Welcome to The Blueprint, our monthly roundup of science and technology. Written and edited by Dr Mann Virdee.

Thoughts from your correspondent on recent developments in science and tech in the United Kingdom (UK)

Governance is as much an art as it is a science. One thing which characterises good government is knowing which battles to pick and when. More importantly, good governance is about standing for something – and having a hill to die on.

That is a balancing act, and one which changes with the passage of time over the lifetime of a Parliament. At the start, there is the so-called ‘honeymoon period’, where there is some good will and more political capital to spend. As time passes, however, this is generally eroded – and it can become harder to do the difficult things.

It appears that the current iteration of His Majesty’s (HM) Government has not got this balance right. Their first six months or so were squandered; it seemed they were not ready for office, or faced unexpected institutional barriers despite having ample time to prepare.

Now they have been in office for over a year, their priorities seem odd, sometimes disconnected. The myriad plans, strategies, speeches and rhetoric are commendable (‘I’m backing the builders, not the blockers’) and suggest coherence and focus – but the reality often does not match up.

Let’s take the example of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Britain’s planning system is one of the primary barriers to building the infrastructure which the country needs. Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, has acknowledged this, writing: ‘Why does it take so long to build anything in the UK? You can blame our outdated planning system that’s slowing us down.’

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill contained some strong provisions to address these. It was the start of an answer to a seemingly intractable problem. And yet, as the Bill has progressed through Parliament, HM Government has made concessions – a ‘tactical retreat’ – in order to expedite the passage of this flagship legislation.

I have no doubt they would argue that this is a perfect example of a government ‘knowing which battles to pick’, and make the case of the merits of a slightly watered down Bill sooner rather than a stronger Bill later.

Perhaps. But here’s the risk: now that HM Government has made concessions, campaign groups will know they can keep pushing. These concessions will not be enough. HM Government has not shown the fortitude or willingness to take on the blockers.

I was pleased to see Lord Hunt of Kings Heath table an amendment to the Bill based on recommendations from my recent Primer. But if HM Government has already conceded, then such provisions to strengthen the Bill are unlikely to succeed when it is debated in Committee stage.

You do not have to be a time traveller to know what will happen: the Bill will need to be watered down further to expedite its passage, and the resulting final Bill will be so diluted that it will not be fit for the scale of the infrastructure challenge facing Britain – meaning further legislation will have to be introduced at a later stage. And so we begin the cycle again.

Technological innovations, developments and stories you might have missed

Hydrogen-based steel railway track laid in Austria

Austria’s national railway company ÖBB has laid the world’s first track made from hydrogen-based steel at Linz Central Station.

Personalised CRISPR therapy given to baby with genetic disease

In a first of its kind, a baby with a severe genetic disease has received bespoke CRISPR therapy designed to correct the specific disease-causing mutation. The treatment appears to have been effective.

Photonic AI processor installed in supercomputing facility

A German supercomputing centre has deployed the world’s first photonic Artificial Intelligence (AI) processor. Developed by Q.ANT, a deep-tech company based in Stuttgart, the new native processing server brings analogue photonic computing into a live high-performance computing environment for the first time.

Brain implant translates thought to speech in real time

A man with a significant speech impediment can now speak expressively and sing with the help of a brain implant. A world first, the device translates his neural activity into words almost instantly. It conveys changes in intonation when he asks questions, emphasises words and allows him to hum a series of notes in three different pitches.

Your reading list on science and technology

How not to fix an AI institute

Alex Chalmers

If you’re not aware of the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of the Alan Turing Institute, read Alex’s article. See also: ‘Reforming the Alan Turing Institute’ by Ben Johnson and Julia Willemyns, who call for a full replacement of the board of trustees, with priority given to AI, defence and startup leaders.

HS2 was doomed to be a mess, say insiders – because of a ‘problem in this country’

Kate Lamble

This article argues that HS2 was doomed by a combination of ambitious engineering goals, complex planning negotiations with communities and a cumbersome planning system.

Revealing quotes

‘If you want to overturn the Online Safety Act you are on the side of predators. It is as simple as that.’ – Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

The new Online Safety Act is designed to protect children from harmful online content. However, civil liberties groups have said the Act – though well intentioned – is misguided, endangers privacy and free speech, and creates security risks. That’s why many view this statement as overly simplistic and controversial.

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Welcome to The Blueprint, our monthly roundup of science and technology. Written and edited by Dr Mann Virdee.

