The UK Government has brought out a UK Digital Strategy. Tech Minister Chris Philp of the DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport) unveiled it at London Tech Week.
He said: “Developed economies face long-term challenges around growth, productivity and real wages. Just as Thatcher unleashed the power of the market to transform our economy in the 1980s, unleashing the power of the tech sector will transform our economy today. In the last five years the UK has raced ahead of Europe to become a global tech leader and now we’re setting the course for the future. The Digital Strategy is the roadmap we will follow to strengthen our global position as a science and technology superpower. Our future prosperity and place in the world depends on it.”
As for skills, the DCMS reports that employers say the lack of available talent is the single biggest factor holding back growth. Estimates suggest the digital skills gap costs the UK economy as much as £63 billion a year in potential GDP. For the strategy visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uks-digital-strategy.
The Government promises further detail on plans for other major digital industries; such as reforms to the data protection law, now that the UK has left the European Union – the Data Protection Act 2018, the current law, is the EU-wide GDPR.
On cyber, the document talks of the Government’s ‘overarching ambition to keep our digital systems, platforms, devices and infrastructure secure …. This will ensure that the UK continues to be a leading responsible and democratic cyber power, able to protect and support our interests in and through cyberspace to achieve our national goals (as set out in the National Cyber Strategy)’.
Comment
Paul Fletcher, CEO of Nominet, the internet registry, says: “We welcome the Government’s goal of ensuring that a free and open Internet will be robustly defended – even under growing geopolitical pressure. Our work as a responsible domain registry and in cyber security shows us the Internet remains under constant threat from hostile actors – spreading disinformation, running both targeted and indiscriminate cyberattacks which can be devastating. The Government clearly recognises the scope of threat we now face, and the need to invest in the UK’s capabilities as a responsible cyber power.
“It’s also important the government isn’t just recognising the threat beyond our borders – but the growing need to ensure that the benefits of a digital economy can be felt by the whole of society. Nominet has committed to funding over £60m of public benefit projects over the next few years – supporting vital online safety education through the Safer Internet Centre, while also funding projects that help underserved groups find new roles in the world of tech or support them with the tools they need to make living in a digital society possible.”
