Labour’s shadow science, innovation, and technology secretary has unveiled Labour’s manifesto for the UK’s tech sector, including relaxing planning policies for data centres, ramping up procurement support, toughening AI regulations and creating a national data library. Peter Kyle told an audience at London Tech Week. on Wednesday: “Britain is uniquely positioned to benefit from new technologies like AI.
” He added that Labour would “place technology at the heart of our missions and unblock tech barriers to restart the engine of our economy.” As part of its ambitions, Labour wants to amend planning policies to enable the construction of more data centres, particularly on the green belt, bypassing local council opposition. By classifying data centres as nationally significant infrastructure projects, Labour plans to address a current shortage and meet the growing demand for cloud computing and AI.
A plan to build a data centre on a former quarry next to the M25 was shunned by the government last year, partly due to its potential to ruin the view from the motorway’s bridges. “Under the Conservatives, the planning system has become a handbrake on businesses,” said Kyle. In addition to easing planning restrictions, Labour plans to reform procurement rules, making it easier for start-ups to bid for government contracts.
Small businesses have been “locked out of the procurement system,” being left to face an increasing number of requirements, micromanagement,.