Thoughts from your correspondent on recent developments in science and tech in the United Kingdom (UK)

Here’s a thought: imagine it’s 2002. John Spellar, Minister for Transport, has just announced upgrades to the trans-Pennine A66 road between Scotch Corner and Penrith. Under these plans, single-carriageway sections of road will be upgraded to dual carriageway. It seems like an obvious and sensible way to make such an important – but dangerous – road safer, while also reducing congestion and improving connectivity in the region.

Then jump forwards 14 years. You expect to see those upgrades completed, right? Instead, you’re surprised to hear Theresa May’s government announce in the 2016 Autumn Statement that they are about to go ahead with the dualling of the A66.

And now we come to 2025. It’s nearly another decade later – but this time you will perhaps not be surprised to learn that the fate of the A66 dualling is still uncertain, even though the road is deemed to be a ‘vital artery’.

The point is this: making announcements about improving connectivity, upgrading infrastructure and fostering prosperity is easy; delivering is hard.

If you need another example, look at HS2. The project has been scaled back again and again, reducing it to a mere shadow of the original intention (which was fairly modest to begin with). It was originally supposed to be operational by 2026 – but we recently learnt that the opening of the little remaining section of HS2 will be delayed to some point beyond 2033. We also learnt in the Spending Review that the Department for Transport’s budget will be cut by 5% in real terms.

Sometimes it’s hard not to be pessimistic about British infrastructure.

But, amid all the bad news, there are some areas which should provide hope. We recently saw Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, make some positive announcements in the Spending Review. His Majesty’s (HM) Government has allocated £14.2 billion to build the Sizewell C nuclear power station, alongside £2.5 billion for a small modular reactor (SMR) programme. This comes alongside the news that Rolls-Royce SMR has won the Great British Nuclear competition to build the first SMRs in the United Kingdom (UK). Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, called this ‘the biggest expansion of new nuclear power in over half a century’.

We also heard from Jensen Huang, CEO of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) computing giant Nvidia. Speaking alongside Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, and Poppy Gustafsson, Investment Minister, he said: ‘I think [the UK is] just such an incredible, incredible place to invest. I’m going to invest here’. He argued that Britain’s ecosystem is perfect for takeoff; it’s just missing one thing – it lacks homegrown, sovereign UK AI infrastructure. Back in January, HM Government set out a comprehensive strategy – the AI Opportunities Action Plan – which seeks to address that.

And last week, we saw the unveiling of the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy. It offers a roadmap for how affordable housing, roads and railway lines will be improved.

Over the next decade, some £725 billion is set to be committed by HM Government to help deliver key economic and social infrastructure projects. It is hoped that the funding will provide certainty for government and industry to plan ahead, including dedicated support for the delivery of over 500,000 new homes and investment of around £1 billion to maintain collapsed roads. The Strategy also includes welcome commitments to the clean energy sector and digital connectivity through Project Gigabit.

These plans are all commendable. But, time and again, we have seen that the problem lies not in setting out good intentions, but in delivering. Voters are rightly wary of bold promises, and will judge the government based on actions, not words. Time is running out for HM Government to make good on its promises.

Technological innovations, developments and stories you might have missed

World’s first commercial small modular reactor ready to power half a million homes in China

The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Linglong-1 – the world’s first commercial small modular nuclear reactor – is now in its final installation phase. It is expected to provide power to 526,000 homes.

Plans to build major power plant in Wales

Westinghouse, the United States (US) energy giant, has presented plans for two large nuclear reactors on the Isle of Anglesey, Wales. HM Government is currently considering whether there should be mini nuclear plants there instead.

The first bacteria we ever encounter can keep us out of hospital

Exposure to certain types of bacteria in the hours after birth could help protect against infections later in childhood, according to a new study by University College London (UCL) and the Wellcome Sanger Institute. It is the first study to show how the formation of the microbiome affects the risk of infection.

First measurements made in mission to unlock secrets of the universe

Researchers have just carried out the world’s most precise measurement of the ‘muon magnetic anomaly’. This is a way to test the Standard Model in physics, which describes how the universe works at the most fundamental level – and which forces and particles exist.

China’s new 6G system unlocks unprecedented jamming and communications capabilities

A new 6G weapons project from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology claims to be able to jam US F-35 Joint Combat Aircraft.

QS World University Rankings 2026

There are huge problems with trying to rank universities, so always treat lists like this with a healthy dose of scepticism. Having said that, it’s worth having a quick glance at the newly published QS World University Rankings 2026. Four UK universities make the top ten universities in the world: Imperial College London (#2), Oxford (#4), Cambridge (#6) and UCL (#9). The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) takes the #1 spot for the 14th year in a row.

