The Prime Minister opened by updating Cabinet on the guilty plea
entered by the defendant in the Southport trial yesterday and the
statement he made this morning. The Prime Minister said our
thoughts are with the families of the victims and that the
government would leave no stone unturned to uncover the failings
and deliver the fundamental change needed.
The Leaders of the Commons and the Lords updated on upcoming
business in Parliament including report stage of the Data (Use
and Access) Bill, the introduction of the Fraud, Error and Debt
Bill, and the remaining stages of the Water Bill and Armed Forces
Bill in the coming weeks.
The Prime Minister then spoke on Foreign Affairs, noting he had
sent a letter of congratulations to President Trump on his
inauguration and looked forward to meeting him as soon as
possible. He also welcomed developments in Gaza and said no-one
could fail to be moved by the pictures of Emily Damari being
reunited with her mother Mandy. He added that we must now see the
remaining phases of the ceasefire deal implemented in full.
The Prime Minister also reflected on his visit to
Auschwitz-Birkenau ahead of the 80-year liberation anniversary,
noting the waves of revulsion he felt as he saw, first-hand, the
scale of the horrors carried out there. The Deputy Prime Minister
then provided an update on plans for Holocaust Memorial Day this
upcoming Monday.
The Prime Minister then turned to AI in the public sector, noting
last week's announcement of our plan to realise its opportunities
for growth and public sector reform, and today's announcement of
a blueprint for the digital centre of government. He said we need
to move further and faster to seize those opportunities and
demonstrate how AI can transform the economy and public services.
The Science, Innovation, and Technology Secretary said that the
scale of the opportunity was significant. The IMF have said that
if the economy was to fully utilise current technology available
it could add £47 billion to the economy every year for a decade,
and a new government report today shows the public sector could
benefit from £45 billion a year in savings and efficiencies if it
were to use existing digital technology. He updated on the work
he was doing across government to deliver on these opportunities
including with health, education, welfare, justice and defence.
The Chancellor noted that half of the investments made at the
Investment Summit were into digital technology and AI, that we
saw a further £14 billion announced last week, and yesterday a
PWC report said CEOs see the UK as the second most attractive
place to invest in the world, and that our leading position on
technology was a key part of this.
