Technology

Labour rejects Green Party call for a moratorium on UK AI datacentres

The UK government argues a pause on datacentre construction would harm national security and jobs, despite rising concerns over water and energy use.

Updated Aug 28, 2026 · 16:20 UTC1 reports

The short version

Green Party leader Zack Polanski urged the UK government to pause building major AI datacentres, calling them "energy-guzzling" and "water-guzzling" during a severe drought.
The Labour government rejected the proposal, stating a moratorium would harm employment and force Britain to rely on overseas computing for sensitive health and defense data.
Datacentres currently consume about 2.5% of the UK's electricity supply, with projections estimating a fourfold increase by 2030.

Green Party leader Zack Polanski proposed a moratorium on major AI datacentres, excepting local-scale facilities for communities.[The Guardian]
The UK government rejected the call, arguing a pause would send investment and jobs abroad while impacting national security.[The Guardian]
Labour has designated AI datacentres as critical national infrastructure, a status Polanski criticized as "outrageous."[The Guardian]
A government spokesperson clarified that critical national infrastructure status does not grant datacentres priority access to water or electricity over households during shortages.[The Guardian]
In England, datacentres' water usage accounts for less than 1% of non-household water consumption.[The Guardian]
The campaign group Foxglove raised climate concerns, noting that some developers plan to build their own gas-fired power stations to bypass long waits for grid connections.[The Guardian]

It is unclear whether the Scottish National Party government in Scotland will implement its own moratorium amid rising voter pressure.[The Guardian]