German state ditches Microsoft for open-source

The German state of Schleswig-Holstein has announced that it will phase out all Microsoft software from government workplaces, and instead transition to Linux and open-source programs in the next three months. It will affect approximately 30,000 employees – civil servants, police officers and judges. It is a step towards ‘digital sovereignty’, and a part of growing European resistance to reliance on US tech giants. This comes on the heels of Denmark making a similar move.

Your reading list on science and technology

Building energy grids is slower and more expensive than ever before in British history

Arthur Downing

Building energy grids in Britain has become slower and more expensive. This is a result of the increased quality and complexity of modern grids, low productivity in construction, the decline of domestic supply chains and a regulatory model which may inflate costs.

15 thoughts on what the Spending Review means for British Nuclear

Sam Dumitriu

Some reflections on the Spending Review and what it means for nuclear from Britain Remade’s Sam Dumitriu.

SCOUT – British infrastructure and planning data

Centre for British Progress

Not an article as such, but rather a great new tool to see planning data on a map of the UK, such as on the Green Belt or power lines. It is an innovative way to see the challenges facing housing and planning – an area we’ve frequently highlighted at the Council on Geostrategy.

Revealing quotes

‘I think [the UK] just such an incredible, incredible place to invest. I’m going to invest here’. – Jensen Huang, CEO, Nvidia Corporation

The CEO of the AI computing giant Nvidia was speaking alongside the Prime Minister and Investment Minister. He said that Britain has one of the richest AI communities anywhere on the planet, together with amazing startups such as DeepMind, Wayve, Synthesia and ElevenLabs. He added that the UK’s ecosystem is perfect for takeoff; it’s just missing one thing – it lacks homegrown, sovereign UK AI infrastructure.

‘This represents a new golden age for nuclear’. – Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change

Writing in The Telegraph, Miliband said that ‘New nuclear is a crucial source of firm, baseload power’. He argued that HM Government’s announcements amounted to ‘the biggest expansion of new nuclear power in over half a century’.

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Welcome to The Blueprint, our monthly roundup of science and technology. Written and edited by Dr Mann Virdee.

Thoughts from your correspondent on recent developments in science and tech in the United Kingdom (UK)

Last month’s edition of The Blueprint highlighted comments from Yann LeCun, Meta’s Vice President and Chief Artificial Intelligence (AI) scientist: ‘The United States [US] seems set on destroying its public research funding system. Many US-based scientists are looking for a Plan B. [Europe] may have an opportunity to attract some of the best scientists in the world’. He’s not alone in expressing this sentiment.

The European Commission is acting on this. It has launched the ‘Choose Europe for Science’ initiative, backed with more than €500 million (£421 million), with the intention of providing an alternative for researchers who have been forced to seek new opportunities following significant cuts by the current US administration.

Of course, the UK also wants to ensure it attracts the world’s best and brightest science and technology researchers and innovators. But there are challenges to doing so.

Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, has recently set out his intention to cut immigration levels, warning that Britain risks becoming an ‘island of strangers’. This comes at a time when the UK’s current immigration system already presents a hurdle for talented researchers. High upfront visa costs – exceeding those of competitor nations significantly – are a major deterrent for skilled workers and researchers. In particular, the Immigration Health Surcharge and employer fees make Britain a financially unattractive option for many, effectively undermining efforts to attract such researchers.

Simply relaxing visa requirements risks being a half-measure if not coupled with a reassessment of the UK’s broader science and technology landscape.

There’s also a more fundamental challenge to Britain’s ambition to become a scientific and technology superpower, especially in areas such as AI: despite cuts to science budgets, the US still has an enormous gravitational pull thanks to its tech ecosystem. The US has unparalleled levels of funding, advanced infrastructure, significantly higher compensation packages and a deeply ingrained cultural belief in the transformative potential of technologies like AI.

While the UK can offer a different kind of appeal, potentially a more stable political environment and perhaps a better work-life balance, these ‘good vibes’ are unlikely to outweigh the substantial disparities in resources and opportunities. Top researchers prioritise impact and recognition, which are often best found within well-funded, ambitious ecosystems like the US.

Technological innovations, developments and stories you might have missed

Medical AI trained on NHS records of 57 million people

Foresight, an AI model, has been trained on the de-identified health records of 57 million people in the National Health Service (NHS) to predict health conditions. It marks the first time AI has been applied to national-scale health research.

See also: a new AI tool which uses facial characteristics to determine biological age and cancer survival. The tool outperformed clinicians in predicting the short-term life expectancy of patients receiving palliative radiotherapy.

