Labour MP and chair of the science, innovation and technology select committee warns that Britain’s fragmented approach to tech sovereignty is eroding national security and economic confidence. He argues that without a single, transparent strategy, decisions on AI, quantum and supply chains appear ad‑hoc, feeding public distrust of Big Tech and fueling a growing ‘techlash’ across constituencies such as Newcastle.

Last month the chancellor pledged £2bn for quantum computing, yet days later the prime minister announced cuts to nuclear‑physics programmes that underpin quantum sensing. A separate £240mn contract awarded to US firm Palantir places American code at the core of Britain’s digital defence, while a £500mn sovereign AI fund launches without clarifying which layer of the AI stack it will control.

The MP calls for a published list of sovereign capabilities and an updated defence‑industrial plan to steer roughly £20bn of publicly funded R&D and £400bn of procurement annually. Clear guidance would let universities, venture capitalists and start‑ups align investment with national priorities, preventing the UK from slipping into “tech serfdom” and preserving its standing as a global AI talent hub.