‘Why did I vote for Labour?’ UK tech’s testy relationship with the new government – UKTN

There were high hopes among senior ranks of UK tech that a fresh Labour government would mark a reset in relations with the sector, ushering in a wave of new investment and unleashing the talents in top tech firms to drive digital transformation inside the operations of the state.

But nearly four months on from the general election, many don’t like what they see. There is a sense of creeping disenchantment after ministers made a number of unforced errors which risk fraying the relationship with the sector for the next four years.

The most recent example came only a couple of weeks ago when the government announced it would appoint a senior Microsoft exec as chair of its new industrial strategy advisory council. One tech insider told me his company CEO was aghast at the move….