China paves way for global satellite network

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has completed initial tests of its experimental satellite in very low Earth orbit (VLEO), a step towards a 300-satellite network for global communication and surveillance.

World’s first CPU-level ransomware

A security researcher claims to have made the first ransomware which can be installed and run on a CPU. This would make it almost impossible to get rid of, and could usher in a new era of unavoidable ransomware.

Your reading list on science and technology

Science and Technology Framework

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Two years after the UK’s previous Science and Technology framework, here is another one. It’s not as detailed as the 2023 Framework, but is instead more of a statement of strategic thought which will apply across His Majesty’s Government.

Join the UK Progress Idea Machine

Tom Westgarth and Andrew Bennett

As I described in the first edition of The Blueprint, momentum is building around a new pro-growth movement trying to harness science and technology for national prosperity. This article by TxP’s Tom Westgarth and Andrew Bennett describe who’s who in this landscape, and what’s missing. One small caveat: I would suggest that there are some organisations in the movement they’ve missed in this post.

Send our mayors to Coventry: To witness a tram revolution

David Milner

There’s a common view that Britain can’t build infrastructure efficiently. Of course, there are a lot of examples and data which have led to that view. But Coventry’s innovative and rapid tram line construction shows that things can be done differently.

The EU wants American AI researchers? Good luck with that

Harry Law

Europe will struggle to attract American AI researchers, because of the US’ superior research ecosystem, scale advantages, self-reinforcing talent loop, higher salaries and a stronger national belief in AI.

Science 2040: Interim report

The Royal Society

A vision for what the UK’s science system could, and should, look like over the next few decades.

Revealing quotes

‘It was almost like a parallel universe – and China is so far ahead of us in terms of their investment in space programmes’ – Professor Mahesh Anand

In 2020, the PRC collected samples of Moon rocks on its Chang’e 5 space mission. The Open University’s Prof. Anand will use the samples to understand the formation of the Moon and the early Earth better. His comments also highlight the need for Britain to increase funding for space research and innovation.

‘Say no to any arrangement that would obstruct international exchanges and collaboration.’ – Zheng Zeguang, Chinese Ambassador to the UK

The Chinese Ambassador has expressed concern that Britain’s trade deal with the US could force Chinese firms out of British supply chains. Zheng went on to say: ‘we must firmly oppose decoupling or the severing of the global industrial supply chain or such practices of the small yard, high fence’.

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Welcome to The Blueprint, our monthly roundup of science and technology. Written and edited by Dr Mann Virdee.

Thoughts from your correspondent on recent developments in science and tech in the United Kingdom (UK)

Several artificial intelligence (AI) trends have been doing the rounds recently.

There’s the Studio Ghibli trend, in which people are using generative AI to create photos in the style of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki (known for films such as Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro). There’s also the AI doll trend, in which people are creating images of themselves as packaged dolls and action figures.

This has sparked a debate about AI trained on copyrighted creative works and what it means for the livelihoods of artists. In 2016, in response to the use of AI in animation, Miyazaki was quoted as saying: ‘I strongly feel that this is an insult to life itself’.

It’s also part of a broader conversation about automation and jobs. The Tony Blair Institute estimates that adoption of AI by UK firms could save almost a quarter of private-sector workforce time, equivalent to the annual output of about six million workers. A recent report from KPMG found that generative AI could potentially add £31 billion to the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next decade, with some 40% of jobs being impacted by AI.

So, why hasn’t AI taken your job yet? Bill Gates has predicted that AI will lead us to a two-day work week; is that simply a dream?

AI is currently very good at tasks that are repetitive, predictable and have lots of structured data. But it’s now getting better at tasks which – until recently – we thought only humans could do, such as analysing information and being creative (have you ever tried asking one of the leading large language models to generate a new script for your favourite TV show?).

This means that, increasingly, higher-skilled white-collar jobs are at risk too.

There are still things AI can’t do well. Jobs that require emotional intelligence, complex negotiations with people, making ethical judgements, using common sense in unexpected situations and skilful physical work in unpredictable environments are still safe for humans for now. ‘Human-centric’ skills are key.

Recent research conducted by Model Evaluation & Threat Research (METR), a United States (US)-based AI research company, suggests that the capability of large language models to carry out a particular task is determined less by its apparent intellectual difficulty for humans or the specialist skills required, and instead more by the degree of structure (or messiness) within the workflow.

To put it another way, the inherent unpredictability and responsiveness required when working with people contribute to a messiness that makes those jobs less straightforward to automate.

Looking ahead, AI is getting better at handling longer and more complicated tasks, even messy, unstructured ones. We are going to need to do a lot more thinking about the training and support available to help people switch careers.

