Theresa May’s Brexit deal might be under fire from all sides but the UK’s tech and data industries are being urged to back the agreement to protect the free flow of data between the UK and the EU.
Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Jeremy Wright insists the Government has “secured the best deal possible to protect our businesses and make sure our personal data is processed safely and securely”.
Wright added: “The deal will help support our talented tech innovators, future emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, while addressing unjustified barriers to digital trade.
“Businesses big and small and in every sector of the economy – from video games makers to hotel and travel companies, mail order firms to manufacturers – want certainty. We now need to back the Prime Minister and get the job done.”
The CBI – which had predicted that a no-deal Brexit could see the £240bn data sector fall off a cliff edge – has already given its support to May’s plan, as have trade bodies Tech Nation and Enterprise Nation.
Tech Nation CEO Gerard Grech said: “The UK is Europe’s leading tech hub and is growing fast. We need to keep building on that momentum. The current deal is pragmatic and creates an element of certainty going forward. And the digital tech sector, which is both resourceful and entrepreneurial, will continue to thrive and build fresh opportunities in a post-Brexit world.”
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