‘History won’t forgive us’ if UK falls behind in quantum computing race, says Tony Blair
Tony Blair has said “history won’t forgive us” if the UK falls behind in the race to harness quantum computing, a frontier technology predicted to trigger the next wave of breakthroughs in everything from drug design to climate modelling.The former British Labour prime minister, whose thinktank and consultancy, the Tony Blair Institute, is backed by tech industry leaders including the Oracle founder, Larry Ellison, warned: “The country risks failing to convert its leadership in quantum research.”In a report calling for a national strategy for quantum computing, Blair and William Hague, a former Conservative party leader, compared the situation to the recent history of artificial intelligence, where the UK was responsible for important research breakthroughs but then ceded power to other countries, including the US, leading to a scramble to build “sovereign” AI capacity.“As we have seen with AI, a strong research and development base is not enough: it is the countries that have the infrastructure and capital for scale that capture technology’s economic and strategic benefits,” they said.“While the UK is home to the second highest number of quantum startups in the world, it lacks the necessary high-risk capital and infrastructure to scale those startups.
”Quantum computing differs from classical computing in strange and mind-bending ways.In a standard computer, information is represented through transistors being on or off: ones or zeros.In quantum mechanics, things can be in multiple places at the same time.A transistor can be on and off at the same time, in a phenomenon known as quantum superposition.The effect is to create such a massive increase in computing power that a single quantum computer could, in theory, take on a task that would require billions of the most powerful supercomputers.
The science is not yet at a stage to prove useful on a widespread basis, but the potential for simulating molecular structures to create new materials and drugs is enormous.The value of quantum computing, when it arrives in a usable form, has been estimated at nearly $1.3tn alone to the chemicals, life sciences, automotive and finance industries.Fears centre on the potential for super-powerful quantum machines to break all encryption exposing national infrastructure to cyber-attacks.“The quantum era will arrive whether Britain leads it or not,” Blair and Hague said.
“But history will not forgive us if we again fumble the chance to lead a transformative technology,”The warning comes after the Cambridge-educated Briton John Clarke won the 2025 Nobel prize in physics for his work into quantum computing science, and as UK quantum firms continue to be bought up by US companies,In June, a spinout quantum company from Oxford University, Oxford Ionics, was sold for $1,1bn to the US company IonQ,Meanwhile, PsiQuantum, a spinout from Bristol University and Imperial College London, grew mostly in California after finding investors there most enthusiastic, and its first large-scale quantum computer will be built in Brisbane, Australia.
A report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change critical of the UK’s current quantum strategy warns that not only are China and the US “racing ahead” but Germany, Australia, Finland and the Netherlands are also making big strides.A government spokesperson said: “Quantum is a gamechanging technology with the potential to overhaul everything from healthcare, to our access to affordable clean energy.The UK already ranks second globally for quantum investment, and we have world-leading strengths in the supply chain in areas such as photonics – but we are determined to go further.They said: “We have provided a first-of-its-kind 10-year funding commitment for the National Quantum Computing Centre.We will be setting out plans for other areas of our national programme in due course.
”In June, Labour announced £670m to accelerate the application of quantum computing as part of its industrial strategy to create new drugs for incurable diseases and better carbon capture technologies.The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know.If you have something to share on this subject, you can contact us confidentially using the following methods.Secure Messaging in the Guardian appThe Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories.Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs.
This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said.If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu.Select ‘Secure Messaging’.SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and postIf you can safely use the Tor network without being observed or monitored, you can send messages and documents to the Guardian via our SecureDrop platform.Finally, our guide at theguardian.
com/tips lists several ways to contact us securely, and discusses the pros and cons of each.
