

    As with many issues we’re not facing this alone.

    All around the world, governments are in a similar position.

    And each of us has a choice.

    To lean in or to look away.

    Well, I can tell you very clearly:

    This government will not look away.

    Some will have heard the words I have used today to be particularly critical of one company, they are right, I am speaking about Meta specifically and Mark Zuckerberg’s choices particularly. These are his choices, these are our children. He is not alone in making these choices, other companies have done too.

    Let me be clear again: this government will not look away.

    We will shortly be launching a campaign. A campaign to tell parents the truth about Meta’s choices, and what they mean for the safety of their children.

    And a campaign to encourage tech firms to take responsibility and to do the right thing.

    We’ll set out our case in the papers, in magazines, over the airwaves and online.

    We’ll work with law enforcement agencies, children’s safety organisations, like-minded international counterparts through bodies such as the G7 and Five Eyes, and tech experts with authority on technical solutions and their feasibility.

    We will not stop until we are satisfied that Meta and others are serious about finding a solution, and until they have strong safety systems in place to protect children.

    I hope that, like me, this isn’t a fight that you’re prepared to lose, and I hope you’ll join us.

    Our voices are louder when we speak together.

  • Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech to CYBERUK

    Tom Tugendhat – 2023 Speech to CYBERUK

    The speech made by Tom Tugendhat, the Security Minister, in Belfast on 20 April 2023.

    Thank you. It’s an enormous pleasure to be here with you today in Belfast.

    It is also an incredible honour to be here in Belfast on this auspicious occasion. Not just to be here at this conference, but 25 years ago there was the extraordinary moment of the signing of the Good Friday agreement. That wonderful moment that gave hope to a new generation and demonstrated this country, the whole of the UK and the whole of these islands can move on from a difficult past to a much better future.

    It’s a reminder that peace can never be taken for granted, and that service, debate and compromise define what is at the heart of our peaceful and democratic system, and together they must never be neglected.

    It also makes me particularly mindful of my role today. I stand before you as Security Minister of the UK.

    In one respect, that is quite a simple job: keep Britain safe. Of course, that clarity marks a complexity of the challenges we face from terrorism and state threats to organised crime and distributed attacks.

    Those attacks are more your field and its there in the cyber world that the UK faces some of its sternest tests.

    A quick look at the basic figures is enough to bring home the scale and severity of the issue we face.

    New findings released just yesterday from the Cyber Security Breaches Survey show that 32% of businesses experienced at least one cyber breach in the last 12 months.

    This year, for the first time, the survey also tells us how many of these breaches resulted in a cybercrime being committed.

    We can now estimate that 11% of businesses were victim to at least one cybercrime. That cost each of them around £15,000 in the past year.

    We must never lose sight of the fact that behind each of these online statistics is a real-world victim.

    Each is a grandparent defrauded, and stripped of their savings.

    Each is a small business held to ransom, and jobs lost.

    Each is public money stolen, and the taxpayer short-changed.

    The cyber-threat doesn’t just come from criminals. The ongoing war in Ukraine is a constant reminder of the threat we face from hostile actors. Russia has been trying to invade Ukraine’s cyberspace as much as its physical space, threatening critical information, critical services, and critical infrastructure.

    The threat of further cyber fallout from conflict is very real to the United Kingdom and to all our allies.

    At home we are seeing the overlap of state threats, terrorism and organised crime brought together online and off.

    Against this troubling background our mission is clear. We must crack down on cybercrime, we must protect the United Kingdom from the most capable cyber adversaries – states, criminals and terrorists – all are trying to hurt us and all have made the online world work for them, delivering offline political gain and criminal profit.

    That is no small brief, and it is not one any department, certainly not one Minister, can achieve alone.

    That’s why this event is so important to me. This is why I’m so grateful to Lindy for inviting me and so grateful for the opportunity to speak to you. Because what we can achieve together is an all round ecosystem of cyber security built on the UK’s world class foundations of education, expertise, technology and capability.

    The task of cyber security falls to government of course, but also to individuals, law enforcement, and to you, business.

