Access to Cash Crisis

Thousands of bank branches closed Analysis of bank branch closures since 2015 have shown not only that huge numbers of bank branches are closing but also that closures are happening at an accelerating pace. Over 700 bank branches closed last year alone and 220 branches are already scheduled to close this year (2022). In total, …

Tech Green Finance

Green Finance Week at TechUK I was delighted this week to participate in TechUK’s Tech Green Finance Week. COP26 has been a welcome stimulus and TechUK has taken the opportunity to explore what the new announcements mean for the technology and financial services sectors and what role technology will play in mobilising climate finance. I …

2021 UK Blockchain Landscape

I am delighted to welcome the publication today, 3rd November 2021, of an incredibly useful overview of the 2021 UK Blockchain landscape. The overview breaks down on a company-by-company basis more than £1,6 billion worth of investments into UK blockchain companies, maps our entire blockchain ecosystem of entrepreneurial talent and sets out the most prominent …

Autonomous Weapons Systems – Question

My Lords, I declare my technology interests as set out in the register. Does my noble friend agree that, whether in safety or security, the public good or economic growth, the UK has a unique opportunity for the development and deployment of ethical AI? Further, does she agree that we urgently need public debate and …

Social Value in Government Procurement

Government procurement teams are responsible for managing billions of pounds of public expenditure, in fact, every year £300 billion is spent on contracts for public services. What is value? Thinking about how the Government gets ‘value for money’ out of this procurement spending is an important exercise. Value has previously perhaps been too narrowly defined …

Rural Poverty – Question

My Lords, what are the Government planning to do to increase the extent and pace of the rollout of broadband and 5G to rural areas, and in terms of its reliability and capacity once the service is in? Does my noble friend agree that connectivity is critical for rural areas’ economic, social, psychological and community …

Crypto regulation in the UK

There is an unrivalled opportunity for the UK to lead in crypto in terms of rules, regulations, words and welcome. Crypto is not a silver bullet nor indeed the solution to all our ills, but it holds a real and sustainable opportunity for us all in the UK and we must consider carefully what we require from …

AI: applied intelligence

Yesterday (20th September 2021), I was delighted to co host the latest evidence session for the All Party Parliamentary Group on AI. This was the third in a series we have been running to seek input to the National AI strategy.  And, perhaps it was the most important as we were considering the opportunity to …