During my time as parliamentary under secretary of state for Tech and the Digital Economy, I made digital inclusion one of my top priorities.
I worked on several different initiatives designed to increase digital accessibility across the UK.
These included investing £5billion into bringing gigabit-capable broadband to hard-to-reach communities, through Project Gigabit, expanding the availability of social tariffs, saving eligible households up to £200 per year, and increasing the frequency of meetings of the cross-Whitehall ministerial group for digital inclusion. I had instructed officials with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to review the current digital inclusion strategy. The general election meant the work was halted.
The previous Conservative government had an ambitious plan to tackle barriers to digital inclusion but also noted the need to do so in a sustainable way which didn’t leave people behind. To this end, they legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to protect access to cash. The Act establishes the Financial Conduct Authority as the lead regulator and provides it with powers to ensure that reasonable provision of cash withdrawal and deposit services is made, including free services for individuals. The new government must follow its predecessor’s lead in balancing innovation with the need to ensure in-person services are accessible for those who need them.
The current digital inclusion strategy was published in 2014, focusing on the four biggest challenges to digital inclusion, namely, online access, internet skills, motivation to use the internet and trust in the internet. Whilst I agree that any new digital inclusion strategy will have to focus on tackling these issues, how they are addressed must reflect the digital inclusion landscape of 2024 and not 2014.
As the shadow minister for DSIT, I am responsible for scrutinising the new government’s work in this area and holding them to account. During a debate on the use of artificial intelligence in the public sector, I highlighted to the new DSIT ministers the need to continue the work started by the previous government and to update the strategy underpinning it all. Having received no assurances that this important work would be continued, I have written to Feryal Clark MP, the current Minister with responsibility for the digital inclusion strategy, to urge her to take the necessary steps to support the tech industry and improve digital inclusion across the country. If we are to ever have a society that is fully digitally connected the Labour government will need to match the ambition of the previous Conservative government in addressing digital inclusion. This is an issue that I am passionate about and I will continue to advocate for better digital connectivity and access.
