UK’s McPartland Cyber Review to probe trust in technology

Improving trust and confidence among business leaders in existing and emerging technologies in the face of significant and sophisticated cyber threats will be the focus of the UK government’s newly launched McPartland Cyber Security Review.

Led by Stephen McPartland, Conservative MP for Stevenage in Hertfordshire, the review will see a team drawn from among government officials, IT and security experts and independent researchers explore the “transformative economic opportunities” cyber security can offer, reporting later in 2024.

It will centre the use of cyber security to enable trust in technology – such as generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) – that will let them digitise faster and remain competitive globally. It will also aim to increase support and demand for good cyber security practice, foster greater awareness of cyber security issues and tools, and minimise costs for businesses and consumers alike.

Speaking at a conference at Lancaster House in London – jointly hosted with the French government – on the controversial issues surrounding commercial spyware and surveillance tools, deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden said: “Our burgeoning cyber security industry continues to go from strength to strength, with our most recent estimates showing that the sector generates over £10bn in revenue – third only to the US and China – with exports also growing to over £5bn.

“In the room today I see several faces I recognise from innovative young UK companies, and I know the important role they and others play in making us safer, both online and off. The government recognises the huge potential for growth in this industry and the potential for cyber security to drive growth across all sectors of our economy,” said Dowden.

“That is why, alongside Michelle Donelan, the secretary of state for science, innovation and technology, I have asked the right honourable Stephen McPartland MP to lead an independent review to look at how we can shift the narrative and market incentives around cyber security to make this a reality,” he said.

The McPartland Review will form part of the government’s avowed commitment to “making the long-term decisions that change the country for the better”. Ultimately, it wishes to take a whole-of-society approach to cyber security, and believes that by doing so, it can establish the UK as a technology superpower in the field. As with many such initiatives, it supposedly complements the £2.6bn National Cyber Strategy, launched in 2022.