    Now today, I’d like to reflect on how far we’ve come, and where we need to go. Above all, I want to stress the core message, exemplified by those extraordinary events of 25 years ago – that only by working together can we collectively be safe.

    I’d like to briefly outline my priorities in cyber policy, before affirming areas in which government and industry partnerships must go further if we are all going to succeed.

    The government has already made phenomenal progress in building resilience and countering the threat from our adversaries.

    The latest iteration of the National Cyber Strategy set out the UK’s role as a responsible and democratic cyber power, and laid down the framework on which the UK’s security and prosperity can depend.

    It’s the bedrock of everything we do to keep the UK cyber safe.

    It also important that our laws, the software of our society, are updated.

    That’s why we recently published a consultation on improving the Computer Misuse Act, which is an important part of deterring those who would commit crime, and equipping law enforcement to carry out their duties.

    That consultation is for you to contribute to and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

    We are proposing to include powers to take control of domains and IP addresses used by criminals and enable action against individuals in possession of or using data obtained through the criminal actions of others.

    But I say again, your thoughts matter and I’m looking forward to your input.

    We’re building the National Cyber Crime Unit to take on serious cyber criminals.

    Its operational resources must deliver arrests and disruption, and build on the NCA’s enhanced intelligence picture to target criminals where they are most vulnerable.

    We recently helped to dismantle Genesis Market – one of the biggest online marketplaces selling stolen logins and passwords to criminals across the world.

    We’ve built a network of Regional Cyber Crime Units, ensuring that police units have access to specialists and capabilities.

    I must also mention Ransomware attacks, where the National Cyber Security Centre assesses to be in the top tier of online threats to the UK.

    Ransomware criminals cause harm and hurt. They cost more than cash. Hospitals and their patients in a pandemic were targeted, putting people and lives at risk.

    Now this is a global problem, we are working with global partners.

    With the US and others, the UK is a leading member of the international Counter Ransomware Initiative, and together we are going after these criminals.

    Recently we sanctioned seven Russian cyber criminals who were behind some of the most damaging ransomware attacks in the UK in recent years.

    With those priorities in mind, let me now turn to your role in the cyber community. Against this array of challenges, collaboration between government, law enforcement and industry is key.

    I’d like to propose three areas where we must go further and faster, together.

    First, prevention is always better than a cure.

    Sometimes cyberattacks are sophisticated – but the vast majority are in fact simple, and can be easily prevented by a few simple steps.

    Our aim is to make the UK the safest place to be online, and that starts with all of us working to ensure that everyone understands how to protect themselves.

    The NCSC’s Cyber Aware campaign and the work of City of London Police leading this work, is I hope, of use to you all in providing advice that is simple, consistent and based on our collective latest understanding of the threat picture.

    This room is filled with experts so please be active in shaping the guidance so that your staff and customers can avoid becoming victims in the first place.

    Second, our most capable adversaries will only get better.

    Malign states and crime gangs will look for chances in an open internet. We’ve got to do the same to protect ourselves.

    Five years ago, WannaCry wreaked havoc in the NHS, leading to cancelled appointments and postponed operations on a huge scale.

    North Korea’s cyber weapon was heralded in a new business model for criminals around the world.

    Today, Ransomware is a chronic threat and is sold as a service to groups without cyber skills. The barriers to entry have come down. This is a democratisation of crime, just as much as any other.

    The question that we should all be asking is: what next?

    Breaking the future cyber-criminal business model – and understanding tomorrow’s state action in cyber space is key to pushing for more responsible, democratic behaviour.

    The enemy will evolve and so must we.

    Third, new technology will change the world we think we know.

    Dawn has broken on the age of Artificial Intelligence. We’ve only just begun to wake up to the opportunities that will be unlocked in the coming years, and can only guess at the ways in which they’ll transform our world.

    This speech wasn’t written by ChatGPT as you can probably tell. You’re not supposed to laugh at that. Very soon we are going to see Large Language Models such as Open AI’s ChatGPT which are already able to ace the bar exam and indeed write better speeches than this, and suggest new avenues for drug discovery. They’re not thinking yet, it is more pattern recognition and repetition than real thought, but the game is changing already.

