Add to favorites Manifesto featured the word ‘technology’ 16 times.
With 23 days to go, polictical parties involved in this year’s General Election have started to release their manifestos and policies.
Today, it was the Conservative Party’s turn to reveal their intentions, following hot off the heels of Labour who revealed their manifesto on Monday.
The Conservative Party manifesto features the word "technology" 16 times, while "tech" features 30 times. At a glance, the manifesto outlines a future with open doors to developers who want to contribute with technology solutions to help the country assume an ever more important key presence within the industry.
Mr Cameron pledged to help businesses create two million new jobs and three million additional apprenticeships over the next five years if elected.
Furthermore, the Tories will work to add 50,000 more start-up loans across the country, with many of those loans pledged to tech-focused entrepreneurs.
Technology does seem to be at the very heart of the party’s manifesto for the upcoming general election.
The manifesto received positive reviews from across the industry. CBR spoke to techUK’s CEO Julian David who said: "This document contains encouraging detail and points to a future where every area of government policy is underpinned and enabled by the smart use of technology.
"Beyond commitments to back the UK’s digital economy and further develop the Eight Great Technologies campaign, this Manifesto makes it clear that the whole of the UK is benefitting from the digital revolution."
CBR looked at the main ten Conservative Party tech pledges announced today by David Cameron.
1. Broadband connections
The manifesto announced a spending of £790 million to extend superfast broadband to rural areas across the UK.
There are currently 2 million UK premises already connected, but the Conservatives vowed to upgrade 40,000 more every week.
"We will secure the delivery of superfast broadband in urban and rural areas to provide coverage to 95 per cent of the UK by the end of 2017, and we will ensure no one is left behind by subsidising the cost of installing superfast capable satellite services in the very hardest to reach areas.
"We will also release more spectrum from public sector use to allow greater private sector access. And we have set an ambition that ultrafast broadband should be available to nearly all UK premises as soon as practicable," it said.
In mid March, a speed data test carried out by uSwitch.com found that Williamson Road in Kent had a download speed 135 times slower than the fastest street in Sandy Lane in Cannock, Staffordshire.
With an average speed of 0.54Mbps, Williamson Road was far from the national average of 22.8Mbps and even further away from Sandy Lane at 72.86Mbps.
Cameron has promised to boost the country’s broadband network to connect everyone and everything.
2. Network coverage
With 4G currently still unavailable in many parts of the UK, Mr Cameron’s party has promised to position the UK as a leader when it comes to 5G.
"We will ensure that Britain seizes the chance to be a world leader in the development of 5G, playing a key role in defining industry standards," the manifesto reads.
Mobile operators will also be held to their new legally binding agreement to ensure that 90 per cent of the UK landmass will have voice and SMS coverage by 2017.
"We will continue to invest in mobile infrastructure to deliver coverage for voice calls and text messages for the final 0.3 – 0.4 per cent of UK premises that do not currently have it," it continued.
3. Cyber security
Following the developments of the last few years when hundreds of young British citizens were radicalised and joined extremist groups like ISIS, the Conservative Party has outlined a strategy to fight online radicalisation.
The manifesto explained that the Conservative Party had already reformed the Prevent strategy, to focus on non-violent as well as violent extremism.
"We will now go even further," the Manifesto read.
"We will outlaw groups that foment hate with the introduction of new Banning Orders for extremist organisations. These could be applied to dangerous organisations that fall short of the existing thresholds for proscription under terrorism legislation.
"To restrict the harmful activities of extremist individuals, we will create new Extremism Disruption Orders," it continued.
These new powers will prevent those who are seeking to radicalise young British people online from using the internet or communicating via social media.
The party also vowed to strengthen Ofcom’s role so that tough measures could be taken against channels that broadcast extremist content.
Employers will also gain powers to check whether an individual is an extremist and bar them from working with children.
There would be further measures to ensure colleges and universities do not give a platform to extremist speakers.
4. Nanotechnology
Cameron announced he would work closely with the Eight Great Technologies if elected Prime Minister.
The manifesto highlighted the importance of robotics and nanotechnology in putting the UK ahead of the competitors at a global scale.
"We will work with the Automotive Council in support of our resurgent car industry and direct further resources towards the Eight Great Technologies – among them robotics and nanotechnology – where Britain is set to be a global leader," it said.
5. Research
Research and development was another big trump card withn the manifesto.
The party is assuring all that it will keep working to enable researchers and investigators to access the tools they need to develop the technologies of the future.
The manifesto referred to the already achieved creation of new research centres and promised to expand this offer nationwide.
"We have delivered a network of catapult centres – R&D hubs in the technologies of the future – and we will create more to ensure that we have a bold and comprehensive offer in place for Britain’s researchers and innovators," it can be read.
