The UK’s new government already has big plans. In the first few weeks after the election, it will signal to the world that Britain is “back” as a leading global player and rekindle ties with old friends in Europe. Yet Britain’s calling card, when it comes to tech industry credentials, is not as sparkling as it once was. Its big bet on tech, allegedly a priority for the Conservative party following Brexit, has yet to manifest into a new golden age for the industry.
Alan Chang from Fuse Energy, a clean energy company that launched two years ago, says his company has had to “jump through so many hoops” to bring talent from abroad over to the UK, and this is a problem Labour will have to fix by making high-skilled talent visas easier, quicker, and cheaper to acquire. “In my network, I know a lot of people who are very successful who have either left the UK or who are thinking about leaving,” he explains.