The UK government has launched a new cross-government digital roadmap, designed to make central government services easier and more intuitive to use online.

As part of the initiative, the government is moving towards a single sign-on to its online services at gov.uk, to avoid citizens having to reinput their information multiple times or in different formats.

The 2022 to 2025 Roadmap for a Digital Future was launched at a live event in London on 9 June.

The Roadmap has six key aims: transformed public services that achieve “the right outcomes for citizens”; a single login to government services; better data to power Whitehall decision-making; secure, efficient, and sustainable technology; digital skills at scale (including a commitment to upskill 6,500 senior civil servants); and the creation of a system “that unlocks digital transformation”.

In addition to the strategy, which has been coordinated by the government’s new Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), a new mobile app is in development. This will scan citizens’ faces to authenticate them against their photo ID, such as passport or driving licence.

When released, the app will become one means to access government services.

Speaking at the London event, Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, Heather Wheeler MP, said, “We’ve seen at first hand over the past two years the necessity to foster the conditions required to be an effective digital government. 

“We’ve seen how digital can enable us to adapt and respond quickly in order to meet people’s needs, launching critical services, providing up-to-date information and supporting the most vulnerable in our society when they need it most. 

“We must build on this work to secure a clear mandate to drive a whole-of-government digital transformation and ensure sustainable implementation.

“The new strategy will improve the way government operates to create a more efficient and effective digital government. The strategy is a milestone, to develop a coherent, joined-up roadmap for digital transformation – one that has been created collaboratively, across government.

“Experts from all professions and specialists from across government have fed into this strategy, from data and service design, from experts to permanent secretaries and the heads of functions. The result is a strategy based on what’s actually going to make a real difference to the Civil Service and, therefore, the services it provides to the public.”

While containing many welcome proposals to make government services more accessible, there is little new in the Roadmap, which draws together a number of different documents, such as the recently launched strategies for data, AI, digital twins, and more.

However, the “better data” mission aims to make all critical data assets available – and in use – across government through trusted APIs and platforms. It also aims to create access to a “data marketplace” and co-develop a single data ownership model for critical data assets. 

The government is also pushing a policy of “buy once, use many times” for tech procurement, via a common code, pattern, and architecture repository, and a common approach to Security by Design.

All “nationally important” systems will be resilience-tested annually, and the government promises to “systematically identify and capture opportunities arising from emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and quantum computing”.

  • The launch event became mired in controversy, when Cabinet Office Secretary Wheeler made an off-the-cuff remark, saying “I was at a conference in, I dunno, Blackpool or Birmingham or somewhere godawful…”, a story broken by this journalist.

After her comments were widely reported in the national media, including the FT, BBC, ITV, Sky News, the Mirror, The Guardian, The Independent, and the Mail, Wheeler apologised. 

Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Angela Rayner were among those criticising her for the remarks.