Link to full briefing here: britishprogress.org/briefings/es...
08.05.2025 08:13
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The ETO will:
- Have the flexibility to design packages to incentivise exceptional talent to relocate to Britain
- Cover all STEM fields
- Target the diaspora as well as international talent.
- Provide a fast-tracked ETO visa (capped at 100 a year)
- Leverage philanthropic co‑funding
The ETO’s goal: relocate world-class talent so they discover, build & scale in Britain – in service of economic growth and prosperity for the British people.
We want a new idea forge that builds the future in Britain.
But the UK is making itself unattractive to high-skilled migrants, and we are a net exporter of AI talent.
- Highly skilled immigrants are responsible for about 36%–37% of US innovation.
- 15% of British residents are foreign-born, but 39% of our fastest-growing startups have an immigrant co-founder.
- In the US, ~70% of the top AI talent is foreign-born. In Britain, it is ~77%.
Advancing the technological frontier & delivering growth, often depends on a small number of top performers:
- 1% of scientists capture more than 1/5th of citations globally
- A handful of researchers account for most high-value patents
- Star inventors build better companies than their peers
In the 1960-90s: Immigrant engineers— the “Traitorous Eight,” Andy Grove, Morris Chang— seeded Silicon Valley; by 2012, 44 % of its high-tech firms had immigrant founders.
In the 1930-50s: European émigrés filled labs from Los Alamos to Bletchley, tipping the balance in rocketry, code-breaking & nuclear science; the US even ran Operation Paperclip, the UK Operation Surgeon, to headhunt and relocate them.
History shows that human talent can shift the balance of global power. Inflows of exceptional talent shaped the rocket age, powered Bletchley Park’s wartime code-breaking, and built Silicon Valley & the chip industry.
Britain’s long-term economic growth and strategic heft depend on winning top-tier scientists, engineers, and technical founders.
Following the government's announcement of a new head-hunting unit for exceptional talent, I wrote for
@britishprogress.bsky.social on what it should look like:
New episode of THE ABUNDANCE AGENDA!
Why we love Luton Airport, and a terrible plan for changing the London Mayoralty.
Plus we speak to @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social and @jujulemons.bsky.social about the launch of @britishprogress.bsky.social !
Listen:
www.abundancepod.com/p/why-we-lov...
@britishprogress.bsky.social
A new project focussing on policies for British growth for the material and social well being of the British people.
Very much worth following, and featuring the excellent @ersatzben.bsky.social
Across the pond, an exciting new voice on policy for productivity growth and progress!
Very excited to be working with @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social @jujulemons.bsky.social and team to make the progressive case for growth as a fellow at the new Centre for British Progress @britishprogress.bsky.social
The @ukdayone.bsky.social election year project has now concluded and is now part of @britishprogress.bsky.social - you can check out our founding essay here... 👀
This is an intriguing addition to the centre-left think tank space, with an impressively dynamic leadership - I will be interested to see the ideas they produce!
I am incredibly proud to be founding @britishprogress.bsky.social
with @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social.
For the past year, we've been publishing ideas on economic growth and British progress with @ukdayone.bsky.social.
This will be a continuation and expansion of that work.
So excited to be joining this team!
Can't wait to work with @jujulemons.bsky.social and @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social!
Great to see the team launch the Centre for British Progress today!
And fantastic to see people across the political spectrum making the case against Everythingism. Well done @jujulemons.bsky.social, @davidlawrenceuk.bsky.social and the rest of the team!
Cover of the essay Rediscovering British Progress available at https://britishprogress.org/articles/rediscovering-british-progress
💫 We’re launching the Centre for British Progress
Our founding essay: Rediscovering British Progress is a case for growth that drives shared progress, rooted in Britain's values and industrial heritage.
It all starts with a postcard from 1870 👇
britishprogress.org/articles/red...
Great piece by @chriscurtis94.bsky.social in @thetimes.com
"In the end, our test for the bill’s success is simple: will it stop the next bat tunnel?"
www.thetimes.com/article/8330...
I had the pleasure of attending a @starshiprobots.bsky.social event recently and seeing their extremely cute robots in action. I'd certainly love them to deliver to me up in Newcastle!
The UK government must update legislation to create a distinct legal category for delivery bots—separate from motor vehicles—to allow safe and regulated use on pavements.
Because these two images are obviously not the same…
4) And it is an environmental setback. Every delivery made by a diesel van instead of a lightweight, electric-powered robot contributes to unnecessary emissions and urban congestion.
3)UK businesses are missing out on cost-saving automation that could cut last-mile delivery expenses by 40%.
2)The outdated regulation is causing a startup exodus. Companies like Starship Technologies, a global leader in delivery robots, have been forced to limit their UK operations while aggressively expanding in the U.S. and Europe, where regulations are clear and welcoming.
What is the cost of inaction?
1) This is a lost economic opportunity. The UK’s slow response to delivery robot adoption risks forfeiting a share of the projected £42 billion autonomous mobility market by 2035.
We know this technology is safe.
Since 2018 (which was SEVEN years ago),
@starshiprobots.bsky.social have successfully completed thousands of grocery and takeaway deliveries in Milton Keynes.
And trials with companies like DPD and Just Eat have also shown promising results.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is moving forward.
🇺🇸 United States: Over 23 states have legalised delivery bots, and companies like Serve Robotics are expanding with Uber Eats.
🇪🇪 Estonia: Changed traffic laws in 2017, now a hub for delivery robotics.
🇯🇵 Japan: Approved delivery robots in 2023.
Under the Highways Act 1835, it’s illegal to drive a “carriage” (which now includes autonomous robots) on pavements. This means delivery robots can only operate in tiny, council-approved pilot schemes (like Milton Keynes).