Can Labour's big spin on AI and tech keep Silicon Roundabout turning?

Sir Keir Starmer is talking the talk on tech and AI- but he hasn't yet convinced the industry

- CHRIS STOKEL-WALKER

Tech is big business again in Britain. That has been the message from the Government in the past few weeks. First, the Prime Minister unveiled the country's AI Opportunities Plan at University College London, promising a huge shift in how the state approaches technology. Most recently, the Chancellor said she has plans to create "Europe's Silicon Valley" connecting Oxford and Cambridge and sweeping up the towns in between.

The country's start-up founders and big tech bods were watching on with interest - and more than a few raised eyebrows. While the Government talks the talk, the industry remains concerned it won't yet walk the walk - and that the lack of support for businesses could signal the death knell for Silicon Roundabout, London's major tech cluster centred around Old Street roundabout.

"There's a fear among the tech founders we speak to that in a global race with the pace being set by the US and China, we're falling behind," says Dom Hallas, executive director of the Startup Coalition, an industry advocacy group. Hallas points out that UK start-ups are making a practical geographical choice, and it isn't between here or elsewhere in Europe. "It's here or Silicon Valley where they think the economic prospects are better," he says. "That's why the big moves we've seen from the Government on AI and growth in the past weeks have been so important."