In this episode of the UKTN Podcast, Allan Nixon, head of science of technology at Onward, shares his assessment of the Spring Budget and outlines steps he thinks Whitehall could take to improve tech sector growth.
Off the back of last week’s Spring Budget, Nixon unpacks some of the key announcements – from the ones that left him underwhelmed to those he sees as having potential.
Elsewhere, Nixon compares the Labour and Conservative parties’ approach to tech policy, taking the view that the two are “fairly aligned” at a macro level.
The Onward policy expert also explains why DSIT and the Treasury need to revamp their spending processes to ensure investments keep pace with the tech sector, particularly in areas like compute infrastructure.
Elsewhere, Nixon shares suggestions for Whitehall to cut “bureaucratic red tape” that could support the UK’s science and tech sector and calls for more long-termism in tech policy.
“It has been quite endemic in terms of our chopping and changing between science plans and strategies coming and going and businesses often not quite being able to plan properly,” he said.
Prior to joining Onward, a centre-right think tank, Nixon served in various special advisor roles for the UK government – including to the prime minister, security minister and health secretary. He has also worked in Parliament.
Listen to the full episode here, along with all previous episodes of the UKTN Podcast.
The UKTN Podcast is sponsored by HSBC Innovation Banking, which offers flexible banking solutions for startups, scaleups, growth businesses, investors and those working towards IPO.
Throughout the series, the UKTN Podcast will be speaking to some of the key movers and shakers from UK tech. We’ll learn growth strategies from both seasoned and up-and-coming founders, hear market sentiments from investors, and question policymakers on the decisions impacting the country’s innovation economy.
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