Burnham sparks backlash over reported plans to ditch DSIT
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UK tech industry leaders have warned that incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham's reported plans to dismantle the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and redistribute its responsibilities across other departments risk disrupting the country's tech agenda. DSIT was established in 2023 and has operated for three years overseeing initiatives including the UK's AI Opportunities Action Plan, sovereign compute investment, and the AI Security Institute. Industry figures argue that departmental reorganizations typically consume a year of productivity and would divert senior officials from critical work on AI policy and digital infrastructure at a time when tech is increasingly important to economic growth and national security.
