Local MP Alan Mak has accused the Labour Government of committing eight acts of harm on the science and technology sector in its first eight months in office.
In his role as Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, he spoke in Parliament during a debate on the Data (Use and Access) Bill and said Labour was letting Britain down.
He said they have:
Imposed a National Insurance jobs tax, punishing tech workers and businesses
Lost a £450m investment from AstraZeneca, throwing away hundreds of jobs
Launched an AI Plan with no new funding or delivery plan, but which creates two new quangos and more red tape
Cancelled the UK’s new exascale supercomputer, hampering our scientists whilst our competitors race ahead
Skipped the international AI Summit of world leaders, started by the Conservatives but not important enough for this Labour Prime Minister to attend
Scrapped £500m of funding for the AI Research Resource which funds computing power for AI
Abandoned the Conservative plan for a National Maths Academy, harming the next generation of data scientists
Aligned Britain with the EU’s failing approach to AI and copyright
In contrast, Mr Mak said: "When the Conservatives left office last July, we'd turned Britain into one of the world’s leading tech economies.
"We were home to more tech unicorns than any other European country, and more than France and Germany combined.
"Britain had become the world’s third largest AI ecosystem, with pioneering start-ups creating new jobs and innovative products.
"We also led the way in developing safe AI through the world’s first AI Safety Summit and AI Safety Institute."
On Labour's Data (Use and Access) Bill, which aims to unlock the use of data for the public interest, Mr Mak said: "We will continue to properly scrutinise and improve the Bill as it progresses through the House. Because Labour’s track record to date on science and technology issues is so bad, they need all the help they can get."
He added: "Labour’s approach is analogue government in the digital age: slow, uninspiring and not good enough for Britain. Labour promised so much, but it has delivered only failure."
