Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of concentrating Government AI partnerships with a small number of large US technology companies on competition and innovation in the UK AI market.

The Government is committed to ensuring its AI partnerships benefit the UK AI ecosystem and support public and private sector capacity, innovation and long-term UK capability. Engagement with international technology companies is critical to bring world leading capabilities, expertise, and infrastructure to the UK.

The MoUs signed in 2025 with international frontier AI companies provide a framework for voluntary collaboration, allowing the Government and its partners to explore areas of mutual interest—such as innovation, safety, and responsible development.

These partnerships sit alongside a wider approach to build a diverse and competitive UK AI ecosystem. The Government is strengthening competition and innovation at home by backing British AI companies through the £500 million Sovereign AI Fund , expanding public compute via the AI Research Resource, and supporting startups and scaleups across the AI value chain.

The Government also works closely with independent competition and regulatory authorities to ensure markets remain open and competitive, with existing competition and procurement frameworks applying to AI partnerships as they do in other sectors.