The recently appointed chief secretary to the prime minister has praised the UK’s fintech and artificial intelligence expertise in his maiden speech.
Darren Jones was appointed to the role of chief secretary earlier this week (September 1), a ministerial role in which he will attend Cabinet.
Prior to that, Jones had been chief secretary to the Treasury.
In his maiden speech, Jones addressed 30 senior tech industry experts at a gathering in Westminster last night.
He underlined prime minister Keir Starmer’s commitment to making the UK a tech superpower.
He also called on business leaders to share their expertise with lawmakers, to ensure that Britain remains a leading hub of AI and fintech innovation.
Jones said: “My job has changed a little in the last couple of days but irrespective of my brief year in government, obviously I’m a huge advocate for home — for Bristol and the west of England.
“I’ve always been a huge advocate for technology and innovation and AI in particular — areas of work that I’ve worked on the whole time I’ve been elected to Parliament.”
The event, chaired by Tim Flagg, chief executive officer of UKAI, was entitled AI for Growth: Unlocking Regional Innovation in AI and FinTech.
It included a range of speeches from key industry leaders including former shadow secretary of state for culture, media, and sport and UKAI adviser, Baroness Thangam Debbonaire.
One attendee, Kenny MacAulay, CEO of Acting Office, a software platform for accounting practices, said: “It was encouraging to hear the chief secretary to the prime minister underlining the government’s commitment to accelerating fintech and AI innovation across the UK in his maiden speech.
“Harnessing the latest digital technology is crucial for transforming the economy and empowering financial services firms and accountancy practices to achieve their potential.”
Considering the organisations in the room, Jones said it was “brilliant” that they came together for the region.
“It’s brilliant because we know from all of the work that you do and the groups that have got represented here today that we have the talent, and the assets, and the investment, and the people.
“The agglomeration already happening and we just need to keep making the case for the rest of England as part of our national approach to AI and technology.”
Meanwhile Steven George-Hilley of Centropy PR, added: “The UK’s fintech industry is set to play a crucial role in driving economic growth and we were pleased to see the prime minister’s chief giving his full backing to entrepreneurs and business owners within 24 hours of his promotion.
“By embracing AI and digital transformation, the government can kick-start the economy, creating jobs and improving lives.”
sonia.rach@ft.com
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