    The goal that many are working towards – an Artificial General Intelligence, or AGI – is looking more open and more possible.

    It’s difficult to overstate what this would mean to all of us. Super intelligent computers that learn and develop autonomously would transform our society and our world, and more than almost any other advancement in human history.

    Even in these early stages, AI can enhance our security but it can also threaten it. Our AI capabilities will be at the heart of our mission to protect the UK.

    In Ukraine, AI is already being used to identify malicious Russian behaviour by analysing patterns of activity at huge scale, they are not just finding needles in the haystack but finding out what the haystack itself is saying.

    At home and across our homes in the UK, AI could protect children from predators, unlocking advanced tools and techniques to identify potential grooming behaviour at scale and uncover rings of offenders right across the net.

    However, in our line of work opportunity often comes hand in hand with risk, and AI is no different.

    We already know because we’ve seen it, the cost of the advancement of technology and the challenge it has brought in biological space and we know because we’ve seen it the risks that a pathogen can cause to our world. We need to make sure that we do not see the same risk from AI.

    It’s not hard to see future AGI coding weapons, even now there are threats we must guard against.

    Cyberattacks work when they find vulnerabilities. AI will cut the cost and complication of cyber attacks by automating the hunt for the chinks in our armour.

    Already AI can confuse and copy, spreading lies and committing fraud. Natural language models can mimic credible news sources, pushing disingenuous narratives at huge scale. And AI image and video generation will get better – so called ‘deepfakes’ – which make the danger to our democracy even greater.

    Given the stakes, we can all understand the calls to stop AI development altogether. But the genie won’t go back in the bottle anymore than we can write laws against maths.

    As Robert Oppenheimer once said, ‘technology happens because it is possible’.

    Putin has a longstanding strategic interest in AI, and has commented that ‘whoever becomes leader in this sphere will rule the world’. And China, with its vast data sets and fierce determination is a strong rival.

    But AI also threatens authoritarian control.

    Other than the United States, the UK is one of the only a handful liberal democratic countries that can credibly help lead the world in AI development.

    We can stay ahead but it will demand investment and cooperation and not just by government. Only by working together can we keep Britain in the front rank of AI powers and protect ourselves and our businesses.

    As for the safety of the technology itself, it’s essential that by the time we reach the development of AGI we are confident that it can be safely controlled, and aligned to our values and interests.

    Solving this issue of alignment is where our efforts must lie – not in some King Canute like attempt to stop the inevitable, but in a national mission to ensure that when super intelligent computers do arrive, they make the world safer and more secure.

    Before I finish let me say again what a huge pleasure it is to join you for this outstanding event.

    Last night at dinner I wasn’t with you in the Titanic Hall but instead at Hillsborough castle hearing those that had negotiated the complexity of the Good Friday agreement. I heard about the uncertainty and recriminations and the fear but I also heard about hope and the individual efforts by millions across Northern Ireland, and indeed across the islands of Ireland and Great Britain that changed our lives for the better.

    This morning I’ve heard from others who are taking on a different challenge with its own complexity and uncertainty and indeed its own risk. But I’ve also heard the hope for a better future for us all. As we can cooperate to contain and confront the challenges, I am grateful to you all for everything you have done and continue to do in the name of keeping people safe online.

    This is a ferociously difficult task. But I am constantly inspired and reassured by your talent, expertise and dedication.

    I am very grateful for everything you do and I look forward to us working together to make sure that this revolution, the next revolution, serves us all and keeps us all safe.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2023 Statement on the Artificial Intelligence Regulation White Paper

    Michelle Donelan – 2023 Statement on the Artificial Intelligence Regulation White Paper

    The statement made by Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, in the House of Commons on 29 March 2023.

    I am pleased and excited to announce that today, the Government are publishing their Artificial Intelligence Regulation White Paper.

    AI is one of this Government’s five technologies of tomorrow—bringing stronger growth, better jobs, and bold new discoveries. As a general purpose technology, AI is already delivering wide social and economic benefits, from medical advances to the mitigation of climate change.