Stephen Colbert on ex-prince Andrew: ‘Pervert formerly known as prince’
Late-night hosts spoke about Donald Trump’s trip to Asia and how he refuses to accept criticism while also reacting to ex-prince Andrew being stripped of his royal title.On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert spoke about Trump’s recent trip to parts of Asia, including South Korea where he negotiated tariffs with Xi Jinping, China’s president.Colbert played awkward footage of the two in front of cameras, adding that he was “not confident we’re gonna win this one”.The talks ended up with both sides agreeing to what amounted to a pre-tariff status quo yet Trump has been “telling everyone he won the negotiations big time” saying that he would rank the meeting as a 12 out of 10.Colbert joked that he “must have been insufferable as a teenager” telling friends he went to 14th base with girls which means “over the bra, under the hat”
Womad festival returns and moves to new Wiltshire site
Womad festival, the global music festival co-founded by Peter Gabriel, is to return in 2026 at a new venue.The festival took a year off in 2025 in order to “return fully charged”, and left its home of Charlton Park, Wiltshire, where it had been held since 2007. Its new venue remains in Wiltshire, at nearby Neston Park in Corsham.“It immediately felt to us like a warm and welcoming home into which we could sink our roots,” Gabriel said.“In a world in which many bad actors seem to be achieving power by fanning the flames of hatred, racism and division, a meeting place for all the world’s cultures and dreams, built on mutual respect, seems all the more precious,” he added
Seth Meyers on Trump’s South Korea visit: ‘Getting the royal treatment he so desperately craves’
Late-night hosts recapped Donald Trump’s lavish visit to South Korea, where he received a ceremonial golden crown.Trump continued his tour of Asia on Wednesday, where he’s been “getting the royal treatment he so desperately craves”, according to Seth Meyers. “He wishes he could get the same treatment back here at home. He made it clear, for example, that he’s super-jealous of China’s authoritarian government.”Speaking to South Korean leaders, Trump assured them that the country’s partnership with the US guaranteed that “you’ll have everything done very, very quickly … as fast as any other country, other than China”, because China “has a good system” where Xi Jinping can “approve things immediately” whereas he had to “wait two weeks”
A third of people in England believe in ghosts, survey finds
It is the time of the year when the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest, and spirits walk the Earth once more.But it appears you are more likely to be visited by a ghost if you are under 35 years old, while spiritual creatures tend to avoid those who live in the East Midlands.New research from the National Folklore Survey has found that, across England, more than a third of people believe in ghosts and supernatural beings, but belief in the paranormal varies according to age and geography.Led by academics from Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Hertfordshire, and Chapman University in the US, the survey is the first of its kind since the last Survey of English Language and Folklore more than 60 years ago.Just over one in three people in England said they believed in ghosts or the spirits of the deceased, with younger people (aged 25-34) most likely to believe in the paranormal, which also includes magical beings, possession, spells, psychics, angels and demons
Arts organisations still in ‘funding limbo’ after crash of Arts Council England online portal
Arts organisations and artists have said they are still in “funding limbo” with mounting bills and uncertain futures after this summer’s crash of Arts Council England’s grant processing platform.ACE’s online portal, Grantium, was used by artists to submit and manage funding applications. But when it crashed in July, it left thousands of applications for vital funding in doubt – a situation that persisted for several months until applications reopened in late September.Individual artists and leaders of arts institutions have said that, after the crash, they received less money than initially offered by ACE, which is also accused of revoking funding application extensions for organisations affected by the collapse of the portal.ACE claimed the outage was caused by the inability of Grantium to operate with high traffic at a time when the system was being updated
Jimmy Kimmel on government shutdown: ‘There is no Republican plan for healthcare’
Late-night hosts recapped Donald Trump’s state visit to Japan as the government shutdown continued into its fourth week.On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the comedian checked in on Trump’s visit to Japan this week. “You know, when Trump visits, you have to find something to do with him,” he said. “You can’t just take him for a stroll around town.“So instead, you take him for a stroll inside a palace, where he gets uncomfortably close to the band,” he said over footage of Trump wandering aimlessly through a ballroom with the Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi
Primark owner ABF could split fashion business from food division
City watchdog ‘nakedly’ siding with lenders on car finance redress, MPs say
Experts find flaws in hundreds of tests that check AI safety and effectiveness
OpenAI signs $38bn cloud computing deal with Amazon
Andrew Wiggins: how a shy NBA player negotiated growing up a star in the social media era
Meet the British shot put champion doubling up as a bobsleigh pilot with an eye on Milan 2026