Industry 
Introduction
The State Opening of Parliament is always a useful moment to take stock of what the government is prioritising. This year’s programme on technology and innovation includes three key Bills of direct relevance to the technology sector: the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, the Digital Access to Services Bill, and the Regulation for Growth Bill. A number of tech and AI announcements, including the Sovereign AI Unit, landed in the weeks before the Speech and sit alongside the legislative agenda.
Here’s what the government has signalled as a focus for the year ahead, and, just as importantly, what it has not
Cyber Security and Resilience Bill
The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill has taken a while to make its way through parliament and has been reintroduced in the Speech. It is intended to give the UK the legislative footing it needs to sustain critical national infrastructure through an increasingly pressured cyber threat landscape, with stricter reporting obligations and stronger enforcement powers as the headline changes.
The most interesting question is whether the Bill, this time, will properly account for AI. With both Anthropic and OpenAI now offering cyber-focused models (Mythos and GPT-5.5-Cyber respectively) the dual-use nature of these tools is impossible to ignore. Mythos drew significant attention when Anthropic announced it could identify zero-day vulnerabilities, a capability that is enormously valuable in the hands of defenders and equally dangerous in the hands of attackers. Anthropic has limited access to select organisations precisely for that reason.
A modern cyber resilience regime needs to engage with this directly. References to AI tools, how they are used by defenders, how their misuse is policed, and how reporting obligations apply when AI is involved in either side of an incident, would make the Bill considerably stronger.
Digital Access to Services Bill
When the government floated mandatory Digital ID last year, the response was bruising. Campaign groups and privacy advocates warned it would usher in mass surveillance, and the proposal was quickly walked back. The original framing, tying Digital ID to controlling illegal immigration, also struggled on the merits.
The government has now reintroduced the policy as the Digital Access to Services Bill, with a very different pitch: the GOV.UK app as the ‘front door to accessing public services’, underpinned by Digital ID, but voluntary rather than mandatory. Anyone who wants to use it across public services without carrying physical documents can do so.
This reframing is more likely to land. Whether the benefits outweigh the costs is for both Houses to work through, but there is genuine value in a Digital ID system if it is built on a clear framework for accountability and prioritises earning public confidence from the outset.
NHS Modernisation Bill
Although primarily a health sector measure, the introduction of Single Patient Records (SPR) in the NHS Modernisation Bill is a significant announcement that will require a strong data privacy framework to underpin it. Supported by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which streamlines how patient data is used and shared across healthcare, SPR represents a major opportunity to reform the patient experience and improve the delivery of care. As with Digital ID, the question is less about the value of the reform and more about whether public trust in the government’s ability to handle data responsibly can be built alongside it.
Regulation for Growth Bill
Sitting under the Department for Business and Trade, this Bill would establish AI growth zones and regulatory sandboxes, giving organisations controlled environments to build and test tools in areas where regulation is currently seen as a barrier. This aligns with the government’s agenda and focus on AI innovation and build the UK’s sovereign AI capabilities. However, will this be enough to support the innovation landscape and retain AI companies in the UK?
What wasn’t there
Although it was not expected for the Government to announce one, it is still a noticeable omission that there was no mention of an AI Regulation Bill.
The government has repeatedly delayed a dedicated AI Bill, though there are murmurs it will arrive later this year. In the meantime, AI is being regulated in pieces, through the Online Safety Act and a patchwork of policies aimed at building the UK’s AI capabilities. That is not the same as a coherent framework for the development, deployment and use of AI, which is what is needed in this moment.
Currently, the cost of delay shows up most visibly in copyright. The dispute between rights holders and AI developers has been running for years with no resolution in sight. Every month without legislative clarity makes the eventual landing harder for everyone, including the creative industries the government says it wants to protect. Clear regulation is not the enemy of innovation here and more focus should be given on communicating this clearly.
A Government that genuinely wants to lead on AI has to be willing to legislate on AI. Sandboxes and growth zones are useful, but they are not a substitute.
Conclusion
The Bills introduced will now make their way through parliament, and there will be plenty to watch as they do, particularly on how Digital ID is received second time around. The bigger question is whether an AI Bill will arrive this year, and, if it does, whether it will be shaped by the ambition the Government keeps signalling or by the caution that has held it back so far.
For more information, please contact Lavanya Rangarajan
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