A blueprint for modern digital government

What’s Covered

This report isn’t just about tech upgrades — it’s a full reframing of what digital government should mean. The 2025 “Blueprint for Modern Digital Government” lays out a long-term plan to rewire how public services are designed, built, and delivered in the UK.

At its heart is a six-point plan:

Join up public services across institutional boundaries, with semless, end-to-end user experiences.
Harness AI for the public good via a new AI Adoption Unit and government-wide capability building.
Strengthen digital infrastructure, from One Login to the National Data Library, and upgrade cyber resilience.
Elevate digital leadership, invest in tech talent, and make digital fluency standard across the civil service.
Reform funding and procurement to support innovation and outcome-driven projects.
Drive transparency and accountability, including better public engagement and use of performance data.

A major operational shift is the creation of the new Government Digital Service (GDS) — reframed as a “digital centre of government” with a strategic, catalytic and collaborative role. It’s meant to become a central hub for AI, data, service design and digital policy coordination.

The document also acknowledges deep structural problems: institutional fragmentation, persistent legacy systems, siloed data, inconsistent leadership, and outdated procurement and funding models.

This isn’t a hype doc. It’s long on real constraints and cautious about execution. But it’s also firm in its intent: digital reform is no longer optional.

💡 Why it matters?

This isn’t about websites looking nicer. It’s about fixing the plumbing behind digital public services — and using AI, shared infrastructure, and new procurement methods to do it. The inclusion of a dedicated AI Adoption Unit inside government signals a shift from passive policy to active deployment. The strategy acknowledges that trust, inclusion, and long-term savings are just as important as speed. This is digital transformation with public legitimacy in mind.

What’s Missing

The blueprint outlines the “what” but is thinner on the “how.” It doesn’t fully explain how the new digital centre will influence arm’s-length bodies or local authorities that operate with high independence. AI use cases are broadly described but lack technical detail — especially around evaluation, bias mitigation, and oversight. There’s also limited discussion of public trust mechanisms beyond generic transparency references.

Best For

Ideal for digital policy leads, AI governance professionals in public administration, and tech providers looking to partner with UK government. Also relevant to civic tech groups and regulators interested in how the state plans to deploy AI across services — and do so responsibly.