This leaves me with a final thought by the writer Gurwinder Bhogal. If AI can write (and perhaps write even better than you or I can), then why write? Gurwinder says: ‘Write, even though machines can write for you, because the purpose of writing is not just to produce writing, but to distil your thoughts, refine your beliefs and maintain your agency’.

Technological innovations, developments and stories you might have missed

UK creating ‘murder prediction’ tool to identify people most likely to kill

His Majesty’s (HM) Government is researching a ‘murder prediction’ tool that analyses the personal data of individuals known to authorities to identify potential killers. The research has sparked concerns about privacy, bias against minority ethnic and poor people and the potential use of data from those not convicted of crimes.

Lab-made nervous system

In a world first, Stanford neuroscientists have successfully grown a lab-created nervous system – a connected chain of human cell-based organoids representing the entire pain pathway, from skin to brain. This breakthrough represents an unprecedented tool to study pain and how it moves through the body.

China aiming for first hybrid fusion-fission plant by 2030

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is taking a big step in nuclear power by building a first-of-its-kind power plant that combines nuclear fusion and fission. The PRC hopes that this experimental plant will be up and running by 2030, and that it will produce a steady output of 100 megawatts of electricity.

Your reading list on science and technology

Rediscovering British Progress

David Lawrence, Julia Willemyns, Laura Ryan, Ben Johnson

The founding essay of the new Centre for British Progress. The Centre aims for a future in which technological advancements liberate British citizens to pursue lives of security and meaning: where diseases are cured, electricity is clean, cheap and reliable, and where work is creative and meaningful.

Tariffs, saving, and investment

John H. Cochrane

This article argues that the US trade deficit and capital surplus are partly a result of foreign countries wanting to save more and invest in the US, driving up the value of the US dollar and making imports cheaper. Spurred by government policies, the US has engaged in a consumption binge fuelled by cheap foreign borrowing rather than productive investment. Cochrane argues that tariffs are not the solution because cutting off trade would force the US to finance its deficits domestically, likely causing a spike in interest rates, a severe recession and potentially a debt crisis.

Does it really matter if we can’t produce ‘virgin steel’ anymore?

Ed Conway

This article from 2024 is timely. It argues that not being able to make ‘virgin steel’ isn’t a major issue because the UK already relies on imported materials for this, and electric arc furnaces can produce high-quality steel from recycled scrap. There are, however, other reasons to be worried about the UK’s rapid transition solely to electric arc furnace steelmaking, including the UK’s high industrial electricity cost and the lack of investment in decarbonisation technologies. See also this article from The Economist’s Archie Hall.

Revealing quotes

‘Our industries depend on UK steel and – thanks to our Plan for Change – demand is set to shoot up: helping build the 1.5 million homes, railways, schools and hospitals we need to usher in a decade of national renewal.’ – The Rt. Hon. Jonathan Reynolds MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade.

Last weekend, Parliament was recalled to pass new legislation giving HM Government the power to direct the board of British Steel and its workforce.

‘A smart foreign-born undergrad at a US university asked me if he should go to the UK to start his startup because of the random deportations here. I said that while the median startup wasn’t taking things to this extreme yet, it would be an advantage in recruiting.’ – Paul Graham, co-founding the startup accelerator and seed capital firm Y Combinator.

This quote is a reference to the ongoing fallout from lack of investment in US science and technology, and scientists looking for a ‘plan B’. See also this LinkedIn post from Yann LeCun, Meta’s Vice President and Chief AI Scientist.

‘No government – regardless of which party is in power – should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.’ – Alan M. Garber, President of Harvard University.

Harvard University has said it will not acquiesce to the demands of Donald Trump, President of the US, on how the university should be governed, hire and teach whether it continues to get federal funding or not. Harvard’s President acknowledged that some of the demands set out by the government were aimed at combating antisemitism, but said that the majority represented direct governmental regulation of the intellectual conditions at Harvard. In response, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion (£1.7 billion) of federal funds to Harvard.

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Welcome to The Blueprint, our monthly roundup of science and technology. Written and edited by Dr Mann Virdee.

Thoughts from your correspondent on recent developments in science and tech in the United Kingdom (UK)

On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, and Chris Wormald, Cabinet Secretary, sent a letter to all civil servants.

Echoing language from a previous letter the prime minister sent back in December, they stated: ‘the civil service must once again become the engine room of delivery for every person in every part of the UK’. The letter went on to tell civil servants:

Each one of you must be enabled to re-focus on your core purpose, away from the things that hamper your day-to-day work, delivering excellent, high-performing public services that improve people’s lives.

