The UK election on 4 July 2024 brought the new Labour government a substantial working majority and an opportunity to deliver change to the UK’s data industries as part of its commitment to “national renewal”. But is its commitment to digital slow and steady, or is it showing signs of passion and energy towards the sector? Will it deliver a digital revolution or simply some pragmatic tweaking to align the UK more closely with the EU’s digital strategy?

The first indications of the new government’s approach came through the King’s speech, which although delivered by the King among much pageantry, is written by the government as an indication of its legislative agenda. This came on 17 July 2024, and along with more detailed briefing notes, included two proposed bills that relate to changes to the UK’s data protection and cyber security regulatory regimes. Since then, we have also seen efforts to bolster The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and to look for AI opportunities.