UK risks losing AI leadership without data strategy, government warned

Published

8 months ago

October 5, 2024

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The UK needs a strategy to meet growing demand for data centres or risk losing its advantage in the race to develop artificial intelligence (AI), one of the sector’s largest players has told Sky News.

Data centres – warehouses housing processors that power cloud computing – are central to the digital economy. They provide the power, connections and security required for the vast amount of processing power on which everything from personal device browsing to AI learning relies.

The UK is currently Europe’s largest data hub, with more than 500 data centres, the majority in the South East.

Slough in west London is the industry’s historic base, largely because of its proximity to both transatlantic connectors and the City of London, whose financial services and banks were initially the biggest customers for computation power.

Last month the government classified data centres as ‘critical national infrastructure’, putting them on a par with power stations and railways but the industry says a broader strategy is required as it moves to meet the growing demand driven by power-hungry AI chips.

High land prices, competition for grid connections and the resistance of local residents have put a premium on further expansion in the southeast, leading some companies to look beyond the industry’s traditional base.

Kao Data, which has an expanding campus in Harlow, Essex, is among those looking to beyond the South East, and broke ground this week on a £350m development at Stockport in Greater Manchester.

Spencer Lamb, Kao’s chief commercial officer, said the UK industry is at a turning point.

“We are under pressure to be able to provide capacity and create data centre buildings to fuel the demand from AI, that’s the challenge. Whether we as a country provide the environment for it is the big question mark,” he said.

“If we want to be part of the global AI opportunity we need to deploy these resources in locations that are suitable, sustainable and have the opportunity for growth. We didn’t really have a plan 10 years ago when cloud computing started, and by accident we’ve ended up where we are today which is in effect consuming all the power into the west of London.

“Now is the time to come up with a UK-wide data centre strategy and start deploying these facilities in other parts of the country, distributing them fairly.”

Kao’s expansion in Manchester exploits an existing industrial site – it will replace a concrete factory – and the availability of a grid connection, fundamental in a notoriously power-hungry industry in which a facility’s size is measured in megawatts not square feet. A 100MW data centre consumes the same amount of electricity as 100,000 homes, a town roughly the size of Ipswich.

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Mr Lamb said it is a model the government should heed. “A realistic opportunity would be to allocate two or three locations across the UK which have access to power as data centre planning zones, where the local authorities understand what a data centre is, are welcoming and we can develop these buildings simply and swiftly and remove a lot of the bureaucracy that exists.”

The Stockport site also has the backing of the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who sees data as part of the jigsaw of infrastructure required to boost economic development in the North West.

“This is now critical national infrastructure as designated by the new government, and it makes sense that all of that capacity is not just clustered in one part of the country. We now need to see the emergence of a large-scale data centre industry in the north of England,” Mr Lamb said.

The challenge of further expansion in the South East is evident on the outskirts of the expanding village of Abbotts Langley in Hertfordshire, where a patch of green belt has become a frontline in the debate over data centres and the new government’s commitment to growth.

The 31-hectare plot, once grazed by cows that produced milk for the nearby Ovaltine factory, has been bought by property developer Greystoke Land and earmarked for a data centre.

The local planning authority, Three Rivers Council, rejected it because of the loss of green belt, but on her first day in office, Angela Rayner, the housing minister, “called in” the application, beginning a process expected to end with her over-ruling the local authority.

Labour promised to back development in government but that does not make it popular. As well as concerns over the environmental impact of a data centre, residents believe the development will remove the only buffer between the village and the motorway.

Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Liberal Democrat leader of Three Rivers Council, 76% of which is made up of green belt, told Sky News communities need something in return.

“I’m not a total nimby, I can see which way the wind is blowing, but we will make the best case possible to say no to this development because it is an inappropriate site, which causes very high harm to the green belt.

“Ironically we do have some brownfield sites that landowners won’t release, and we can’t compulsory purchase, let’s do something about that and bring them back into public ownership.

“But if at the end of the day we’re overruled then we will be demanding the infrastructure that’s for Abbots Langley and Three Rivers.”

A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Our reforms to the planning system will make it easier to build the key infrastructure this country needs – such as data centres – securing our economic future and giving businesses the confidence to invest.

“Development on the green belt will only be allowed where there is a real need and will not come at the expense of the environment.”

UK

Families of British Air India crash victims ‘feel utterly abandoned’ and hit out at government

Published

3 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Families of British Air India crash victims 'feel utterly abandoned' and hit out at government

The families of three of the British victims of last week’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad have criticised the UK government’s response to the disaster, saying they “feel utterly abandoned”.

It comes after an Air India Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport in western India, killing 229 passengers and 12 crew. One person on the flight survived.

Among the passengers and crew on the Gatwick-bound aircraft were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national.

