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Technology Sovereignty
10 March 2026
Lead MP
Chi Onwurah
Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West
Lab
Responding Minister
Kanishka Narayan
Tags
EconomyScience & Technology
Word Count: 9835
Other Contributors: 16
At a Glance
Chi Onwurah raised concerns about technology sovereignty in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The government should define and clarify digital sovereignty, ensure procurement decisions are made to support sovereignty, and collaborate with allies to build a secure and ethical technology market. The Minister should explain the UK's aims for technological leadership and control in specific areas such as AI, quantum, space, and bioengineering.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The UK faces global insecurity, technological revolutions in data and AI, geopolitical restructuring, and a green industrial revolution, leading to fears about big tech control and techno-feudalism. The country lacks clear definitions and control over digital sovereignty, with concerns over dependencies on foreign cloud services, AI companies, and data governance. There is a risk of the UK being dependent on foreign companies for critical services and data, undermining sovereignty and security.
Al Pinkerton
Lib Dem
Surrey Heath
International defence firms are looking to move UK start-ups to Europe for better team assembly, suggesting closer European partnerships could benefit sovereign capacity.
Allison Gardner
Lab
Stoke-on-Trent South
Allison Gardner emphasised the need for a strong and secure technological landscape in the UK, focusing on the £500 million sovereign AI fund. She called for transparency and clarity in the use of the new funding and stressed the importance of supporting smaller and diverse organisations.
Anneliese Dodds
Lab Co-op
Oxford East
The UK needs to work with like-minded countries, including those in the EU, to compete in AI investment and technology sovereignty. Ms Dodds asked the Minister about collaboration with like-minded countries, particularly in the EU, in a single sentence.
Bayo Alaba
Lab
Southend East and Rochford
Bayo Alaba discussed the importance of controlling innovative technologies created in the UK and highlighted the need for closer collaboration between Government, businesses, and research bodies. He also mentioned the University of Essex's decision to close its Southend campus, leading to redundancies and uncertainty for students.
Ben Lake
PC
Ceredigion Preseli
Mr Lake questioned the Minister about the Computer Misuse Act 1990, which criminalises legitimate cyber-resilience and vulnerability research, and inquired whether the Government is planning to introduce a statutory defence for such research as part of a cyber Bill.
Daniel Zeichner
Lab
Cambridge
Daniel Zeichner highlighted the importance of data sovereignty, citing his personal experiences from his early career in computing. He raised concerns about funding changes at UK Research and Innovation, which have led to 30% cuts in the particle physics, astronomy, and nuclear physics sector, despite increased overall funding.
Dave Robertson
Lab
Lichfield
Dave Robertson highlighted the importance of quantum technologies, noting its projected global economic impact of $100 billion by 2035 and its role in security and infrastructure. He stressed the need to improve skills supply, including pathways for apprenticeships, and better access to capital for quantum companies. Robertson also expressed concerns about the procurement of helium due to international tensions and the impact on the sector.
Emily Darlington
Lab
Milton Keynes Central
Darlington questioned the impact of foreign tech monopolies on UK growth, expressing skepticism about business deals with companies like Palantir, which ignore international law. She raised concerns about Starlink's reliability as an emergency protocol and asked the Government to ensure quantum technologies and digital contracts support UK firms.
Gordon McKee
Lab
Glasgow South
Cooperating with reform in Europe could enable the UK to compete with the US and China in technology sovereignty.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
AI-powered tools are increasingly used in cyber-attacks, and the UK needs investment, expertise, and a coordinated strategy to defend against these threats.
Julia Lopez
Con
Hornchurch and Upminster
Ms Lopez spoke about her experiences as a former Cabinet Office and telecoms and digital infrastructure Minister, highlighting supply chain crises during Brexit, COVID, and the Russia-Ukraine war. She emphasized the need for resilience and influence in technology sovereignty, rather than autarky. She also expressed concern over high dependency on US hyperscalers and the need for a more pluralistic market and strategic procurement.
Martin Wrigley
Lib Dem
Newton Abbot
Sovereign technology should be defined as something a foreign power cannot switch off, ensuring systems remain operational.
Samantha Niblett
Lab
South Derbyshire
Niblett highlighted the geopolitical instability impacting digital infrastructure reliance, raising concerns about concentrated power in overseas tech companies. She cited Palantir's contracts worth £75.2 million and £240.6 million without competitive tendering, advocating for UK-based companies to receive major public sector contracts. She welcomed the commitment to a sovereign AI venture fund of £500 million, hoping for a focus on female founders.
Steve Yemm
Lab
Mansfield
Yemm discussed technological sovereignty from an East Midlands perspective, emphasizing the region's capabilities in aerospace and advanced manufacturing. He called for strategic public investment, support for domestic capital, and the recognition of regional industrial strength as key to securing technological sovereignty.
Victoria Collins
Lib Dem
Harpenden and Berkhamsted
Victoria Collins emphasised the importance of technological sovereignty, highlighting the risks of foreign interference and the need for resilience through diversification. She cited a study where 83% of UK-based IT decision makers were worried about the impact of international developments on their data sovereignty. Collins criticised the lack of Government data on dependency on US-based cloud technology and called for better measurement. She also raised concerns about the procurement strategy favouring foreign suppliers and the prioritisation of Palantir over UK tech in NHS contracts.
Will Stone
Lab
Swindon North
Defence tech companies face challenges in scaling up due to a lack of finance, hindering the UK's sovereign capability.
Government Response
Kanishka Narayan
Government Response
It is a pleasure to serve under you in the Chair, Ms Vaz, and to thank my hon. Friend for securing the debate on technology sovereignty. The minister emphasised that technology sovereignty is a state's ability to have strategic leverage in technology to ensure ongoing access to critical inputs and assurance of economic and national security objectives. This is achieved through three steps: having enough critical inputs, diversifying procurement sources, and building British capabilities. The minister highlighted the Government's support for key companies such as Nscale, Arm, and DeepMind, and the establishment of the sovereign AI unit with a focus on novel compute, model architecture, AI for science, and embodied AI. The minister also mentioned the investment of £8 million in the OpenBind consortium and £5 million in the Encode: AI for Science fellowship. Additionally, the minister discussed the Government's investment in quantum technology, the Computer Misuse Act review, and the importance of semiconductors. The minister affirmed the Government's commitment to supporting tech sectors, noting significant funding rounds for companies like Nscale and Isambard-AI.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.