The King’s Speech Sets the Stage for Labour’s Clean Energy and Tech Innovation Focus

The King’s Speech at the UK’s State Opening of Parliament confirms the new government’s plans to prioritise clean energy & establish Great British Energy.

“My government recognises the urgency of the global climate challenges,” King Charles said in his speech.

The speech went on to acknowledge the importance of “technology of the future”, a topic that had already been touched on with the introduction of a bill to regulate AI and large language models in the UK.

As Labour recognises the urgency of the global climate challenge, Rovco CEO, Brian Allen, comments on the significance of the King’s Speech.

“Labour’s focus, outlined in the King’s Speech, on energy security and renewables is commendable. I was particularly pleased to hear the King nod to accelerated investment in the offshore wind industry through the creation of Great British Energy. It is also reassuring to hear that Labour recognises the urgency of global climate challenge and the new job opportunities that will come from leading the development of the technologies of the future.”

“As the industry continues to grow so quickly, if we don’t have the workforce we need, it will be simply impossible to reach or even come near the capacity objective of 60GW of offshore wind. The offshore wind industry is already short of around 70,000 workers needed by 2030 – and this is before factoring in Labour’s revised increased capacity target. This isn’t an easy gap to fill, but with the intelligent implementation of AI and automation alongside the offshore wind workforce, we can get there.”

“Long-term success in any AI strategy will be determined by how well the workforce is upskilled in areas like data science, machine learning, and advanced analytics. Scaling the offshore wind industry must be framed as a tech issue and a tech priority. It will be crucial that Labour supports – through apprenticeships and SME investment – the tech skills that will be the future of the offshore wind workforce.”