Tony Blair has warned that 'history won't forgive us' if the UK falls behind in the race to harness quantum computing, a frontier technology predicted to drive breakthroughs in drug design and climate modelling. The former Labour prime minister, whose Tony Blair Institute is backed by tech leaders including Oracle's Larry Ellison, said the country risks failing to convert its leadership in quantum research into commercial and strategic advantage.
In a report co-authored with former Conservative leader William Hague, Blair compared the situation to artificial intelligence, where the UK made key research breakthroughs but lost ground to the US and others. '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. The UK is home to the second highest number of quantum startups globally but lacks the high-risk capital and infrastructure to scale them.
Quantum computing exploits quantum mechanics, where particles can exist in multiple states simultaneously, offering a massive increase in computing power. A single quantum computer could theoretically tackle tasks requiring billions of supercomputers. The technology's value has been estimated at nearly $1.3 trillion for industries including chemicals, life sciences, automotive and finance. However, fears remain that quantum machines could break all encryption, exposing national infrastructure to cyber-attacks.
The warning follows the 2025 Nobel Prize in physics awarded to Cambridge-educated John Clarke for quantum computing work, and a series of UK quantum firms being acquired by US companies. In June, Oxford Ionics was sold to US firm IonQ for $1.1 billion, while PsiQuantum, a spinout from Bristol and Imperial, grew mostly in California and will build its first large-scale quantum computer in Australia. The report criticises the UK's current strategy, noting that China, the US, Germany, Australia, Finland and the Netherlands are making significant strides.
A government spokesperson said: 'Quantum is a gamechanging technology with the potential to overhaul everything from healthcare to affordable clean energy. The UK already ranks second globally for quantum investment, and we have world-leading strengths in the supply chain – but we are determined to go further.' They highlighted a 10-year funding commitment for the National Quantum Computing Centre and plans for further national programme announcements. In June, Labour pledged £670 million to accelerate quantum applications as part of its industrial strategy.
