Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby

Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby is the UK Ambassador to the European Union and Head of the UK Mission to the EU. He participates in a fireside chat titled "A View from Across the Channel" at the inaugural Sovereign Tech Europe summit in Brussels on 23 April 2026, moderated by FT EU Correspondent Paola Tamma .

His participation signals continued UK interest in alignment with EU digital sovereignty frameworks despite Britain's departure from the single market. The UK's Sovereign AI Unit, launched the previous week with £500m and chaired by a Balderton Capital partner, operates entirely outside EU regulatory frameworks — no AI Act obligations, no DMA compliance, no Chips Act subsidy architecture. Yet the UK is the only non-EU country to receive a specific keynote slot at Sovereign Tech Europe, reflecting a shared interest in the underlying sovereignty goals even where the regulatory vehicles differ.

Croisdale-Appleby's brief as UK Ambassador covers the full range of UK-EU post-Brexit relations including trade, security cooperation, and regulatory dialogue. The fireside format — conversational rather than keynote — reflects the UK's current status: an interested observer in EU digital sovereignty architecture rather than a participant in its binding instruments .