UK data leaders on delivering the government missions
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The UK government has stressed the importance of a “digital revolution” to help create a more agile and effective state and deliver its five missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, safer streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity, and building an NHS fit for the future. This includes greater use of digital tools, data and AI.
On a recent Global Government Forum webinar, government data experts discussed the role, opportunities and challenges of using data to deliver the missions.
Matthew Lyon, chief analyst, deputy director of data science, analysis and economics at the Government Digital Service (GDS), described how data is used in different levels of government. For example, the data science team within 10 Downing Street integrates data from multiple sources to create detailed visualisations and reports for policymakers, continuing a data-driven approach inspired by Michael Barber’s “deliverology” methodology for performance management, developed under Tony Blair’s administration. This can now support mission-related areas such as policing and crime, NHS waiting times, and economic forecasting. Real-time and non-traditional data sources, such as on shipping or card payments, are increasingly used for more predictive forecasting. Tools like the government’s open-source rAPId platform also support this shift by streamlining data ingestion and validation, reducing manual work and driving efficiency.
Read more: ‘Deliverology’ pioneer Sir Michael Barber returns to advise UK prime minister on national missions
Mapping change
Lyon highlighted that while some areas of government can use real-time data effectively, others – such as tracking and responding to workforce trends – do not lend themselves to real-time monitoring due to slower changes. In addition, many organisations still face foundational data constraints, he said, such as relying on manual data entry and spreadsheets and being limited by legacy systems, funding or digital skills.
“I think all of this goes to show the value that comes from laying those data foundations and implementing government’s approach when it comes to their strategy for the digital function,” he said.
To help address this, GDS has developed tools and automated pipelines – like GOV.UK Forms and the rAPId tool – to streamline data collection and processing, reducing manual effort.
“We are programmatically interacting with the information end to end, producing the analysis,” he said, adding that in some instances AI and large language models are incorporated.
However, Lyon noted that: “This discussion is essentially around performance management and data is only one part of the picture there.” He emphasised the need for a “strong theory of change”, including understanding what you’re trying to improve and how to measure it meaningfully.
Readiness to use the information effectively is also key.
“Imagine we have perfect data. Imagine we have perfect reporting. What is our intervention and what are we going to do with that information?,” he said, adding that it’s important to have a ‘playbook’ of responses.
Read more: UK Spending Review will upgrade legacy technology in government, says minister
Data at Defra
Sue Bateman, chief data officer at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), reflected on her year as Defra’s first chief data officer after moving from a role in the centre of government. She noted that Defra was highly federated and complex.
“There was a high ambition around the potential for use of data, certainly after the general election, around missions to achieve different business outcomes, but not really a way of going about it,” she said.
In response, Bateman developed a five-year roadmap and annual plan to embed data into all areas of Defra’s work.
She said the vision reflects “the importance of data and information” and “recognises that in order for us to be successful and to recognise ourselves as a data-driven organisation, we need to embed data and information into everything we do, be that for some of the service delivery work that we do at the border or with the farming community and countryside community, be that long-term scientific work, or be that in monitoring and prevention of things like animal disease and flooding.”
Key initiatives include building a data community, improving governance, identifying core data assets and promoting best practices.
The focus is on ensuring trustworthiness, accuracy, reusability and interoperability – tailored to specific contexts. For example, real-time data is important for flood management and at UK borders for disease prevention, while long-term environmental monitoring requires consistent, high-quality data over time.
Underlying all this is a push to establish strong foundations, particularly in geospatial data, and to apply automation and performance tracking.
Successful data transformation also “comes down to things like capability culture and, importantly, as I’ve found over the last year, having a plan that is properly supported at all levels of the organisation, but particularly at those senior levels,” Bateman said.
Read more: UK prime minister reveals plan for AI to ‘turbocharge every single element’ of government
Harnessing hype
The speakers emphasised that data and digital technology are essential to delivering government missions but real transformation requires more recognition of what it takes to capitalise on emerging technologies like AI.
Bateman said that while there’s growing excitement – especially at senior ministerial levels – around the potential of data and AI, people in non-technical and non-data roles don’t necessarily understand “how hard the transformation is”.
She said that when leaders really start to understand the scale of the challenge, particularly where the business is siloed, “that’s when we’ll start to see proper cultural change across organisations”.
Lyon added that the current focus on AI and digital technologies presents a valuable opportunity to push for the changes that are needed.
“AI is getting a lot of the attention; I think bundling that with things like legacy transformation and unlocking the data foundations is a way to really get that spotlight of attention onto the things that really need to be done,” he said.
He argued that digital transformation is fundamental to addressing many of the UK’s toughest challenges.
“If you’re genuinely trying to change the way that you deliver NHS services to the end user, it probably is through some sort of radical digital transformation, as opposed to perhaps the way we’ve traditionally done things the last 20 years.
“So I’m sort of still on that hype train but trying to funnel it proportionately.”
Watch the webinar in full for discussion of:
- Using data effectively for evaluation
- Overcoming data-sharing obstacles
- Cross-sector data collaboration
- The role of AI, including agentic AI
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