- Technology Secretary calls for more investment in UK from tech giants
- Peter Kyle hails potential of UK businesses
- Kyle hits back on those who criticise his meeting with tech firms - as that's his job
The UK Government’s Technology Secretary has called for global tech giants to continue bringing their latest innovations, and more investment to the country.
Speaking at Google Cloud’s Summit London event, Peter Kyle declared, “my message to the big technology companies is clear: bring us your best ideas, your best tech at your best price, and you will get access to the biggest client in the country.”
“In return, you’ll get access to the biggest client in the country, one that will be increasingly intelligent and increasingly digital.”
Goodbye "ball and chain" tech
Kyle also hit out at those who criticised his meetings with technology firms, noting, “that is my job”.
He mentioned a report from The Guardian which claimed he had 28 meetings with people in or close to tech sector in his six months in the role, including major firms such as Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and Meta - 70% more than his predecessor.
“Yes I’ve met tech companies”, he declared. “That’s how you deliver value for the public. That’s how you unlock innovation”.
Kyle was speaking as the UK Government announced a new partnership with Google Cloud which has the aim of helping drag the former away from the reliance on “ball and chain” legacy technology.
He noted more than one in four public sector tech systems are estimated to run on legacy tech - a figure which jumps to as high as 70% in some police forces and NHS trusts, sometimes on contracts signed decades ago.
Overall, the partnership could see Google invest hundreds of millions of pounds in Britain’s public sector technology, Kyle noted, "helping to deliver my ambition to bring the public services people use every day, drag it into the 21st century."
The move would also help lessen the burden on the taxpayer, who often has to foot the bill for the estimated £21 billion spent on buying the same technology time and time again due to outdated, locked-in contracts.
Kyle referenced several other significant recent announcements, including the recently-released GOV.UK app, as well as the National Digital Marketplace, a new procurement platform for the public sector.
"Britain will be using technology in more areas and more than ever before," he declared, "We know that tools using the same technology are capable of transforming Whitehall itself, the NHS, and other essential services that millions of people across our country rely on (and) with more hands-on support, I can’t wait to see what our two teams deliver together."
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