My Lords, I apologise for not getting to my feet before our Front Bench. I was clearly so moved by the eloquence and erudition of the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, that it slowed my motor function, and by the speed of my noble friend Lord Camrose, who clearly has his Asics on today. I very much support Amendment 61. There is so much talk about AI sovereignty, data sovereignty and digital sovereignty with it potentially meaning different things to each speaker of the sovereignty spiel. We need greater clarity across this. In the Bill before us, having this comprehensive clause covering what is required when it comes to digital sovereignty for the United Kingdom makes complete sense.
Moving to the Computer Misuse Act, the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, my noble friend Lord Arbuthnot, I and others have pushed various Governments over at least a decade on this issue. Our cyber professionals, those who do so much to keep us safe, often and understandably in silence and in the shadows, deserve our support. It cannot be that they are still on the wrong side of a statute that is racing towards its 40th birthday. We should update the Computer Misuse Act. The noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, has offered a pragmatic solution in his proposed new clause, with a 12-month period to bring this to fruition. Our cyber professionals do so much; they deserve our support. This proportionate amendment should be accepted by the Government and put in the Bill.
