Senior UK tech figures warn that incoming PM Andy Burnham's reported plans to dismantle the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) risk derailing the country's tech agenda. Reports suggest Burnham may fold parts of the three-year-old department into a strengthened business department under Jonathan Reynolds, with science policy moving under his remit.

The prospect prompted swift backlash. Vinous Ali, deputy executive director at Startup Coalition, argued that after three years DSIT is established and changes would undermine work on compute and online safety. Ian Hogarth, partner at Plural and chair of the UK's AI Security Institute, said reorgs distract departments for a year and drive away top civil servants.

Former government AI adviser Matt Clifford called the plans "a big mistake," noting this is a critical moment for tech as an economic and national security issue. DSIT was created in 2023 under former PM Rishi Sunak to oversee AI, digital regulation and innovation, including the AI Opportunities Action Plan and sovereign AI compute investment.