    The UK has been at the forefront of this progress, placing third in the world for AI research and development. For example, an AI technology developed by DeepMind, a UK-based business, can now predict the structure of almost every protein known to science. This breakthrough has already helped scientists combat malaria, antibiotic resistance, and plastic waste, and will accelerate the development of life-saving medicines. There is more to come. AI has the potential to transform all areas of life and energise the UK economy. By unleashing innovation and driving growth, AI will create new, good-quality jobs. AI can also improve work by increasing productivity, and making workplaces safer for employees.

    Through the national AI strategy, this Government are committed to strengthening the UK’s position as an AI powerhouse. For example, to boost skills and diversity in AI jobs, the Government have announced £23 million towards 2,000 new AI and data science conversion courses scholarships; £100 million towards AI centres for doctoral training at universities across the country; and over £46 million towards Turing AI fellowships, developing the next generation of top AI talent. Through the technology missions fund, we are investing £110 million in missions on AI for health, AI for net zero, trustworthy and responsible AI, and AI adoption and diffusion. These are part of our £485 million investment in the UKRI AI programme to continue the UK’s leadership in AI and support the transition to an AI-enabled economy.

    We want the whole of society to benefit from the opportunities presented by AI and we know that to achieve this, AI has to be trustworthy. While it offers enormous potential, AI can also create new risks and present us with ethical challenges to address. We already know that some irresponsible uses of AI can damage our physical and mental health, create unacceptable safety risks, and undermine human rights. Proportionate regulation which mitigates these risks is key to building public trust and encouraging investment in AI businesses.

    Businesses have consistently asked for clear, proportionate regulatory requirements and better guidance and tools to support responsible innovation. When we set out our proposals for a proportionate and pro-innovation approach in July last year, they received widespread support from industry. Our approach is in stark contrast to the rigid approaches taken elsewhere which risk stifling innovation and putting huge burdens on small business.

    The recent report led by Sir Patrick Vallance—“regulation for innovation”—identified that we have a short window for the UK to take up a position as a global leader in foundational AI development and create an innovation-friendly approach to regulating AI. We know we need to act now. I am proud to set out a proportionate and future-proof framework for regulating this truly exciting, paradigm-shifting technology.

    Our framework for AI regulation is outcome-focused, proportionate, and adaptable. It will be sensitive to context to avoid stifling innovation, and will prioritise collaboration—between Government, regulators, industry, academia, civil society and wider stakeholders. The framework will be underpinned by five principles. These five principles are a clear statement of what we think good, responsible, trustworthy AI looks like—reflecting the values at the core of our society. These are: safety, security and robustness; appropriate transparency and explainability; fairness; accountability and governance; and contestability and redress. We will work with the UK’s highly regarded regulators and empower them to apply the five principles using their sector-specific expertise.

    As automated decision-making systems are increasingly AI-driven, it is important to align the article 22 reforms in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill with the UK’s wider approach to AI regulation. The reforms in the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill cast article 22 as a right to specific safeguards, rather than as a general prohibition on solely automated decision making and also clarify that a “solely” automated decision is one that is taken without any meaningful human involvement. Meaningful involvement means a human’s participation must go beyond a cursory or “rubber stamping” exercise—and assumes they understand the process and influence the outcome reached for the data subject.

    AI opportunities and risks are emerging at an extraordinary pace. We need only look to the sudden increase in public awareness of generative AI over recent months as an example. As such, the framework will initially be introduced on a non-statutory basis and we are deliberately taking an iterative, collaborative approach—testing and learning, flexing and refining the framework as we go. This will allow us to respond quickly to advances in AI and to intervene further if necessary.

    We will establish central functions to make sure our approach is working effectively and getting the balance right between supporting innovation and addressing risk. These will monitor how it is operating but also horizon scan so we understand how AI technology is evolving and how risks and opportunities are changing. Taking forward Patrick Vallance’s recommendation, they will also support the delivery of testbeds and sandbox initiatives to help AI innovators get AI technologies to market.

    We are deliberately seeking to find the right balance between more rigid approaches to AI regulation on the one hand, and those who would argue that there is no need to intervene on the other. This position and this approach will protect our values, protect our citizens, and continue the UK’s reputation as the best place in the world to be a business developing and using AI.