In a statement, the families of three British citizens who lost their lives said they were calling on the UK government to “immediately step up its presence and response on the ground in Ahmedabad”.

The families said they rushed to India to be by their loved ones’ sides, “only to find a disjointed, inadequate, and painfully slow government reaction”.

“There is no UK leadership here, no medical team, no crisis professionals stationed at the hospital,” said a family spokesperson.

“We are forced to make appointments to see consular staff based 20 minutes away in a hotel, while our loved ones lie unidentified in an overstretched and under-resourced hospital.

“We’re not asking for miracles – we’re asking for presence, for compassion, for action,” another family member said.

“Right now, we feel utterly abandoned.”

The families listed a number of what they called “key concerns”, including a “lack of transparency and oversight in the identification and handling of remains”.

They also demanded a “full crisis team” at the hospital within 24 hours, a British-run identification unit, and financial support for relatives of the victims.

A local doctor had “confirmed” the delays in releasing the bodies were “linked to severe understaffing”, according to the families, who also called for an independent inquiry into the UK government’s response.

“Our loved ones were British citizens. They deserved better in life. They certainly deserve better in death,” the statement added.

Sky News has approached the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.

Families and friends of the victims have already expressed their anger and frustration – mostly aimed at the authorities in India – over the lack of information.

UK

Tributes paid to mother-of-four among two skydivers who died in ‘tragic accident’

Published

5 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Tributes paid to mother-of-four among two skydivers who died in 'tragic accident'

A mother-of-four was among two skydivers who died following a “tragic accident” at an airfield in Devon.

Belinda Taylor was pronounced dead at the scene following Friday afternoon’s incident in the area of Dunkeswell Aerodrome near Honiton.

On Facebook, her partner Scott Armstrong wrote: “I miss you so much, you were my best friend.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, from making my children feel at home to putting up with my mess.

“… there’s just so much that I don’t have the words to express it.

“I feel so lost. I don’t know where home is without you.”

Ms Taylor’s eldest son, Connor Bowles, paid tribute to a “selfless woman” who was also a grandmother to two young children.

Thanking investigators for their work so far, he told DevonLive: “She will be deeply missed and will leave an everlasting impression on all those she has met in life.”

The identity of the second skydiver who died is yet to be made public, but their family has been informed.

British Skydiving has confirmed it will be investigating the incident – with a report sent to the coroner, the Civil Aviation Authority and the police.

In a statement, SkydiveBuzz, which operates at the airfield, said its “deepest condolences go out to the families, friends and everyone affected by this devastating event”.

A spokesperson added: “Safety is, and always has been, our top priority. We are fully cooperating with the investigation and continue to uphold the highest possible standards in everything we do.

“No further details will be provided at this time. We respectfully ask for privacy for all those affected, including our team, during this incredibly difficult time.”

UK

Career spy Blaise Metreweli to become first woman to head MI6

Published

8 hours ago

June 16, 2025

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Career spy Blaise Metreweli to become first woman to head MI6

Career spy Blaise Metreweli will become the first woman to head MI6 in a “historic appointment”, the prime minister has announced.

She will take over from Sir Richard Moore as the 18th Chief, also known as “C”, when he steps down in the autumn.

“The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital,” Sir Keir Starmer said in a statement released on Sunday night.

“The United Kingdom is facing threats on an unprecedented scale – be it aggressors who send their spy ships to our waters or hackers whose sophisticated cyber plots seek to disrupt our public services.”

Of the other main spy agencies, GCHQ is also under female command for the first time.

Anne Keast-Butler took on the role in 2023, while MI5 has previously twice been led by a woman.

Until now, a female spy chief had only headed MI6 – also known as the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) – in the James Bond movies.

Dame Judi Dench held the fictional role – called “M” in the films instead of “C” – between 1995 and 2015.

Ms Metreweli currently serves as “Q”, one of four director generals inside MI6.

The position – also made famous by the James Bond films, with the fictional “Q” producing an array of spy gadgets – means she is responsible for technology and innovation.

Ms Metreweli, a Cambridge graduate, joined MI6 in 1999.

Unlike the outgoing chief, who spent some of his service as a regular diplomat in the foreign office, including as ambassador to Turkey, she has spent her entire career as an intelligence officer.

Much of that time was dedicated to operational roles in the Middle East and Europe.

Ms Metreweli, who is highly regarded by colleagues, also worked as a director at MI5.

In a statement, she said she was “proud and honoured to be asked to lead my service”.

“MI6 plays a vital role – with MI5 and GCHQ – in keeping the British people safe and promoting UK interests overseas,” she said.

“I look forward to continuing that work alongside the brave officers and agents of MI6 and our many international partners.”

Sir Richard said: “Blaise is a highly accomplished intelligence officer and leader, and one of our foremost thinkers on technology. I am excited to welcome her as the first female head of MI6.”