At a speech on Thursday the prime minister will say that jobs should not exist if artificial intelligence or computers can do them better
Keir Starmer will put thousands of civil servants on job alert tomorrow as he hails a “£45bn jackpot” from digitalising government services.
The prime minister will make the claim in a speech on Thursday linked to announcements over the weekend about reforming Whitehall to cut costs.
In a worrying sign for many civil servants he will insist that jobs should not exist if artificial intelligence (AI) or computers can do them better.
Sir Keir will hail a “new era” in government operations and while ministers have refused to set a target on how many jobs may be scrapped, his words suggest a potential major reduction.
The prime minister is expected to say: “The great forces buffeting the lives of working people, and an era of instability driving in their lives….
“The need for greater urgency now could not be any clearer. We must move further and faster on security and renewal.
“Every pound spent, every regulation, every decision must deliver for working people.
“If we push forward with the digitisation of government services. There are up to £45bn worth of savings and productivity benefits, ready to be realised.
“And that’s before we even consider the golden opportunity of artificial intelligence. An opportunity I am determined to seize.”
Ahead of the speech, technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “There is a £45bn jackpot to secure if we use technology properly across our public sector – but we can’t hope to come close to securing that if we don’t have the right technical talent with us in government.
“Not only will these changes help fix our public services, but it will save taxpayer cash by slashing the need for thousands of expensive contractors and create opportunities across the country as part of our plan for change.”
In his speech Sir Keir will set out how he will “go further and faster in reshaping the state to make it work for working people.”
Reflecting on international events of the last few weeks, he will say that national security is economic security, and therefore “the fundamental task of politics right now is to take the decisions needed on national security, to deliver security for people at home.”
The prime minister will set out his belief in the power of “an active government that takes care of the big questions, so people can get on with their lives.”
He will share his diagnosis that the state has become bigger, but weaker and isn’t delivering on its core purpose, before outlining his mission to reshape it. He will say that the new global “era of instability” means that the Government must double down in delivering security for working people and renewing our nation.
The approach will be underpinned by the mantra that “No person’s substantive time should be spent on a task where digital or AI can do it better, quicker and to the same high quality and standard.”
The digitisation will include the sweeping modernisations, a new apprenticeship scheme, TechTrack, will bring 2,000 apprentices into public sector departments by 2030, making sure the UK government has the skills needed to overhaul public services using tech - creating new opportunities across the country and delivering on the plan for change.
