The UK's Council for Science and Technology tells the AI minister to write an AI sovereignty plan, warning Britain “risks becoming a high-value AI customer”
The letter, dated 30 July and published on Monday, makes four recommendations: a national plan, clear governance, investment in UK capability and trusted access to leading models.
The Council for Science and Technology (CST), which advises the prime minister on science and technology, published a letter on GOV.UK on 19 October advising Kanishka Narayan MP, the Minister for AI, on how Britain can keep control over the AI it relies on. The letter is dated 30 July 2026 and is signed by the council's co-chairs, Dame Angela McLean and Lord Browne of Madingley.
It defines AI sovereignty as “having sufficient agency across the AI value chain to deliver the UK's chosen outcomes, capture economic and public value for the UK, and maintain resilience under duress.” It warns that without deliberate and urgent action, “the UK risks becoming a high-value AI customer, rather than a country able to shape the technology and its usage.”
The letter makes four recommendations. The first is to “Develop a UK AI Sovereignty Plan based on a clear overview of the AI ecosystem.” The others are to set up clear governance and coordination for sovereignty choices, to invest now in the foundations of long-term UK AI capability, and to “Maintain trusted access to leading AI models while building selected UK capability.” On the most powerful global models, it says “the UK should not depend on them for all use cases”, and it asks the government to allocate some national AI computing capacity to pilot trials.
The letter names no US company or other foreign provider. It is advice, not government policy, and no public reply from the government was found.
- Confirmed The CST's letter to the Minister for AI was published on 19 October 2026; it is dated 30 July 2026 and signed by co-chairs Dame Angela McLean and Lord Browne of Madingley. Council for Science and Technology, GOV.UK
- Confirmed The letter makes four recommendations, the first to develop a UK AI Sovereignty Plan based on a clear overview of the AI ecosystem. Council for Science and Technology, GOV.UK
- Claimed The council says the UK risks becoming a high-value AI customer rather than a country able to shape the technology. Council for Science and Technology, GOV.UK
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