We know many of you feel shackled by bureaucracy, frustrated by inefficiency and unable to harness new technology. Your talent has been constrained for too long. We are determined to empower you – not through words, but action – to maximise the collective power of the state.

Civil service reform is central to Labour’s plans for this Parliament. But it is important to note how the language has been tempered. Previously, the prime minister had been more forceful:

Too many civil servants are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline. [...] I totally get that when trust in politics is so low, we must be careful about the promises we make. But across Whitehall and Westminster that’s been internalised as “don’t say anything”, “don’t try anything too ambitious”, “set targets that will happen anyway”.

This is one area in which Labour and the previous Conservative government agree. Some Labour figures have expressed frustration about the civil service, with one stating: ‘The biggest disappointment of going into government has been the quality of the civil service’, and another arguing: ‘Dominic Cummings was right about Whitehall. But I blame him and the Conservative Party for 14 years of low pay, bad leadership and demoralisation which means we don’t have the right people in the right places.’

To tackle this, Pat McFadden, Minister for Intergovernmental Relations, has outlined plans for a new approach to managing the performance of civil servants. Under new plans, senior civil servants will have performance-related pay, and those who do not meet required standards could be sacked if they do not improve within six months. This is a welcome move that has been long overdue.

But what does it mean for science and tech?

Over three centuries, the UK’s political system and institutions have helped the country navigate big changes gradually, and have helped ensure stability in a way many European neighbours may be envious of. But this can also be a hindrance, with institutional inertia acting as a barrier to change, reducing Britain’s agility to take advantage of the opportunities offered by technology.

Inertia and Institutionalism

When Labour entered office in 1997, the Home Office gave a presentation on crime to Tony Blair, the incoming Prime Minister. As Jonathan Powell, Blair’s chief of staff, recounted, their projections showed that crime would increase if the economy improved – as there would be more things to steal. When pressed on what would happen if there was a downturn in the economy, the Home Office said that crime would also go up in that scenario because there would be more people who would steal things.

This is part of a broader problem, which is that there is no incentive to change. Business as usual is the most straightforward path, and there is no reason or reward for civil servants to change that.

Outsourcing decision-making

There’s also the hollowing out of expertise through increased reliance on consultants – which in reality is a way for decision-making to be outsourced so no one has to bear the blame for making a decision if it turns out to be a bad one. This weakens the civil service in its capacity and capability to carry out work, as well as to own that work, be accountable for it, learn from past experience, and improve for the future.

Related to this is the loss of institutional memory in the civil service with the move of key figures between departments and out of government.

McFadden is right to focus on managing the performance of civil servants. Too many are adding little to nothing of value, and a lack of clear role descriptions makes it easy for poor performance to be hidden.

But there are other steps that need to come alongside this. Low pay is a barrier to attracting talent and expertise from the private sector into government, there are too many generalists, and there is too much movement of staff between government departments.

In addition, the entrance requirements mean that candidates must fit a very narrow profile. It means that civil servants – broadly – have the same strengths and the same weaknesses, leaving systemic holes in civil service thinking. But it also makes it less meritocratic to join the civil service. Writing a strong application is based less on knowledge or expertise, and is more of a tick-box exercise. Many successful candidates I have spoken to recently for my upcoming Primer on civil service reform have said they were hired because they had help from civil servants to write their applications – which suggests the system is broken.

Technological innovations, developments and stories you might have missed

An autonomous AI agent?

If the release of DeepSeek represented a ‘Sputnik moment’, the release of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) Manus, apparently the world’s first fully autonomous Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent, could be the repeat of such a moment. It could mark a shift from AI as an assistant to AI as a self-directed actor. This development challenges Silicon Valley’s dominance in AI, raising ethical and regulatory concerns about AI systems operating without human oversight.

Sideways black hole

Researchers at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have discovered a cosmic enigma: a supermassive black hole that is rotating at a tilted angle relative to its galaxy’s structure. This discovery was made using new image analysis techniques on archival data. The black hole’s tilted orientation may result from the aftermath of a black hole merger or the presence of a binary black hole system.

Advancement in electron control

Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new technique to manipulate electron interactions within materials, offering insights into electron behaviour. This advancement holds potential for applications in quantum computing and nanotechnology.

Your reading list on science and technology

A Strategic Brain for the R&D Ecosystem

Stian Westlake

How to build analytical capability, shared between the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), to provide a timely, detailed source of research and innovation (R&I) analytics to inform decision-making, measure impact, and make the R&I system more intelligible to investors and to the public.

