Politics
UK chancellor pledges AI investment to bolster national security in upcoming budget
October 24, 2026 at 05:56 AM
Chancellor John Healey has pledged to use Wednesday's budget to commit hundreds of millions of pounds to artificial intelligence measures aimed at bolstering Britain's security.
- Healey announced £100m for a new national AI Biosecurity Lab, backed by £200m in AI model credits from OpenAI and Anthropic.
- The budget allocates £120m to the AI Security Institute, £60m to a National Cyber Shield, and £70m to a NERV cyber-vulnerability centre.
- Healey said the government is "setting out a distinctively British approach to AI" that defends the national interest without leaving workers behind.
- New spending includes AI chip design investment in Edinburgh and a new AI Centre of Excellence in Manchester.