Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to page 12 of the National Security Strategy 2025, published on 24 June 2025, what progress he has made on (a) identifying, (b) nurturing and (c) protecting sovereign areas of strength in the UK’s (i) industrial, (ii) scientific and (iii) technological base.

The Government’s Industrial Strategy identified the frontier industries where the UK will prioritise its interventions across its 8 growth-driving sectors, which have all published dedicated sector plans developed with business and sector experts. Our Digital and Technology Sector Plan outlined how we will build sovereign capability in strategic technologies, including launching the Sovereign AI Unit with £500m in new funding, and investing £670m in Quantum computing to secure UK leadership. Across our industrial base, DBT’s newly established supply chain centre will review key inputs and determine where action such as domestic capability building is required to protect our strategic strengths.