Labour warned UK at risk of foreign tech giants ‘pulling the plug’ Tech Labour has “no plan” if foreign technology companies or governments cut Britain off from systems underpinning critical services, the Liberal Democrats have warned, after ministers acknowledged the risks posed by the UK’s reliance on overseas tech. Victoria Collins, the Lib Dems’ tech spokesperson, accused the government of handing “contract after contract to foreign tech oligarchs” [...]
Government admits Burnham’s Whitehall shake-up leaves tech policy in limbo Tech Nearly two months after Andy Burnham abolished Britain’s technology department, ministers have admitted parts of the former department still have nowhere to go. A long-awaited breakdown of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) carve-up revealed a “small number of policy areas” are yet to be allocated, while some staff are still waiting to [...]
‘Absurd’: Government seeks quantum tech chief – no experience necessary Tech The government is recruiting a senior official to oversee billions of pounds of quantum investment despite saying candidates do not need any background in the technology. A job advert for a deputy head of the Office for Quantum published on Tuesday says the successful candidate could oversee the rollout of the UK’s national quantum programme, [...]
Breaking up the science department is a setback for Britain’s AI ambitions July 27, 2026 Spreading AI across four different departments is a mistake Andy Burnham will come to regret, says Eliot Wilson Last Tuesday, on his first full day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham killed the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. That has set back the UK’s approach to science policy by several years, for reasons which are [...]
Burnham accused of gutting tech department’s ‘biggest strength’ July 23, 2026 Andy Burnham’s decision to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) will split up the teams it was created to bring together, according to its former top civil servant. A leaked internal government document shows AI, digital and science responsibilities being divided between three departments as ministers begin dismantling DSIT less than three [...]
UK government probes OpenAI breach after ‘unprecedented’ hack July 22, 2026 The UK government is probing the first known case of an artificial intelligence model breaking out of a controlled test by itself and hacking another company’s systems. Officials at the government-backed AI Security Institute (AISI) are investigating the security breach at OpenAI and whether similar incidents could occur at other top developers, a spokesperson told [...]
‘Phenomenal waste of time’: Burnham slammed over plans to dismantle tech department July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham faced immediate questions over his decision to abolish the tech department on Tuesday, as peers warned the move risked disrupting Britain’s AI strategy. Ministers were hauled before the House of Lords less than a day after the machinery of government changes to the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) were announced, where [...]
‘Fantastic news’ as Burnham brings Britain’s AI minister into Cabinet July 21, 2026 Andy Burnham has promoted Kanishka Narayan to a Cabinet position as Britain’s AI minister as part of his first major government reshuffle, handing artificial intelligence its first dedicated seat at the Cabinet table. Narayan will attend Cabinet for the first time after surviving Burnham’s sweeping reshuffle, which saw several senior ministers leave government and the [...]
‘Pro-business’ Burnham eyes Reynolds return to top business job July 18, 2026 Andy Burnham is planning to bring Jonathan Reynolds back as business secretary as the incoming prime minister moves to deliver on his pledge to lead a “pro-business” government. Reynolds, who served as business secretary until last September before becoming chief whip, is expected to return to the department when Burnham unveils his cabinet this week, [...]
Government accelerates social media crackdown with midnight curfews July 14, 2026 Teenagers will face a default midnight social media curfew and stripped-back social media feeds under the government’s latest crackdown on addictive online features – but they will be able to switch the restrictions off themselves. Tech secretary Liz Kendall has announced social media platforms will disable auto-play and infinite scroll-style recommendations and restrict overnight access [...]