techUK news and views
20 Jan 2025

A note from techUK CEO, Julian David: Our collective achievements in 2024 and looking ahead to 2025

Read a summary of our 2024 accomplishments from techUK CEO, Julian David.

Last week the Government made its first significant tech announcement with the AI Opportunities Action Plan which reflects priorities techUK has long championed in our engagement.

To reflect on this and our other collective successes, I am today sharing a summary of our accomplishments in shaping the discourse in our industry in 2024. These milestones highlight how, by working with our members and stakeholders, techUK has not only amplified our industry’s impact but has solidified our standing as the authority advocating for the interests of our members across a diverse range of sectors.

Our efforts to engage with the new government have been successful, and we have expanded our influence into vital areas such as DeepTech, Gaming and Higher Education. At the same time, we’ve continued to strengthen our policy leadership in critical sectors including Defence, Cyber Security, Public Safety, Energy, Data Centres, Telecoms, and International Trade. This has been integral to our ability to represent the evolving needs of our membership.

I recognise that 2024 has been a challenging year for many businesses and their leaders. Our joint survey with Public First, which captured the views of 250 senior decision-makers in technology, revealed some stark concerns. While the UK has cultivated a relatively competitive environment, the high cost of doing business—rising energy prices, business taxes, the pressure of interest rates, and regulatory burdens—remains a significant concern for tech companies striving for sustainable growth.

In spite of these challenges, techUK remains resolute in our commitment to champion your interests. The post-election environment may be tough, but we are continuing to act with a unified voice as we engage directly with the Chancellor and other key government ministers. Our recommendations are clear: we must unlock the conditions for economic stability, foster innovation, and accelerate growth, ensuring that we collectively achieve the shared ambition of a thriving tech ecosystem.

Let’s continue this momentum into 2025, building on the solid foundation we’ve laid together.

Julian David
CEO, techUK

 

Our collective achievements in 2024 and looking ahead to 2025

Policy success

In March we launched our Seven Tech Priorities report detailing the key priorities for any incoming government. Recommendations included the below, which we have now seen the new Government take forward in recent months:

  1. Introducing an updated AI Strategy;
  2. Removing barriers to the digitisation of public services; and
  3. Establishing a new regulatory model that recognises the strategic economic importance of our regulators.

In May, the General Election was called for 4 July. Labour’s Manifesto, included numerous recommendations that techUK had been advocating for over the previous 18-months, including:

  1. Taking a more industrial strategy approach to AI  
  2. Reforming planning rules to better support the construction of new digital infrastructure, with Data Centres specifically named  
  3. Improving the regulatory system with more Government oversight and a focus on growth through the new Regulatory Innovation Office  
  4. Improving data sharing across the economy and public services  
  5. Skills reforms including curriculum updates and the reform of the apprenticeship levy  
  6. Strengthening DSIT into an economic and delivery department in addition to its policy role  
  7. Seek to negotiate standalone sector deals, such as digital, or mutual recognition agreements, to promote UK services exports  

Post Election, the new Labour Government outlined its legislative plan in the King’s Speech. This included several techUK policy priorities: 

  • The Data (Use and Access) Bill: A welcome addition following techUK’s open letter on the need to modernise the UK’s data protection legislation and replaces the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.
  • The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill: Consultation with industry has already begun but it is widely accepted that the UK has fallen behind its counterparts in terms of cybersecurity legislation. 
  • Planning and Infrastructure Bill: This will likely be the vehicle for National Planning Policy Framework changes including recategorising data centres as Nationally-Significant Infrastructure Projects.
  • The Railways Bill: This is likely to include the use of technological solutions such as automatic compensation, digital pay-as-you-go and digital season ticketing across the network. 

In October, the Autumn Statement included further announcements that techUK had advocated for. These included: 

  • The Cross-Government review of technology adoption for growth, innovation and productivity.  
  • A commitment to encourage digital adoption in SMEs through e-invoicing and a renewed Digital Adoption Taskforce
  • Investment into modernising IT and data systems within HMRC. This follows techUK raising a specific failure on customer service from HMRC on the delivery of the R&D tax credit.
  • An extension of the Innovation Accelerators programme to bolster high-potential innovation clusters across the Glasgow City Region, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands. 
  • A commitment to continue to deliver Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network.  
  • Funding for the Made Smarter Adoption programme will double to £16 million, supporting more small manufacturing businesses to adopt advanced digital technologies.
  • It was confirmed that core R&D budgets would be protected, with a real terms increase in funding for the National Institute for Health and Care Research to support the NHS and wider heath care system to drive revolution through research, life sciences, med tech and data.  
  • Clarifications on how full expensing applies to computer software and what qualifies for different capital allowances. 

