Iqbal Mohamed

The UK is facing an ever-changing and growing set of risks. All risks in the National Risk Register are kept under review to ensure that they are the most appropriate scenarios to inform emergency preparedness and resilience activity.

The challenges posed by artificial intelligence are referenced in the 2025 National Risk Register as a chronic risk, and incorporated in the Chronic Risks Analysis, the UK's first bespoke assessment for medium to long-term challenges facing the nation.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)’s AI risk register covers the full spectrum of AI risks that could impact the UK, spanning national security, defence, the economy and society. The AI Risk Register includes AI-loss-of control scenarios. The Government is committed to protecting UK citizens against the risks that advanced AI could bring, while ensuring we can maximise AI's potential for growth and public service delivery.

The UK has 77 BITs with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions. The Government is defending two active arbitrations, neither of which have been settled or concluded. The Government has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.

The UK has 77 BITs with Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) provisions. The Government is defending two active arbitrations, neither of which have been settled or concluded. The Government has acted consistently with domestic and international law obligations. In view of the ongoing proceedings, it would be inappropriate for the Government to comment further at this stage.

Yes. Even a cursory internet search will show that we publish extensive guidance on the UK’s export control regime on GOV.UK. This includes information on the regulatory framework for strategic export controls, our lists of controlled items and the circumstances where exporters might need an export licence. There is also a ‘Goods Checker’ tool which exporters can use to establish if their items are controlled.

If exporters are still in any doubt about the classification of their goods they can use the Control List Classification Service where specialists in the Export Control Joint Unit will provide a formal advisory classification against the UK control lists. Finally, an exporter should submit an application using our LITE system if they suspect an export licence may be required. We will assess the control status of the goods, and any relevant sanctions measures in place.

All companies seeking to export military or dual-use goods are subject to the export control requirements set out in the Export Control Order 2008 and accompanying guidance. All licence applications are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the UK’s Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) regularly correspond with exporters on their export licensing requirements. It is not the regular practice of the Department to publicise details of discussions with specific exporters in view of potential commercial sensitivities.

The UK's Export Control regime is one of the most transparent in the world. Since this Government came into office, we have ensured publications of export licensing information are as timely as possible in order to aid public and Parliamentary scrutiny.

The Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) publishes a significant amount of information. This includes quarterly and annual statistics on export and trade control licensing decisions and supporting tools such as the publicly searchable database of licensing data. We have also periodically published additional information releases relating to specific exports and destinations, to support public and parliamentary scrutiny.

The Government keeps UK export controls under constant review and export control legislation, including Schedule 2 of the Export Control Order 2008, is updated on a regular basis to remain compliant with our national and international obligations and commitments.

Schedule 2 of the Export Control Order principally derives from the UK's international commitments under the Wassenaar Arrangement on conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies, and thereby reflects the discussions and agreements reached with relevant partners. Any change would need therefore to be agreed internationally.

That is the whole purpose of of Export Control system, which is one of the most robust export licensing regimes in the world. Exporters seeking to export controlled military or dual-use goods must seek an export licence before doing so, as set out in the Export Control Order 2008.

Export licence applications are rigorously assessed by the Export Control Joint Unit against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which includes consideration of the UK’s international and domestic commitments, including sanctions and where the UK has suspended exports of military equipment to certain destinations.

The requirement for an export licence for military and dual-use items is set out in the Consolidated List of Strategic Military and Dual-Use Items that Require Export Authorisation.

The dual-use list specifies, at entries 9A012 and 9A112, unmanned aerial vehicles and components that are subject to controls. These controls implement the UK’s commitments under the Wassenaar Arrangement and Missile Technology Control Regime. We keep these controls under regular review working with the international partners who operate similar regimes.

Any exporter seeking to export controlled items is subject to the UK’s Export Control regime as established under the Export Control Act 2002. All applications for export licences are assessed against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which include consideration of international law.

The export of goods in contravention of our licensing controls is a serious offence – in recent months a company director received a substantial prison sentence for attempting to export military equipment without a licence, following a successful prosecution by HMRC.

The requirement for an export licence is set out in the Export Control Order 2008, Schedule 2 of which covers Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and parts thereof (under ML10). Export licence applications for all controlled goods, including UAV components specially designed or modified for military use, are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against strict assessment criteria, the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

Where licence applications include items that are not covered by the 2008 Order, exporters can be informed that no licence is required. Beyond such cases, by definition, the Department does not hold information on the export of items that fall outside of export controls. For goods export data, you should refer to HMRC, who publish UK trade in goods statistics by partner country and product which can be found on www.uktradeinfo.com.

The requirement for an export licence is set out in the Export Control Order 2008, Schedule 2 of which covers Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and parts thereof (under ML10). Export licence applications for all controlled goods, including UAV components specially designed or modified for military use, are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against strict assessment criteria, the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria.

Where licence applications include items that are not covered by the 2008 Order, exporters can be informed that no licence is required. Beyond such cases, by definition, the Department does not hold information on the export of items that fall outside of export controls. For goods export data, you should refer to HMRC, who publish UK trade in goods statistics by partner country and product which can be found on www.uktradeinfo.com.

The Department for Business and Trade does not supply body armour, and the export of body armour for personal protection when accompanying its user (for their own use) is not subject to export control.

Nonetheless the Department has approved 12 licences for the export of protective body armour for use by news organisations in Israel or Palestine since October 2023. Of these, 9 relate to Media Open Individual Licences which allow export to a wide range of countries. Similar equipment has also been licensed for export for use by NGOs in the region.

