The Conservative Party published, on 3 October 2022, the speech of Michelle Donelan, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport, at the 2022 Conservative Party Conference. In particular, on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport ('DCMS'), Donelan outlined plans to create more wealth and prosperity through the tech, digital, cyber, creative, cultural, and arts sectors.

On the topic of data, Donelan announced that the DCMS will be replacing the system based on the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) ('GDPR') with a data protection system that will protect consumer privacy, while also retaining data adequacy, which would allow businesses to trade freely. In place of the GDPR, Donelan noted that the DCMS will co-design the new system with businesses and consider those countries that achieve adequacy without having the GDPR, such as Israel, Japan, South Korea, