Launching today, Unlocking Blockchain: Embracing new
technologies to drive efficiency and empower the
citizen is an enthusiastic call for government to
embrace the opportunities of blockchain and associated
technologies. Its author is — Conservative MP for Walsall
North. The paper is
published by FREER (www.freeruk.com), a
new political initiative which launched in March with an aim of
bringing economically and socially liberal thinking back into
British politics, and of which is a Parliamentary Supporter.
In Unlocking Blockchain, Hughes argues that
blockchain offers great opportunities for increased economic
progress alongside increased individual freedom. He makes a
series of recommendations, including the establishment of a
UK-based international blockchain competition, and a
public-facing Chief Blockchain Officer. He also proposes a UK
‘blockchain departmental target’: a long-term aim for government
departments to make a 1 per cent efficiency saving by embracing
blockchain and other associated innovative technologies. He
argues that a renewed UK focus on efficiency and the
opportunities of new technology would be inspirational.
The paper will be launched at an event at Deliveroo at 19.00
today, at which its author, MP, will speak and answer
questions about the paper.
Key points:
â–ª The state should focus its attention on
using blockchain to enable social freedom, to increase
efficiency, and to rebuild societal trust.
â–ª The state should not be allowed to use such
technology to intrude into the lives of individuals—but rather
the technology should be used to empower individuals in their
necessary engagements with the state.
â–ª By engaging now, and recognising
blockchain’s potential, we can ensure it is used by the state to
empower individuals, and to afford us real control over our own
data.
â–ª Blockchain and associated technologies offer
an unrivalled opportunity to begin to review and redesign the
UK’s data systems. Whitehall and public services could be
fundamentally rewired to empower citizens and better serve their
needs.
Proposals
â–ª An extensive international ‘blockchain
competition’ should be set up in the UK to drive homegrown
entrepreneurship, and to entice leading global players to develop
technology here. This should ideally be established in
collaboration with leading British universities, and funded by
businesses that would benefit from improved national
technological standards.
â–ª Embracing the opportunities of distributive
ledger technology (DLT) should be fit explicitly—nominally as
well as substantively—into a ministerial brief.
â–ª A public-facing ‘Chief Blockchain Officer’
should be appointed from within the government’s existing
taskforce to coordinate the UK’s strategy regarding the
application of DLT to public services and data. This role should
be expanded to include other key new technologies, such as AI, as
and when they converge.
â–ª Government departments should show
leadership by putting in a place a long-term target of making a 1
per cent efficiency saving, by embracing these new technologies.
A 1 per cent saving across government would take a great deal of
time and effort to implement, though some departments would find
such a target much easier to meet than others. For context,
however, total managed expenditure for 2017-18 is anticipated to
be around £802bn—therefore, a 1 per cent saving would be £8bn.
â–ª A renewed UK focus on efficiency and the
opportunities of new technology would be inspirational in a wider
sense, too.
