Labour announces new partnership with hopes self-driving cars will be on UK roads next year

Labour has confirmed a new partnership with a leading British autonomous vehicle company to continue the development of self-driving technologies.

Wayve has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government, in a move that aims to "strengthen UK leadership in automated vehicles".

The partnership is focused on shared research to accelerate the "responsible" deployment of self-driving vehicles.

Wayve is one of the UK's leading self-driving vehicle companies, with a particular focus on pioneering artificial intelligence to power autonomous driving.

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Shared research interests have been touted as one of the benefits of the new partnership, alongside the deployment of AI-enabled self-driving vehicles.

The autonomous vehicle sector is expected to be worth £42billion by 2035 and create 38,000 new jobs across the country.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: "This partnership with Wayve shows how Government is backing high-growth British scale‑ups through our Modern Industrial Strategy to turn world‑leading research into real-world deployment.

"By working hand‑in‑hand with innovative companies, we are accelerating self‑driving technology while anchoring jobs, investment and manufacturing here in the UK - making Britain the best place to start, scale and grow a business."

Self-driving trials have already started in London, with hopes for these vehicles to be given the green light to operate permanently in the summer.

It follows the Government fast-tracking pilots of self-driving passenger vehicles, with the UK quickly becoming one of the strongest autonomous vehicle sectors in Europe.

The Automated Vehicles Act will be fully implemented from the second half of 2027, following the small-scale trials of self-driving vehicles this year.

Labour previously stated that the automated passenger service scheme was an essential part of the Automated Vehicles Act.

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This will regulate taxi-, private-hire- and bus-like self-driving vehicles to operate around the country following trials in the second half of next year.

Alex Kendall, co-founder and CEO of Wayve, said the company was "delighted" to accelerate its partnership with the Department for Business and Trade.

He continued, saying: "We share the Government's ambition to drive economic growth through the development of the self-driving vehicle sector in the UK and globally.

"Strengthening domestic capabilities will anchor high-value manufacturing in the UK, create thousands of skilled jobs across the supply chain, and support the future of the automotive industry.

"This is in addition to the transformative benefits to road safety to be gained from self-driving vehicles deployed at scale."

Liz Kendall, Science and Technology Secretary, described Wayve as a "true British AI success story" which has put the UK at the "forefront of self-driving technology".

Wayve will share insights from real-world trials with the Government and the relevant regulators to support the development of the technology.

The Government's entire Modern Industrial Strategy has already attracted more than £360billion in investment and 120,000 jobs.

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