An agents economy

Séb Krier

On the long-term integration of AI agents into the workforce, assuming they become broadly directable and human-level capable.

Where are the field builders?

David Lang

Scientific progress is hindered by a shortage of ‘field builders’ – those who operate between academia, startups, and non-profits to catalyse emerging scientific fields by directing resources, building communities, and championing new ideas.

The Future of Britain’s Economic Statecraft

Sam Currie

Britain has failed to recognise the critical link between economic policy and national power, leaving it vulnerable in an increasingly technological and competitive world. To maintain sovereignty and global influence, the UK must shift toward a strategic industrial policy, fostering high-tech industries that can enhance geopolitical leverage and resilience.

Revealing quotes

‘I think Elon Musk should be expelled from the British Royal Society. Not because he peddles conspiracy theories and makes Nazi salutes, but because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US. Now let’s see if he really believes in free speech’. – Geoffrey Hinton, the ‘Godfather of AI’.

The ongoing row over Musk’s membership of the Royal Society in light of his behaviour and role in the United States (US) ‘Department’ for Government Efficiency (DOGE), including cuts to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and NASA.

See also Musk’s response:

Only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships. History is the actual judge, always and forever. Your comments above are carelessly ignorant, cruel and false. That said, what specific actions require correction? I will make mistakes, but endeavour to fix them fast.

Related to this is the decline in Tesla sales in Europe, and the promise of Donald Trump, President of the US, to buy a new Tesla to support Musk.

‘We’ve got a “strategic defence review” coming up, an industrial strategy, which will set out how we plan to spend this uplift on British defence.’ – Sir Keir.

The prime minister has been urged to use the defence spending boost to revive British manufacturing and strengthen domestic supply chains for the armaments industry, while ensuring small businesses benefit from the spending.

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Welcome to The Blueprint, our new monthly roundup of science and technology. Written and edited by Dr Mann Virdee.

Thoughts from your correspondent on recent developments in science and tech in the United Kingdom (UK)

Labour is getting the message on growth, but there’s still work to do.

Since the start of this year, His Majesty’s (HM) Government has made several promising announcements to drive growth and innovation in the United Kingdom (UK). That’s a marked contrast to the timidity of their first six months in office. It’s as if Labour lost their plan for government on entering office and have just found it.

Recent announcements have included the Oxford-Cambridge corridor, new reservoirs, Heathrow’s third runway, the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Opportunities Action Plan, and a nuclear regulatory task force to speed up Small Modular Reactor (SMR) development.

The rhetoric is commendable. Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister, has vowed to take on ‘the Nimbys and a broken system that has slowed down our progress as a nation’, while Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, has said ‘we were once a world pioneer in new nuclear – and we can be again.’ But until the work begins and people feel their lives and communities improving, the rhetoric is not enough. People have been let down time and again, and they are rightly wary of big promises.

So, what’s behind all these new announcements?

One big reason is that a pro-growth coalition is mobilising, which is effectively demonstrating the benefits of these proposals. This coalition includes (but is not limited to) groups and organisations such as Britain Remade, Labour Growth Group, Looking for Growth, Onward, Startup Coalition, Council on Geostrategy, Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, UK Day One, and the YIMBY Alliance.

But for those who care about Britain’s prosperity, the work continues. Severe problems with the planning system and infrastructure will not go away easily.

Only recently, we learned that planning inspectors recommended against a nuclear power plant in Anglesey, north Wales, because of fears it could dilute the Welsh language and culture on the island. It sounds too absurd to be true. That follows the widely shared news that the High Speed II railway line included a £100 million tunnel to protect bats from trains, which may ultimately not even be bat-proof anyway. These should be reminders of how far Britain is falling behind.

Britain’s plutonium puzzle

Too often, HM Government is still getting the calls wrong – and so there is work to do to help highlight where and how they can improve.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) recently announced that the UK will dispose of its civil plutonium stockpile, which amounts to some 140 tonnes. This decision will not have been taken lightly and is more complex than armchair commentators appreciate. But there are legitimate reasons to believe it is the wrong decision while other options may still be on the table.

The plutonium reserve is around 3,100 terawatt hours (TWh), enough to – theoretically – meet the UK’s entire energy demands for about three years. Of course, the UK’s energy system is complex and this plutonium cannot simply be plugged in somewhere to power the whole thing, as these commentators appear to believe. But the plutonium could be used as fuel for thermal reactors, or combined with depleted, natural and low-enriched uranium to fuel new fast reactors.