Many of the above were called for in techUK’s Growth Plan, which we published in 2024.

Reports and publications:

Thought leadership:

Looking ahead to 2025:

  • Delivery of the AI Opportunities Action Plan: We have seen the Government publish the outcomes of Matt Clifford’s review into how the UK could strengthen its global competitiveness in AI development and adoption. Now the focus turns to delivery of the Plan’s 50 recommendations across key areas including improving data capabilities and access, developing AI talent and driving adoption across both public and private sectors.
  • The UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy: In October 2024, the Government published their draft Industrial Strategy Green Paper which techUK responded to. Outlined in this Green Paper was the Government’s commitment to addressing the UK’s growth challenges across skills, competition and technology adoption. The aim is for the feedback from this to feed into a more developed strategy to be published in Spring 2025. 
  • NHS 10-year Health Plan: In October it was also announced that the Government was taking views on the long-term reforms to the NHS. The recommendations are set to be published in Spring 2025 and is expected to cover three core shifts in healthcare: hospital to community; analogue to digital; and sickness to prevention. With extensive funding to the NHS committed to in the Autumn Statement in 2024, improving the structures and delivery of care across the sector will be a consistent focus for this year. 
  • The new Centre for Digital Government: Announced in the last year with separate bodies for digital public sector transformation coming together under the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. We expect to see a blueprint in the next week of how this will function and critically, how they will engage us as a sector. 
  • 10-year Infrastructure Strategy: It was also announced in October 2024 that alongside the multi-year Spending Review, expected in Spring or early Summer, the Government will also publish a ten-year national infrastructure strategy which will outline the Government’s approach to core economic infrastructure including transport, energy and housing.  
  • National Planning Policy Framework: Last year we also saw the Government update the National Planning Policy Framework, encouraging sustainable growth in the UK’s planning system to encourage a more efficient and strategic approach to planning policy. It is expected that changes to this will begin to be implemented this year, further cementing planning as a key topic to come out of Government throughout 2025. 
  • The Procurement Act 2023: Is set to go live in February 2025, and it will bring changes to procurement in the UK public sector, aiming to create a simpler and more flexible commercial system. In October we held a series of online events based around public procurement, where we explored what the changes will look like in practice.
  • English Devolution White Paper: techUK’s Nations and Regions Council will be meeting with and engaging with UK Government Ministers, Devolved Government Ministers, Mayors and Combined Authorities. We will be following the progress of the new English Devolution White Paper, holding briefings on some of the Local Growth Plans being published by Mayors and how they fit into the Industrial Strategy.
Julian David OBE

Julian David OBE

CEO, techUK

Julian David is the CEO of techUK, the leading technology trade association that aims to realise the positive outcomes that digital technology can achieve for People, Society, the Economy and the Planet.

He leads techUK’s nearly 100 strong team representing over a thousand British based tech companies, comprising global and national champions and more than 600 SMEs and ScaleUP companies. techUK is the voice of the tech industry in the UK with 21 member led programmes covering all of tech from ‘Chips to Clicks’ and addressing 11 market sectors from Defence and Central Government, through to Health, Consumer Electronics and Financial Services.

In 2021 techUK launched TechSkills, the employer-led accreditation organisation that aims to improve the flow of talent into the digital workforce and open up access for all to high value tech jobs.

Julian represents techUK on a number of external bodies including the Digital Economy Council, the National Cyber Security Advisory Council and the Department of Business and Trade’s Strategic Trade Advisory Group. He is member of the NTA Advisory Board of DIGITALEUROPE and is a member of the Board of the Health Innovation Network the South London Academic Health Science Network.

Julian has over thirty years of experience in the technology industry. Prior to joining techUK, he had a series of leadership roles at IBM including Vice President for Small and Medium Business and Public Sector. After leaving IBM he worked as a consultant helping tech SMEs establish successful operations in the U.K. His personal interests include Football (West Ham, Balham FC and Real Madrid) and Art.

Email:
[email protected]
Twitter:
@techUKCEO
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/julian-david-8013b817/

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