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The speech is the first delivered under the new Labour government
At the state opening of parliament yesterday, the new government set out its agenda for its tenure ahead. At the centre of the event was a speech from the King, written by the new government, which outlines the government’s agenda and proposed policies for the coming parliamentary session.
Of the 40 bills mentioned in the speech, there were three of relevance to the telco sector:
The ‘Cyber Security and Resilience Bill’ aims to address the increasing number of cyber threats that the country faces. To prevent cyberattacks, such as the recent cyberattack on London hospitals, this new bill will strengthen the country’s cyber defences, ensure essential cyber safety measures are being implemented fully, and mandating increased incident reporting.
The ‘Digital Information and Smart Data Bill’ will enable new uses of data to be developed and deployed safely, as well as improving data sharing standards. The bill builds on the news government’s commitment to better serve the British public through science and technology. The bill, the government says, will result in more and better digital public services.
The ‘Planning and Infrastructure Bill’, according to the King, “will get Britain building, including through planning reform, as they [the government] seek to accelerate the delivery of high-quality infrastructure and housing. They will also pursue sustainable growth by encouraging investment in industry, skills and new technologies.” The planning system will face reform at local level, which will increase the speeds of infrastructure builds.
The ongoing Project Gigabit, the UK government initiative aimed at providing high-speed, reliable broadband internet to areas that are currently underserved or lack adequate connectivity, was not mentioned directly, and instead was granted a few lines in the party manifesto. The project currently aims to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to at last 85% of UK premises by 2025 and the whole of the UK (roughly 99%) by 2030.
In the Labour party’s manifesto, published on 13 June, the party blamed the Conservative government for underfunding digital infrastructure, leaving the UK lagging behind its international peers.
“Under the Conservatives, investment in 5G is falling behind other countries and the rollout of gigabit broadband has been slow. Labour will make a renewed push to fulfil the ambition of full gigabit and national 5G coverage by 2030.”
It is worth noting here that the King’s speech made no specific mention of the new AI laws the Labour government is expected to introduce, saying only that the government will “seek to establish the appropriate legislation to place requirements on those working to develop the most powerful artificial intelligence models”.
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