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority carried out technical, deliverability and economic analysis for the plutonium – including looking at immobilisation and reuse as mixed oxide fuel (MOX) – and recommended immobilisation as the preferred solution.

But the fact remains that this is a highly valuable national resource. It is worth investing in continued storage so that the UK can further explore options for reusing the plutonium before putting it permanently out of reach.

Technological innovations, developments and stories you might have missed

Green light for gene-edited pig kidneys for human use

Two biotech companies in the United States (US), United Therapeutics and eGenesis, have received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials for gene-edited pig kidneys for human use. If successful, this development could be a lifeline for those waiting for organ transplants.

Large-scale laser fusion research centre in the People’s Republic of China

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is constructing a large-scale laser fusion research centre in Mianyang, Sichuan province. The facility could be used for research on both clean energy and nuclear weapons. Inertial confinement fusion generates small fusion reactions and could lead to clean and abundant energy. But such a facility could also be used to explore, test, and refine nuclear weapon designs without conducting actual nuclear tests, which are banned under the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

World’s first scalable, connected, photonic quantum computer prototype

A team of engineers and physicists at Xanadu Quantum Technologies Inc., a Canadian company, has unveiled what they describe as the world’s first scalable, connected, photonic quantum computer prototype.

Accumulation of microplastics in the human brain

American researchers analysed samples of brain, liver and kidney tissue of 28 people who died in 2016 and compared it with samples from 24 people who died in 2024. They found that the accumulation of micro- and nano-plastics was higher in the samples from 2024. Further research is needed to better understand the health and neurological impacts.

High-Energy Laser test by US Navy

The US Navy has reported on testing of their High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system. The laser was used to take out an aerial drone, a key step in operationalising such systems.

Your reading list on science and technology

National Priority Infrastructure Bill - Looking for Growth

An ‘oven-ready’ bill aimed by the campaign group Looking for Growth which seeks to liberalise infrastructure planning in Britain, endorsed by figures across the political spectrum.

Ensuring that the UK can capture the benefits of quantum computing - Oxford Economics, commissioned by IBM and Oxford Quantum Circuits

This report predicts that quantum computing could give Britain an economy-wide productivity boost of up to 8.3% by 2055, with initial gains from as early as 2034. Unsurprisingly, the report argues that increased government support for quantum will be crucial for the UK to realise the benefits and remain globally competitive.

Managing the UK plutonium stockpile: no easy choices - William Bodel, Adrian Bull, Gregg Butler, Robert Harrison, Juan Matthews and Daniel Warrilow-Brennan, University of Manchester

This study from the University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute explores Britain’s choices for what to do with its plutonium stockpile (see Colossus). The report notes that if the plutonium stockpile is disposed, it would be expected to reach an earlier end point and involve less initial cost. However, as fuel, it would generate significant quantities of low-carbon energy for the UK.

On DeepSeek and Export Controls - Dario Amodei, Anthropic

An essay on Deepseek, the future of AI, and the necessity of US export controls. In this piece, Amodei argues that DeepSeek produced a model with performance similar to US models 7-10 months older at a significantly lower cost, but not at the extreme ratios some have suggested. For some pushback and the value of open-source innovation, read a response by Thomas Wolf, co-founder of Hugging Face.

The inside story of Britain’s failure to clinch £450mn AstraZeneca deal - Anna Gross, Hannah Kuchler, George Parker and Jennifer Williams, Financial Times

The story of how AstraZeneca scrapped its planned UK vaccine plant expansion after failing to reach a financially viable agreement with the government, citing reduced funding offers and unfavourable economic conditions.

Revealing quotes

‘Build baby build’ – Sir Keir.

Labour has pledged to ‘back the builders, not the blockers’ by reforming the UK’s planning system to build houses, build national infrastructure projects and grow the economy. However, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicts Labour will miss its target of 1.5 million new homes in England by the end of this Parliament, and end up some 400,000 short of their manifesto commitment. See also, ‘drill, baby, drill’ – a Republican rallying cry for energy policy for over a decade and – more recently – a mantra embraced by Donald Trump, President of the US.

‘They don’t actually have the money’ – Elon Musk, in a reply to OpenAI’s press release on the Stargate AI project announced by Trump.

Keep an eye on how the relationship between the world’s richest man and the US President holds up when Musk’s competitors – in this case Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI – take the spotlight.

See also, ‘no thank you but we will buy twitter for $9.74 billion if you want’ – Sam Altman, in reply to an offer of $97.4 billion by a Musk-led consortium offers to take control of OpenAI. This offer complicates Altman’s plans to turn OpenAI into a for-profit company.

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