Robert Peston

As you can probably tell, you're triggering PTSD in me because it is the case.

But in 2014 into 2015, the economy was growing again.

We were looking more competitive as a nation.

And then we voted to leave the European Union.

So there's one aspect of this which we haven't.

talked about very much in the news, you know, as we speak, which is this whole related issue of government procurement.

You know, one of the things that actually – one of the things that's quite interesting about –

the period that you were in government is actually the share of procurement by government that went to British companies actually rose quite significantly.

And it was a sort of deliberate strategy.

It's fallen.

quite significantly in recent years.

Again, if you look at America, the idea that they would buy from non-American businesses is absurd.

So we obviously need to encourage more British businesses, particularly in the areas we're talking about, AI and tech and all the rest of it.

There's this massive controversy at the moment about Palantir, the American...

The Science and Technology Committee of MPs have said that the NHS should end its contract with Palantir early because it argues that essentially the NHS will be too locked into Palantir to the detriment of potential British competitors.

What do you think of arguments like that?

And again, just to sort of use the US analogy, right?

I mean, you know, Palantir are absolutely immersed in our defence, you know, in the Ministry of Defence.

Yes.

But again, you know, the Department of War in America, the idea that they would be buying the British equivalent, we just shouldn't.