Autumn Budget: R&D and AI push faces delivery questions Tech Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget set out one of the largest public investments in UK research and innovation in decades, with billions earmarked for R&D, AI, and the industrial strategy. UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) will receive £38.6bn, including £9bn for government priority sectors such as AI, quantum computing, and engineering biology. Meanwhile, £7bn is set [...]
Labour hopes AI will save UK economy from jobs crisis Tech The government has announced a sweeping package of AI investment intended to create thousands of new jobs across the UK, at a time when businesses warn that rising employment costs and rapid advances in AI are already driving workforce reductions. Ministers have confirmed billions of pounds of private and public AI investment, including a new [...]
Wimbledon set to get exemption from anti-ticket touting law for debentures Sport Business Wimbledon chiefs are set to receive an exemption from legislation to be introduced in next year’s King’s Speech that would ban the resale of tickets above face value for sport and music events. The proposed new laws – designed to stamp out touting – would have a significant impact on the sale of debentures by [...]
Cyber roles demand soars as UK firms scramble to plug skills gap November 13, 2025 Demand for cybersecurity training across UK businesses has surged following a wave of cyberattacks on major firms and public bodies, as employers scramble to strengthen defences ahead of new government rules. The rise in attacks, including one that crippled Jaguar Land Rover’s operations earlier this year, has coincided with a sharp rise in firms seeking [...]
Labour tightens cyber rules after JLR and M&S breaches November 12, 2025 The government has introduced its long-awaited cyber security and resilience bill to parliament, promising to toughen the UK’s defences against the growing wave of cyberattacks on businesses and public services. Ministers say the new legislation represents a ‘step change’ in national security, with the aim of protecting vital services such as energy, water and healthcare [...]
Labour trails plans to fight cyberattacks October 30, 2025 The UK government is set to take further action to bolster national cyber resilience, City AM understands, as cybercrime continues to surge across the country. High-profile attacks on businesses, from smaller firms to major supply chains, have unveiled deep cracks and vulnerabilities in the economy. Tech secretary Liz Kendall told City AM: “We’re working really [...]
Labour’s Liz Kendall unveils record £55bn R&D boost for UK innovation October 30, 2025 Labour has announced a £55bn funding boost for science and technology, dubbing it the largest-ever long-term investment in UK research and development (R&D). The plan, confirmed today by the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), will pour billions into British research agencies and innovation bodies through to 2030 – part of the government’s drive [...]
Exclusive: Liz Kendall bets £55bn to close UK innovation gap October 30, 2025 Britain’s new tech secretary, Liz Kendall, insists the government’s record £55bn R&D package marks a turning point for UK innovation, but with the country still lagging global rivals in key sectors, questions remain over whether even this scale of investment can close the gap. The funding, confirmed on Thursday by the Department for Science, Innovation [...]
Labour to use tech to ‘shock’ UK economy into growth October 27, 2025 The UK’s Labour government is positioning deregulation and AI adoption as two key levers used to address its inherited ‘growth emergency’. Peter Kyle, business secretary and former tech secretary, recently doubled down on this strategy, articulating the dire need for the UK to aggressively “innovate its way out” of a low-growth cycle. “I’ve never known [...]
Can Britain’s AI growth lab speed up innovation without risking safety? October 24, 2025 The UK government’s recent unveiling of an AI ‘growth lab’ – a sandbox designed to let companies trial AI under relaxed regulatory conditions – has been hailed as a bold step to accelerate innovation. At the Times Tech Summit on Tuesday, tech secretary Liz Kendall dubbed it as a chance to remove the “needless red [...]