Liz Kendall

Liz Kendall launched the UK Sovereign AI Fund on 16 April 2026, telling an audience that AI was 'non-negotiable for our national security' and that the independent investment committee would operate free from political interference . She framed the £500m fund — chaired by Balderton Capital's James Wise with Josephine Kant as Head of Ventures — as the UK betting on its own AI ecosystem rather than ceding the model layer to US providers.

Kendall entered Parliament as MP for Leicester West in 2010 and served as Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions before Labour's 2024 general election victory. She was appointed Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology in July 2024, taking over a department responsible for the AI Safety Institute, spectrum regulation, space policy, and now the Sovereign AI programme. Her REMIT spans industrial AI strategy, digital infrastructure, and UK alignment on international AI governance.

The Sovereign AI Fund announcement positions Kendall as the principal political owner of Britain's answer to the EU's model-layer deficit. Her framing — national security, not just economic growth — is a deliberate upgrade from previous UK AI strategy language and mirrors the language used by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who named a 'thriving domestic AI sector' among her three economic priorities .