Government sets out refreshed plans to strengthen public sector cyber security

Government has published its new Government Cyber Action Plan (GCAP), which introduces new objectives to strengthen the security and resilience of the UK’s public services.  The publication coincides with the Second Reading of the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which aims to bolster the cyber defences of the UK’s critical national infrastructure.

What is the GCAP?

The Government’s Cyber Action Plan is an update to the Government’s Cyber Security Strategy published in 2022. It sets out a renewed ambition for public sector cyber security, with responsibility for the Plan now sitting with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.  

The Plan opens with a recognition that government will not meet its previous target of ensuring all government organisations be resilience to known vulnerabilities and attack methods by 2030.

In this new Plan, clear expectations have been given to government departments and organisations.  Each chapter begins by outlining ‘who is responsible for what’. Implementation will be supported by £210 million in funding, with delivery led by the new Government Cyber Unit.

The Plan will look to achieve four objectives:

• Better visibility of cyber security and resilience risk
• Addressing severe and complex risks
• Improving responsiveness to fast moving events
• Rapidly increasing government-wide cyber resilience

These objectives will be delivered through five delivery strands:

• Accountability: this strand will set out clear ownership and management of cyber risks at all levels of government.
• Support: this strand will outline how government organisations will be supported to ensure they have the capability, skills and capacity to meet their cyber responsibilities.
• Services: this strand will help scale cyber services that can address shared security and resilience challenges across government organisations.
• Response and recovery: this strand outlines responsibilities for managing cyber incidents at all levels, with the aim of reducing their impact.
• Skills: this strand will see government establish the first Government Cyber Profession to help attract, upskill and retrain cyber professionals across government.

How will the Plan be implemented?

Phase 1: Building

• By April 2027, the government will have built a new operating model for government cyber security. This will include empowering the Government Cyber Unit to achieve its function, refreshed accountability and governance for cyber risk across departments and launching the new Government Cyber Profession.

Phase 2: Scaling

• By April 2029, government will have scaled and leveraged the new model. This phase will see progress against the Plan’s ambitions, alongside a more mature understanding of cyber risks and how to respond to them.

Phase 3: Improving

• By April 2029, government will use the model to drive continuous improvement in cyber security and resilience. This will include leveraging the Government Cyber Profession, adopting a more proactive approach to supply chain cyber risk, and delivering central cyber support and services at scale to sustain long-term capability.

Software Security Ambassador Scheme

Government have also announced a new Software Security Ambassador Scheme which will be used to drive up the adoption of the Software Security Code of Practice. Among others, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, Sage, Santander and NCC Group will act as ambassadors, championing the Code across sectors and providing feedback to inform future policy improvements.

What does the Plan mean in practice?

techUK welcomes the publication of the Government Cyber Action Plan. The Plan will play a critical role in improving the cyber resilience of government departments and the critical services which they deliver. The acknowledgement that a key previous target set out in the 2022 Strategy will not be met places even greater importance on delivering against the objectives of the new Plan. techUK looks forward to working with industry,  government and departments to support effective implementation and delivery.

Annie Collings

Programme Manager, Cyber Resilience, techUK

Annie is the Programme Manager for Cyber Resilience at techUK. She first joined as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023. 

In her role, Annie supports the Cyber Security SME Forum, engaging regularly with key government and industry stakeholders to advance the growth and development of SMEs in the cyber sector. Annie also coordinates events, engages with policy makers and represents techUK at a number of cyber security events.

Before joining techUK, Annie was an Account Manager at a specialist healthcare agency, where she provided public affairs support to a wide range of medical technology clients. She also gained experience as an intern in both an MP’s constituency office and with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. Annie holds a degree in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University.

Email:

[email protected]

Twitter:

anniecollings24

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-collings-270150158/

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 Meet the team 

Jill Broom

Head of Cyber Resilience, techUK

Jill leads the techUK Cyber Resilience programme, having originally joined techUK in October 2020 as a Programme Manager for the Cyber and Central Government programmes. She is responsible for managing techUK's work across the cyber security ecosystem, bringing industry together with key stakeholders across the public and private sectors. Jill also provides the industry secretariat for the Cyber Growth Partnership, the industry and government conduit for supporting the growth of the sector. A key focus of her work is to strengthen the public–private partnership across cyber to support further development of UK cyber security and resilience policy.

Before joining techUK, Jill worked as a Senior Caseworker for an MP, advocating for local communities, businesses and individuals, so she is particularly committed to techUK’s vision of harnessing the power of technology to improve people’s lives. Jill is also an experienced editorial professional and has delivered copyediting and writing services for public-body and SME clients as well as publishers.

Email:

[email protected]

Website:

www.techuk.org/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jill-broom-19aa824

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Annie Collings

Programme Manager, Cyber Resilience, techUK

Annie is the Programme Manager for Cyber Resilience at techUK. She first joined as the Programme Manager for Cyber Security and Central Government in September 2023. 

In her role, Annie supports the Cyber Security SME Forum, engaging regularly with key government and industry stakeholders to advance the growth and development of SMEs in the cyber sector. Annie also coordinates events, engages with policy makers and represents techUK at a number of cyber security events.

Before joining techUK, Annie was an Account Manager at a specialist healthcare agency, where she provided public affairs support to a wide range of medical technology clients. She also gained experience as an intern in both an MP’s constituency office and with the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. Annie holds a degree in International Relations from Nottingham Trent University.

Email:

[email protected]

Twitter:

anniecollings24

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/annie-collings-270150158/

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Olivia Staples

Junior Programme Manager - Cyber Resilience, techUK

Olivia Staples joined techUK in May 2025 as a Junior Programme Manager in the Cyber Resilience team.

She supports the programs mission to promote cyber resilience by engaging key commercial and government stakeholders to shape the cyber resilience policy towards increased security and industry growth. Olivia assists in member engagement, event facilitation and communications support.

Before joining techUK, Olivia gained experience in research, advocacy, and strategic communications across several international organisations. At the Munich Security Conference, she supported stakeholder engagement and contributed to strategic communications. She also worked closely with local and national government stakeholders in Spain and Italy, where she was involved in policy monitoring and advocacy for both public and private sector clients.

Olivia holds an MSc in Political Science (Comparative Politics and Conflict Studies) from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a BA in Spanish and Latin American Studies from University College London (UCL).

Outside of tech, Olivia enjoys volunteering with local charities and learning Norwegian.

Email:

[email protected]

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