    Alongside this White Paper, we are also committed to strengthening UK AI capability. We are establishing a foundation model taskforce, a Government-industry team which will define and deliver the right interventions and investment in AI foundation models—a type of AI which looks set to be transformative—to ensure the UK builds its capability.

    We recognise that there are many voices to be heard, and many ways that we can learn from across the whole of society, industry, academia, and our global partners. We have been engaging with regulators and a range of stakeholders as we develop our proposals and I actively encourage colleagues and stakeholders across the whole of the economy and society to respond to the consultation. I will be placing copies of the White Paper in the Libraries of both Houses, and it is also available on gov.uk.

  • Chi Onwurah – 2023 Speech on the Science and Technology Framework

    Chi Onwurah – 2023 Speech on the Science and Technology Framework

    The speech made by Chi Onwurah, the Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, in the House of Commons on 7 March 2023.

    I welcome the Secretary of State to her place, and I thank her for the advance notice of her statement.

    I welcome the framework. It will take pride of place on my virtual bookshelf next to the Government’s innovation strategy, the R&D road map, the science plan, numerous grand challenges, industrial strategies, sector deals and two UKRI reorganisations. We have seen nine changes of Science Minister in five years. Britain is a world-leading science nation, and we deserve a framework with a longer shelf life than a lettuce, especially given the shortage of salad items under this Government.

    It is good to see the Government setting out the principles for identifying the scientific capabilities that we need to protect and grow, and the outcomes that we wish to see from science, as well as seeking to increase STEM skills in teaching and support for start-ups and spin-outs. On the eve of International Women’s Day, and as a chartered engineer, I enthusiastically welcome the ambition to diversify the science and technology workforce. Let us work together to make that ambition a reality.

    I have a number of questions for the Secretary of State. How do the five critical technologies in the framework relate to the 17 sensitive areas in the National Security and Investment Act 2021, and the five key growth industries in the autumn statement? When will each critical technology have the appropriate regulatory framework that she talked about? Science-driven industries critical to our future prosperity, such as space, autonomous vehicles, batteries and steel, are not even mentioned. Labour has committed to an industrial strategy council on a statutory footing. Do Government have an industrial strategy?

    The framework rightly says that procurement is key to innovation. Why, then, have the Government objected to our amendments to the Procurement Bill to ensure that procurement is not captured by cronyism? The Government committed to £22 billion of science funding by 2027. Will the Secretary of State say what the current funding commitment is now? How much of the £370 million mentioned in the framework is truly new? If it is new, how is she paying for it? The Government promised that science spend will double, but the framework talks of raising science spend outside the greater south-east by only 40%. That suggests that our regional centres of innovation will not benefit from this increased funding. Is that all she has to say about the importance of regional innovation? What of the clusters that the Science Minister talks up so much?

    Start-ups and scale-ups are key to sustainable green growth, but the £10 million uplift to the seed fund mentioned here would not meet the early-stage funding requirements of one future Google. Will the Government adopt the recommendations of Labour’s start-up and scale-up review to drive innovative growth across our country?

    The biggest question is what is not in the framework—Horizon Europe, the world’s biggest science programme. Did the Secretary of State really think that she could get through the statement without even mentioning it? Thanks to the Tories, our brightest and best UK scientists are still having to choose between the funding that they desperately need and the country that they love. British research and British business are feeling the chilling impact of not being part of the world’s greatest scientific collaboration. Can the Secretary of State confirm that now that the Windsor framework has been agreed, Horizon association will follow? Specifically, will the Chancellor’s Budget next week include association funding?

    Labour believes that innovation and science are critical to building strong and self-sufficient national and regional economies. We see a clear path from investing in scientific research to the jobs that people can raise a family on. With our ambitious national missions, Labour would stoke the innovation engine to drive high-skilled growth, access new and diverse talent pools and catalyse regions that have been left out of science investment. I fear that this framework is another wish list designed to be shelved or scrapped at the earliest convenience of a Government addicted to sticking-plaster policies. Only a Labour Government, with our long-term industrial strategy, will deliver the science sector and the jobs that our country needs.