The UK is appalled by the extremely high number of fatalities, arrests and detentions of media workers in the State of Palestine. We have called on all parties to fully uphold International Humanitarian Law and ensure protection of civilians including journalists.

We respect the independence of the International Court of Justice and continue to consider the Court’s Advisory Opinion carefully, with the seriousness and rigour it deserves.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting people, including young people, to identify false and misleading information online.

Media literacy is an important part of our approach. DSIT is improving it through a cross-government approach outlined in the Media Literacy Action Plan published 16 March. In February we launched a pilot campaign and the Kids Online Safety Hub to help parents support children’s resilience to misinformation.

The Government recognises that the huge opportunities offered by AI also come with risks, including potential challenges posed by AI-generated content for the online information environment.

The Online Safety Act regulates AI generated mis/disinformation. This includes the Foreign Interference Offence, requiring companies to take action against state-sponsored disinformation and state-linked interference targeted at the UK and our democratic processes.

Media literacy is also part of our wider approach, building young people’s resilience to mis- and disinformation, including AI-generated content. The government will ensure that media literacy is embedded into the new primary citizenship curriculum, from September 2028.

The Government does not publish commercially sensitive details about how individual companies structure their investments. CoreWeave has publicly signalled its intention to scale operations in the UK, supported by the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the AI Growth Zones programme. Decisions on construction, equipment procurement or leasing arrangements are for the company. Government engagement focuses on enabling the right conditions for investment, including access to power, planning support and a clear regulatory framework.

Where important investment announcements and commitments are made, Government will continue to work closely with those companies to ensure the delivery of those investments. Government will continue to work with local authorities, regulators, and industry to help unlock barriers to AI infrastructure development across the UK.

The Government recognises that AI-driven compute, including largescale data centres, will increase electricity demand over the coming years. DSIT works closely with DESNZ and NESO to assess how projected AI-related demand is reflected in long-term energy system planning.

The AI Energy Council, co-chaired by Secretaries of State for DSIT and DESNZ, brings together regulators, energy companies and tech firms to address the growing energy demands of AI in a sustainable and scalable way.

The Council is also exploring how clean and low carbon energy solutions - including renewables and emerging technologies such as small modular reactors - could support future AI infrastructure, consistent with the Government’s clean power ambitions.

AI Growth Zones are expected to create more than 15,000 jobs spanning construction activity, permanent operational roles and wider supply‑chain employment. Job creation will ramp up as infrastructure works progress, with full delivery projected by the early 2030s. These figures are based on information provided by project teams and should be treated as projections rather than firm forecasts.

Ultimately, hiring decisions sit with individual companies, but AI Growth Zones are designed to create high‑skill, long‑term employment in areas with strong potential for economic growth.

The Department does not hold central data that consistently categorises jobs into short‑, medium‑ and long‑term across all AI Growth Zones, nor comprehensive data on jobs created to date, as projects remain at an early stage of delivery.

Matters regarding specific delivery and commercial plans for any private project are for the lead private sector investor to confirm. The government engages regularly with the sector to support build out.

Matters regarding specific delivery and commercial plans for any private project are for the lead private sector investor to confirm. The government engages regularly with the sector to support build out.

AI Growth Zones are expected to create more than 15,000 jobs spanning construction activity, permanent operational roles and wider supply‑chain employment. Job creation will ramp up as infrastructure works progress, with full delivery projected by the early 2030s. These figures are based on information provided by project teams and should be treated as projections rather than firm forecasts.

Ultimately, hiring decisions sit with individual companies, but AI Growth Zones are designed to create high‑skill, long‑term employment in areas with strong potential for economic growth.

The Department does not hold central data that consistently categorises jobs into short‑, medium‑ and long‑term across all AI Growth Zones, nor comprehensive data on jobs created to date, as projects remain at an early stage of delivery.

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

The UK AI sector attracted the third highest levels of AI related private investment in the world. Alongside this, the UK produces the second highest number of AI startups globally. This Governments remains focused on ensuring the UK remains the most attractive place in the world to build AI companies and lead on AI adoption.

The £100bn figure referenced refers to the total amount of private investment that firms have pledged to invest into the UK’s AI sector. This pledged investment demonstrates international confidence in the UK’s strong and growing AI ecosystem, supported by the Government’s strategic approach to innovation, world leading research base, and pro investment policy environment - including the UK’s strengths in AI talent, compute, research, and responsible innovation.

Whilst decisions on investment is a matter for private companies, Government has been clear that it will encourage investment that will enable UK firms and people to benefit.

CoreWeave's announced investments into the UK total £2.5 billion. CoreWeave has committed £1.5 billion towards the Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone in Scotland, deploying cutting-edge semiconductors at DataVita's data centre campus in Lanarkshire. The earlier £1 billion investment covered the opening of CoreWeave's UK office as its European headquarters, the creation of job opportunities across engineering, operations, and finance, and the deployment of AI computing infrastructure across two data centres in Crawley and London Docklands.

Large AI infrastructure investments are complex and take time to deliver; as government, we want to encourage these investments by supporting them as best we can. Where important investment announcements and commitments are made, Government will continue to work closely with those companies to ensure the delivery of those investments.

Matters regarding specific delivery and commercial plans for any private project are for the lead private sector investor to confirm. The government engages regularly with the sector to support build out.

The Government recognises the importance of a secure and resilient cloud infrastructure for the delivery of digital public services. As set out in the Roadmap for Modern Digital Government (2026), the government is developing a National Cloud Strategy. As part of this, the government will assess how to strengthen the security and resilience of UK cloud infrastructure and improve the cloud ecosystem.