Founder @Conserva_Tech | Supporting bad football @WestHam | Views in this place entirely my own.
Joined August 2024
- Tweets2.8K
- Following940
- Followers324
- Likes3.6K
What gives me the most hope about Britain is also the most frustrating: our problems are self-imposed.
Regulation is strangling innovation and growth.
As @matthewlesh sets out here: ‘The issue is that business are very frightened of falling into the trap of breaching regulations, so they do not pursue a project because of the risk,’
UK data regulation costs British tech businesses an estimated £5.3 billion a year in compliance alone.
That’s from new research by Freshwater Strategy for CCIA, surveying 113 data-intensive tech businesses. Two-thirds (69%) say compliance costs have risen over the past 5-10 years, while none say they have fallen.
But compliance is only one slice of the ultimate cost to the British economy:
- Half (52%) reported not undertaking a business activity due to data regulation
- Firms are scaling back analytics, delaying products and holding back AI features
- Some are launching new products, including AI agents, offshore to avoid red tape
‘The issue is that business are very frightened of falling into the trap of breaching regulations, so they do not pursue a project because of the risk,’ explained one respondent. ‘Overzealous regulation means that taking that route is simply not worth the risk capital to get the feature up and running – better to place bets elsewhere,’ said another.
62% say uncertainty about enforcement matters more than the rules themselves, while 68% say the risk of getting it wrong is out of proportion to the actual risk to individuals.
The ICO’s newly appointed independent board has an opportunity to shift culture, not just the letterhead.
These figures from @TheEconomist are deeply worrying and are aligned with similar data in other European countries.
We should be able to talk honestly about them and what they mean for keeping women and girls safe.
It matters who we let into Britain. We need control over our borders, proper checks on those coming here, and the ability to deport foreign criminals.
@KemiBadenoch is right to make border control a priority. We need lower immigration, secure borders and the deportation of foreign criminals. Protecting women and girls must always come first.
Happy Essex Day! 🏴
Born and raised in Essex, I’ll always be proud to call this county home. From our beautiful coastline and countryside to our historic towns and villages, there’s so much here to celebrate.
But it’s really the people who make Essex what it is. Hard-working, patriotic, enterprising, straight-talking and always ready to give something a go. I grew up with those values, and they’ve stayed with me ever since.
Essex has given me so much - an education, lifelong friendships and my buying my first ever home. I want others growing up here to have every opportunity to build a good life too.
Here’s to our wonderful county and everyone who makes it home. Happy Essex Day!
Matt Day retweeted
Tim Martin is a hero and in a just world would be given an Earldom for his services to competitive markets. There should be a Wetherspoons in every airport!
I have spent an inordinate amount of time in various Spoons this weekend owing to the awful weather and our awful public transport system. So while I wait for my Korean friend chicken burger here’s some of the under explored reasons why Spoons is so great:
1. They have real Heinz ketchup (ditto Heinz mustard, HP sauce etc). This is impressive when most food trucks and even restaurants etc now use cheaper supermarket-brand versions as Heinz has become so pricey
2. The southern fried chicken strips are better than the chicken selects in McDonald’s (and that’s a high bar)
3. The staff are nice (I’ve always found)
4. The spice bag is elite
5. There’s something for everyone - even Aperol Spritz! (£4.75)
6. The free re-fills on the coffee
7. Often they’re in great heritage buildings
8. The explicit invite on the pump to try before you choose. This is great
Many more but my burger has now arrived
Stuck behind a fallen tree on the road outside Glencoe heading back to Glasgow. Thankfully two incredible fellas with chainsaws have come to the rescue in these conditions #StormBoelo
Matt Day retweeted
Two things are entirely predictable:
a) the Online Safety Act is an abject failure;
b) the regulators want more of it in response.
Matt Day retweeted
We were repeatedly told the Online Safety Act's primary goal was to make the internet safer for children; now they're admitting it hasn't achieved that goal.
There was never evidence that the 'duty of care' model would work; it was untested, and now it is proving unsuccessful, despite signifigant costs for users and platforms.
We have faced age-gating of legitimate content and hundreds of web forums shutting down because they struggled to comply. It's saddening, if anything, that for all this faff, the law itself has failed.
Matt Day retweeted
🚨NEW: The Online Safety Act has been a failure, according to a new report from Ofcom.
Ofcom have found "no significant change" in children encountering harmful content since the law came into effect last July. This is despite the signifigant threats to free speech and privacy.
Interesting read 👇 and to reflect on our current state in the world.
Matt Day retweeted
Hugely proud to have led the writing of @Conserva_Tech's latest paper, Rewiring Britain: A Conservative Plan for a Smaller, Smarter, and Faster State 🇬🇧
A real team effort, so thank you to brilliant colleagues for their ideas and support 🙏
The British state is running on yesterday's technology, with today's bureaucracy, at tomorrow's expense.
Today we launch our second policy paper 🇬🇧 Rewiring Britain: A Conservative Plan for a Smaller, Smarter, and Faster State.
Do check it out 👇
conservatech.io/research-and…
Matt Day retweeted
A state that asks less of its people, uses what it already holds, decides quickly, and answers for what it decides.
Smaller, smarter, faster. That’s the Conservative case 📄 Read the full paper: conservatech.io/research-and…
Matt Day retweeted
We’d also rebuild HMRC’s front door, put GDS back at the heart of government, and get the right people into the right seats.
When the state uses technology to make decisions, the rule is simple: a machine can decide, but a person must answer ⚖️
Matt Day retweeted
We’d make it unlawful for one part of government to demand a fact that another part already holds.
And you’d be able to see what the state holds about you, who has accessed it, when, and why 👀
Matt Day retweeted
Labour would have the state use your data more effectively. We’d put you in control of how it’s used 🔐
One person. One government. One record.
Change your address with your GP, and you’ve changed it across the state.
Matt Day retweeted
In 2016, the UK was ranked 1st in the UN’s e-government index. By 2024, we were 7th 📉
Others went further and faster, often by building on what we started.
Much of what was new in 2012 is legacy now, and the state still asks for things it already knows.
Matt Day retweeted
The British state is running on yesterday's technology, with today's bureaucracy, at tomorrow's expense.
Today we launch our second policy paper 🇬🇧 Rewiring Britain: A Conservative Plan for a Smaller, Smarter, and Faster State.
Do check it out 👇
conservatech.io/research-and…
Our second policy paper is here 🇬🇧🚀
There’s a huge opportunity for the next Conservative government to properly modernise the state, fully leverage and protect citizen data and make life easier for small businesses.
Here’s how we get there 👇
The British state is running on yesterday's technology, with today's bureaucracy, at tomorrow's expense.
Today we launch our second policy paper 🇬🇧 Rewiring Britain: A Conservative Plan for a Smaller, Smarter, and Faster State.
Do check it out 👇
conservatech.io/research-and…