St Albans MP Anne Main led a debate in Westminster on the future of the UK digital and tech industries this week. Anne secured the debate following growing public interest in the digital world in recent months and after meeting with a major tech firm in St Albans.
During the debate Anne highlighted the growth in this industry in recent years, some of the opportunities for the industry after we leave the European Union and some of the ways the government can do more to help grow the industry in the years to come.
‘This is an important debate on a sector of the economy that is vital for this country and will become even more important in future’, Anne said. ‘Across Europe, the UK is leading the way on investment and growth in this sector.’
Mrs Main raised Imagination Technologies, a large computer chip and artificial intelligence company in her constituency. Anne said they were at ‘the cutting edge of this exciting sector’ and she welcomed their recent billion dollar takeover from a US firm as a ‘$1 billion vote of confidence in the UK’.
After meeting with some major digital and tech firms, Anne shared some of the issues the industry had expressed during the debate. An ‘adequacy agreement’ with the EU for the free flow of data, access to talent and education where the three key issues raised.
In her response, Minister Margot James said, ‘[St Albans is] at the centre of a great number of exciting developments in technology, and it is terrific that [Mrs Main} is taking the lead in her constituency and making her contribution to the rest of the UK’s development.
The Government are committed to making Britain a world leader in the digital and technology sector.’
Speaking after the debate Anne said, ‘I was very pleased with the Minister’s response and with the quality of speeches from the other Members who contributed. It is clear the government are listening and supporting UK tech. It is no surprise that this debate has sparked so much interest as we can all appreciate how important this industry has become.
‘I was also delighted the Minister agreed to come and visit my constituency to see Imagination Technologies as I think this shows the level of engagement the government is showing to growing and supporting this industry.’
