In a recent speech, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer vowed to reshape public services by tackling what he called a "cottage industry of checkers and blockers" and leveraging AI to boost efficiency.
Starmer emphasized that "every pound spent, every regulation, every decision must deliver for working people." This is especially important as, despite employing more people than it has in decades, the state is "weaker than it's ever been," he argued.
Starmer also highlighted the need to go "further and faster" on regulation. This is not about questioning the dedication and effort of civil servants, he clarified. "It is about the system that we've got in place," Starmer explained. "That system was created by politicians ... Over a number of years, politicians chose to hide behind a vast array of quangos, arms length bodies and regulators, you name it."
Undertaking a digital reform of the state is essential to achieving government efficiency, Starmer said. "AI is a golden opportunity," he argued. "That's an opportunity we are determined to seize ... I'm going to send teams into every government department with a clear mission from me to make the state more innovative and efficient."
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