    Michelle Donelan

    I thank the hon. Member for her comments, but in reality it is this Government who are here today delivering jobs and a better future for the British public. As I said in my statement, we are focusing not only on actions today, but on a strategic long-term approach to ensure that we are a science and technology superpower by 2030.

    The hon. Member said that there are more technologies than the five that we have identified. Of course there are. The ones we have identified are the key strategic ones, but there is a great deal of work that my ministerial team and I are doing. On funding, we are investing £20 billion by 2024-25, as we have said on the record. The £370 million that we announced yesterday is a new spending commitment that we had not previously outlined. On geographical spread across the nation, we have made a strategic commitment to ensure that 55% of the spend is outside the south-east.

    The framework that we have set out is just one part of the work that my Department is doing. Let us not forget that it was established just four weeks ago. In one month, we have not only published a comprehensive framework plan, but got on with key actions to drive the agenda forward. This Government mean business. We have worked very hard in the past few weeks to talk collaboratively with industry and with researchers.

    I am not going to take the Opposition’s word about what is wrong. Let us have a look at what experts and people on the ground have to say. Professor Sir Ian Boyd, president of the Royal Society of Biology, says:

    “Science and technology is already a central plank of modern life. Putting this centre-stage in government strategy is essential and welcome.”

    Professor Julia Black, president of the British Academy, says:

    “The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s announcements reaffirm the Government’s ambition to put the UK at the forefront of global research, development and innovation”.

    I could go on all day long, because our announcement has been wholeheartedly welcomed.

    The hon. Member asked about Horizon. This is an announcement about our framework—that is what is on the annunciator screen—and not about Horizon, but I will answer her question anyway. We have not changed our position on Horizon. For the past two years, we have tried to associate. It was in the original deal, and we welcome the comments from the EU. Of course, terms would have to be favourable for the UK—we have lost two years—and we would have to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. We cannot wait around for another two years, because we want to put our researchers first. That is why we have done the responsible and right thing and worked up a plan B, which stands ready should we need it, but our position on Horizon has not changed. We look forward to continuing our conversations with the EU.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2023 Statement on the Science and Technology Framework

    Michelle Donelan – 2023 Statement on the Science and Technology Framework

    The statement made by Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, in the House of Commons on 7 March 2023.

    The creation of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology marks a watershed moment for science, innovation and technology in the UK. We now have a Government Department that focuses on a single mission: to make the UK a science and technology superpower. Science and technology is absolutely critical to the UK’s future prosperity and security, and to the health and wellbeing of our citizens and our environment. That is why it is a central pillar of the integrated review. Countries that embrace science and technology will be prosperous and secure, home to the innovators and technology companies of the future. Those that don’t, won’t.

    My vision for DSIT starts from an extraordinary position. Last year, the UK joined only China and the US in having a technology sector worth over $1 trillion. Despite our relative size, Britain outperforms our closest competitors and we are a main challenger nation to the US and China in many areas. We have four of the world’s top 10 universities. Just eight of our university towns are home to more unicorns than the whole of France and Germany combined. However, when other countries are investing further and faster in science and tech, we must do the same. We have an incredibly unique and powerful platform from which to grow and innovate for the benefit of the British people, which is why I have said I plan to take a ruthlessly outcome-focused approach to this new Department.

    I will ensure that in both the short term and the long term, our work is based on improving people’s daily lives in ways they can feel and see around them. The Government’s vision for the future is an NHS that uses artificial intelligence to find, treat and reduce illnesses such as cancer and heart disease, so we have more time with our loved ones. We should have local transport services that allow us to travel faster, safer and cleaner than our parents did. The schools of the future should be powered by the kinds of technology that unlock hidden talents in every child, no matter where they live. As the “Department for the Future”, our focus will be on how science, technology and innovation can ensure the British people live longer, safer, healthier and happier lives.

    Such an important goal requires immediate action, which is why in my first few weeks as Technology Secretary I have been focused relentlessly on action and delivery. I see this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to send a clear signal around the world that Britain plans to lead the way in science, innovation and technology. The key steps we have taken are as follows.

