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UK.gov’s tech department gets the chop after two years
The UK government is abolishing the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the department set up under former Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak to lead digital and technology change across the public sector. Its responsibilities are being redistributed following Science Secretary Liz Kendall's removal by new Labour Prime Minister Andy Burnham, with digital transformation duties expected to pass to a reshaped Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to be renamed the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The Government Digital Service and Central Digital and Data Office, which had moved from the Cabinet Office to DSIT after Labour took power in 2024, look set to move again to DCMS. DSIT's industry-facing role will instead go to the newly created Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, led by Jonathan Reynolds, while Kanishka Narayan becomes Minister for Artificial Intelligence across the Cabinet Office and the new department. The reshuffle comes as DSIT's "roadmap for modern digital government" has drawn criticism from a select committee for lacking a clear delivery plan, and as its Matrix shared services project, moving nine government bodies onto Workday-based systems, was rated "red" for major, potentially unresolvable problems.
In short
- DSIT is being scrapped after two years, duties split up
- Digital transformation and GDS likely move to reborn DCMS
- Tech industry liaison shifts to new Business department (BIST)
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The case for
DSIT has proven operationally troubled after two years, with its digital transformation roadmap criticised for lacking clear delivery plans and its Matrix shared services project rated 'red' for potentially unresolvable problems. Rather than continue with this underperforming structure, consolidating digital transformation into an expanded DCMS alongside moving industry and innovation functions to the dedicated business department creates a cleaner governance model. This restructuring reflects the new Labour government's different priorities and offers an opportunity to reset the digital transformation agenda with better-integrated departments and clearer accountability.
The case against
Abolishing a department after merely two years creates unnecessary institutional instability and suggests political point-scoring rather than serious governance. Digital transformation is a complex, long-term undertaking that requires sustained focus and dedicated leadership; scattering these responsibilities across DCMS, the new business department, and the Cabinet Office risks creating silos and fragmenting accountability. The operational issues—an unclear roadmap and the Matrix project's problems—are manageable challenges that could be resolved through better leadership and resources, not wholesale restructuring that disrupts ongoing work.
Explained simply
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) was created by Rishi Sunak when he was Conservative Prime Minister to oversee how government departments modernised their use of technology and computing. It was meant to lead this transformation across the public sector.
The new Labour government, led by Andy Burnham, has decided to abolish DSIT and distribute its responsibilities among other departments. Work on modernising technology across the public sector will largely transfer to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (which is being renamed to emphasise its digital focus), whilst industry and innovation work goes to a newly created Business department.
The decision comes as DSIT has faced criticism from a parliamentary committee for lacking a clear delivery plan. Additionally, a major initiative to consolidate technology systems across government has experienced significant technical problems.