UK ministers lay out strategy for government’s approach to digital inclusion

The UK’s Ministerial Group for Digital Inclusion has updated the summary of its third meeting, as it aims to set strategic direction for the UK Government’s approach to digital inclusion and secure agreement on effective delivery approaches.

Per its terms of reference, the Ministerial Group will “work to embed digital inclusion into policy design and delivery across the UK Government and existing governance structures, and will monitor and evaluate the delivery of key policies across government that contribute to digital inclusion, facilitated through reporting by official-level governance structures.” It will also serve as a forum for discussion, consultation and collaboration for government officials working on the inclusion file.

It does not, however, have collective decision making power.

The summary of its latest meeting, chaired by Baroness Lloyd of Effra, Minister for Digital Economy, notes that “ministers discussed the broad aims and key programmes across their departments that could support improved digital inclusion outcomes.”

“Health, employment support, education, financial services and future digital ID services were highlighted as important routes through which people could be supported to get online and use digital services safely and confidently. Ministers highlighted the benefits of digital inclusion in improving access to healthcare, supporting disabled people to use assistive technology, and ensuring that emerging opportunities such as digital ID are inclusive from the outset.”

Accessibility was recognized as a key enabler of digital inclusion, and ministers committed to meeting legal accessibility standards to this effect.

The Ministerial Group for Digital Inclusion is supported by the Digital Inclusion Strategy Board, a cross-government senior official board providing strategic oversight for the UK Government’s digital inclusion priorities. It previously met in May 2025 and January 2026, and is due for a meeting in Q3 2026.

Article Topics

accessibility  |  digital government  |  digital identity  |  digital inclusion  |  UK digital ID