    Yesterday, we published the UK science and technology framework, which sets out our goals and vision for science and technology in an enduring framework that will see us through to 2030. It has been developed in close collaboration with the UK science and technology sector, and represents a commitment to scaling our ambitions and delivering the most critical action needed to secure strategic advantage through science and technology. The framework is the strategic anchor that Government policy will deliver against, and to which the Government will hold themselves accountable. It sets out 10 things that the Government must do to sustain strategic advantage in science and technology.

    First, we must identify the technologies most critical to the UK’s objectives. Secondly, we must signal the UK’s science and technology strengths and ambitions both at home and abroad to attract talent and investment and boost our global influence. Thirdly, we must boost private and public investment in research and development for economic growth and better productivity.

    Fourthly, we must build on the UK’s already amazing talent and skills base. Fifthly, we must finance innovative science and technology companies. Sixthly, we must use Government procurement to stimulate innovation in key sectors and technologies. Seventhly, we must take international opportunities to shape the global science and technology landscape through strategic international engagement, diplomacy and partnerships.

    Eighthly, we must ensure that science and technology objectives are supported by access to the best physical and digital infrastructure that will attract talent, investment and discoveries. Ninthly, we must leverage post-Brexit freedoms to create world-leading pro-innovation regulation and influence global technological standards. Tenthly, we must create a pro-innovation culture throughout the UK’s public sector to improve the way our public services run.

    We have also taken immediate steps. The delivery of this new framework will begin immediately with an initial raft of projects worth around £500 million, of which £370 million is new money. That will ensure that the UK has the skills and infrastructure to take a global lead in game-changing technologies. That includes £250 million of investment in three truly transformational technologies to build on the UK’s leadership in AI, quantum technologies and engineering biology. That funding will help a range of industries tackle the biggest global challenges such as climate change and healthcare and will form part of our commitment to the five key technologies, which include semiconductors and future telecommunications.

    We have also published Sir Paul Nurse’s “Independent Review of the UK’s Research, Development and Innovation Organisational Landscape”, with recommendations to make the most of the UK’s research organisations, testing different science funding models to support a range of innovative institutional models, such as focused research organisations, working with industry and partners to open up new funding opportunities. Up to £50 million will spur co-investment in science from the private sector and philanthropists, to drive the discoveries of the future, subject to business cases. The Government are already in talks with Schmidt Futures, a philanthropic initiative by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, about additional support of up to $20 million as part of that work.

    Some £117 million of existing funding will create hundreds of new PhDs for AI researchers, and £8 million will help to find the next generation of AI leaders around the world. A £50 million uplift to world-class labs funding will help research institutes and universities to improve facilities, so that UK researchers have access to the very best labs and equipment that they need to keep producing that world-class science. A £10 million uplift to the UK innovation and science seed fund, totalling £50 million, will boost the UK’s next technology and science start-ups, which could be the next Apple, Google or Tesla.

    We have outlined plans to set up an Exascale supercomputer facility—the most powerful compute capability, which could solve problems as complex as nuclear fusion, as well as a programme to provide dedicated compute capacity for important AI research, as part of our initial response to the future of compute review, which was also published yesterday. Some £9 million in Government funding will support the establishment of a quantum computing research centre in Daresbury in the north-west.

    On next steps, each of the 10 framework strands has a lead Department tasked with putting in place a clear action plan, to which they will be accountable during the year. Delivery against those plans will be overseen by the National Science and Technology Council, which will hold Departments to account and drive pace. Alongside the development of those ambitious plans and the framework, we have also set out our initial work under each of the 10 priorities, which will include our skills and talent base.

    On priority technologies, we will develop a pro-innovation approach to regulating AI, which will be detailed in our White Paper in the coming weeks. On R&D investment, we will respond to the Tickell review of research bureaucracy, and Sir Paul Nurse’s review of the research, development and innovation landscape. We will work with industry and partners to increase inward investment by the summer recess. On financing innovative science and technology companies, we will build on the strong track record of the British Business Bank to strengthen support for the UK’s science and technology companies.

    This ambitious plan will focus on getting actions out the door now, as well as a plan for the future. This Government are both reactive and, crucially, proactive when it comes to science and technology, to ensure that we can be a superpower by 2030.