Peter Kyle addresses Big Tech criticisms at Google Cloud London
And...announces large-scale collaboration with Google
UK Technology Secretary Peter Kyle addressed his critics head-on at Google Cloud London today.
The Labour government is rolling out tech at “Google levels of speed and innovation,” said Hayete Gallot, President of Customer Experience at Google Cloud, as she introduced Technology Secretary Peter Kyle at Google Cloud London.
It’s a bold claim – especially coming from Google – that could be seen as buttering up the person who leads the UK’s tech vision. For someone who has faced criticism for being too close to Big Tech already, Kyle will be keen to avoid any further accusations.
He chose to do so by facing them head on. Papers like The Guardian have pointed out that Kyle has met tech firms 70% more than his predecessor, which sounds bad but only equates to 28 meetings – though who’s counting? - in six months.
These meetings, Kyle said, are necessary: talking to tech firms is his job as he seeks the best deals for the UK. And on the topic of deals, he was there to speak about a new agreement between the government and Google that will start to rid the public sector of “ball and chain” legacy IT.
More than one in four UK public sector organisations rely on legacy technology, and 70% in some sectors like law enforcement and healthcare. Kyle said this is down to decades-old agreements trapping them in contracts that are no longer fit for purpose and can make it purposefully difficult to transfer data to modern systems.
The new agreement with Google Cloud will see the company help the public sector move systems to the cloud, as well as a target to train “one hundred thousand public sector workers” on digital and AI systems by 2030.
“Google will invest hundreds of millions into the UK public sector and drag it into the 21st century,” Kyle said. It’s all part of the government’s Plan for Change, aiming to save more of the £21 billion the public sector spends annually on technology.
“My message to the big technology companies is clear: bring us your best ideas, your best tech at your best price, and you will get access to the biggest client in the country,” he added.
Kyle also provided an update on the National Digital Marketplace, a new procurement platform for the public sector. He said it will give UK tech firms priority, making sure they have access to that £21 billion fund.
Computing says:
While we understand Kyle couldn’t address every concern on-stage, skipping any mention of today’s hot-button topic – digital sovereignty – was a massive own goal. Announcing the partnership with Google without addressing this concern sparks some serious questions.
Google, like other US firms, is subject to the US Cloud Act. That means US authorities can access data on its infrastructure, even if it’s hosted here in the UK – and even if it’s private, like healthcare information.
Knowing that, is putting a US hyperscaler at the heart of digital government a wise move, especially with no mention of safeguards? And those aren’t only safeguards around sovereignty: how will locking in with Google be any different to the “ball and chain” legacy contracts the public sector has been struggling with?
That is especially a risk if the people Google trains under this new agreement focus on Google Cloud infrastructure, creating specialisms and soft lock-in.
So, on the whole, it’s an ambitious plan with some big unanswered questions. We are at Google Cloud London today and plan to follow up on these points.