‘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, [...]
Burnham accused of gutting tech department’s ‘biggest strength’ Tech 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 [...]
‘Phenomenal waste of time’: Burnham slammed over plans to dismantle tech department Tech 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 [...]
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 [...]
Sadiq Khan urges tougher Ofcom action as UK prepares social media ban rules July 14, 2026 Sadiq Khan has called on social media companies to change algorithms that promote violent and misogynistic material, as London launches a £5m programme to tackle the effect of online harms on young people. The mayor of London also believes the state should be ready to intervene where platforms cannot or will not change their recommendation [...]
Kids aren’t using VPNs to watch porn and skirt social media bans, VPN firms say July 13, 2026 Only around one per cent of children use virtual private networks (VPNs) to access age-restricted content, research commissioned by VPN providers suggests, as the industry awaits a key announcement from government this week over how the under-16 social media ban will be enforced. A YouGov survey commissioned by the VPN Trust Initiative, founded by NordVPN, [...]
‘The problems didn’t begin with John Edwards’: Pressure grows for wider data watchdog overhaul July 9, 2026 John Edwards’ resignation was meant to draw a line under the workplace misconduct scandal that engulfed Britain’s data watchdog. Instead, it has shifted scrutiny onto the leadership that surrounded him – and of the regulator’s record long before he stepped down. Tech secretary Liz Kendall told MPs on Wednesday she was “appalled” to learn Edwards [...]
Kendall blasts ‘unacceptably slow’ online safety laws as VPN loophole grows July 8, 2026 Liz Kendall has admitted parliament is moving “unacceptably slow” on regulating online platforms, as ministers face questions over whether teenagers will simply use VPNs to dodge the UK’s incoming under-16 social media ban. Speaking to the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on Wednesday, the tech secretary said the eight-year journey from the first ideas behind [...]
Google ‘disappointed’ as Youtube swept into UK social media ban June 29, 2026 Google has said it is “disappointing” that Youtube has been included in the government’s planned ban on social media for under-16s, warning the measures risk cutting children off from one of the internet’s biggest educational resources. The rebuke forms the firm’s strongest response yet to Keir Starmer’s plans to prohibit children under 16 from using [...]