The Kings Speech delivered on 17 July 2024 outlined the new Labour government’s plans to introduce a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill (CS&R Bill), which will have implications on the tech industry and impose increased obligations on UK businesses. 

What is the purpose of the CS&R Bill? 

The purpose of the CS&R Bill is to increase protection over the UK’s essential digital services by expanding the scope of our existing regulations in order to, among other things, strengthen regulator’s position by granting certain investigative powers and gather more information and detail on the level and extent of cyber threats in the UK through, introducing enhanced reporting obligations on UK companies.  

What is the driver behind the introduction of the CS&R Bill? 

The driver behind the introduction of CS&R Bill is due to the increasing number of cyber-attacks carried out against the UK (estimated to cost the UK £27bn per year) and in particular, attacks on the UK’s critical public services. A prime example of this being the ransomware cyber-attack against London hospitals on 3 June 2024, which was declared a critical incident causing major impact on the delivery of the hospital’s services. This incident, among many others, highlights the need for updates to our cyber security regulations, such as those contemplated by the CS&R Bill, to prevent further attacks and strengthen the UK’s defences.

What might the reaction in tech industry be to the CS&R Bill? 

The CS&R Bill is likely to be welcomed by those in the tech industry, given our existing laws and regulations on cyber security are based on what is now outdated EU law, there is a demand for change to our laws and regulations so as to ensure that the UK economy and infrastructure is not in a weaker or more vulnerable position. 

Are there any other key take aways from the Kings Speech that may impact the tech industry? 

As well as the CS&R Bill, the Kings Speech also set out the introduction of the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill (DISDB), which will enable new innovative uses of data to be safely developed, harnessing the power of data for economic growth. My colleague Georgie Barrow has summarised the key features of DISDB which can be read here.