{
  "id": 6743627,
  "title": "Government admits Burnham’s Whitehall shake-up leaves tech policy in limbo",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/11/government-admits-burnhams-whitehall-shake-up-leaves-tech-policy-in",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-11T09:48:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "City AM",
    "slug": "city-am",
    "url": "https://www.cityam.com/government-admits-burnhams-whitehall-shake-up-leaves-tech-policy-in-limbo/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nearly two months after Andy Burnham dismantled Britain's technology department, government ministers have admitted that certain elements of the former department remain without a clear destination. A long-awaited breakdown of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) realignment has revealed that a limited number of policy areas still lack a designated home, while some staff are still uncertain about their future roles. The letter, signed by Louise Haigh, Jonathan Reynolds and Lisa Nandy, also highlights the extent to which the UK's tech agenda has been dispersed across various government departments.\n\nArtificial intelligence (AI) alone will be under the purview of multiple departments. Reynolds' expanded business department will oversee AI growth, investment, and infrastructure, alongside semiconductors, quantum technologies, and robotics. The Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet will manage the AI Security Institute and the responsibility of rolling out AI across the Civil Service. An AI Taskforce chaired by Lord Vallance will steer the government's overall AI strategy, while the AI Economics Institute will be shared between the prime minister's office and the Treasury. AI Minister Kanishka Narayan will have dual responsibilities, serving in both the Prime Minister's office and the business department while attending Cabinet meetings.\n\nLisa Nandy has been allocated a significant portion of the old DSIT department. Her Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will take charge of cyber security, digital skills, broadband, connectivity, digital government, and oversight of the tech sector. This department, also responsible for football, gambling, museums, and the BBC, will now oversee crucial aspects of Britain's core digital infrastructure and cyber policy. Nandy will also assume responsibility for the Information Commissioner's Office, City AM has been informed, as ministers contemplate an independent review of the data watchdog's culture, accountability, and governance. Meanwhile, Reynolds will handle UK Research and Innovation, the Government Office for Science, the Met Office, and frontier technologies such as quantum and semiconductors.\n\nWhile most former DSIT employees have already transitioned to their new roles, ministers acknowledged that some staff – including those in corporate functions – will not receive clarity until later this quarter. Formal transfers are expected to occur after that. The disclosure is particularly notable given warnings when DSIT was abolished in July that the extensive rearrangement of Whitehall could distract officials from Britain's AI and tech agenda. Dame Chi Onwurah, chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee, demanded the breakdown last month after warning that the abolition risked \"fragmented policy delivery\" and could delay addressing vital issues. Burnham scrapped DSIT less than three-and-a-half years after Rishi Sunak established it to bring science, AI, and digital policy together under one roof. TechUK and the Startup Coalition labeled the decision \"the wrong change at the wrong time,\" while Founders Forum founder Brent Hoberman described it as \"fixing something that wasn't broken.\" Former DSIT permanent secretary Sarah Munby cautioned that \"confusion and uncertainty are the enemy\" and called for immediate clarity on where teams will ultimately land. Ministers have defended their actions, essentially reversing DSIT's original purpose. In their letter, Haigh, Reynolds, and Nandy argued that science and technology should not be treated as isolated issues confined to one department. They contend that spreading responsibility across government will better tie these areas to economic growth.",
  "summary": "Nearly two months after Andy Burnham abolished Britain’s technology department, ministers have admitted parts of the former department still have nowhere to go. A long-awaited breakdown of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) carve-up revealed a “small number of policy areas” are yet to be allocated, while some staff are still waiting to [...]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}