WIREDGOV

Today (23 June) marks one year since the UK government launched the Industrial Strategy’s Digital & Technologies Sector Plan, which contains over 50 commitments to support and grow the UK’s tech sector. Drawing on government announcements, feedback from techUK members, and Public First polling, we assess the progress of the D&T Sector Plan and make recommendations for its second year. 

Overall, early implementation – with the notable exception of electricity support for digital infrastructure – is broadly encouraging. However, for the D&T Sector Plan to generate tangible, long-lasting impact in the tech sector, policy stability and certainty are now required. Therefore, on the day after Keir Starmer announced his resignation as Prime Minister, techUK calls on the next government to maintain its commitment to the ten-year D&T Sector Plan and continue to play an active and strategic role in developing the UK’s tech sector.  

Implementation is broadly positive… 

As techUK’s D&T Sector Plan Tracker shows, implementation of the government commitments has been good over the first year. 60% of the Plan’s commitments have been implemented, just 5% of commitments have not been implemented, with the remaining 35% partially implemented.

Progress includes: 

• Almost £4 billion in R&D funding allocated to the Plan’s six frontier technologies, part of the government’s total £86 billion R&D investment between 2026/27 and 2029/30 
• Slowly but surely unlocking pension fund capital to drive investment in tech companies, through the British Business Bank’s British Growth Partnership Fund I and the passage of the Pensions Schemes Act 2026 
• Establishing the Global Talent Fund to support the relocation of international researchers to the UK 
• Up to £2 billion to invest in quantum technology development, skills and facilities, with £1 billion earmarked for procuring large-scale quantum computers 
• Setting up the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund, backed by up to £500m, to develop innovation clusters across the UK 

Despite this, there is a notable lack of progress in other areas: 

• Electricity – both costs and the speed of grid connections – is still a significant barrier for digital infrastructure 
• Government delayed its decision on AI and copyright, at a time when the UK’s international competitors are moving ahead with clearer enabling frameworks for AI innovation 

Overall, however, the D&T Sector Plan has largely followed through on the commitments it set out.

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