NHS and MoD will be urged to buy British tech to drive growth amid Iran crisis

NHS and MoD will be urged to buy British tech to drive growth amid Iran crisis Treasury minister Spencer Livermore trails new strategy as chancellor pins hopes on benefits of AI amid global uncertainty The NHS and Ministry of Defence will be urged to buy British tech, as the government pins its hopes on the benefits of artificial intelligence to kickstart growth in the face of the Iran crisis, Treasury minister Spencer Livermore has said. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will restate her economic strategy in a high profile lecture on Tuesday, just as rocketing oil prices have raised fears of higher inflation and weaker growth. Livermore, who works closely with Reeves on policy, said the chancellor will highlight three strategic choices – to get closer to the EU, to strengthen regional policy in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor and by better connecting Northern cities; and to bet big on the benefits of AI. On AI, Livermore said Reeves is keen to “set out the optimistic case”, despite growing fears about the potential impact of the technology for jobs , particularly among young people. “There are massive opportunities here and I think that’s what we want to try to talk about,” he said. “Clearly we want to be one of the fastest adopters in the world.” He added: “It’s really important that we talk about the huge opportunities for the economy and the amount of growth that we can get. And if we get more growth, then we’ll have more jobs.” Labour has been criticised for its cosy relationships with US big tech firms such as the controversial Palantir, which has a contract with the NHS. Meanwhile, a recent Guardian analysis showed that AI deals announced with fanfare by the government over the past two years have not yet delivered concrete investment. Livermore said ministers are keen to use government budgets to support homegrown tech firms, which are often excluded by bureaucracy or institutional caution. “The UK government is too slow to buy new technologies,” he said. “We’re ...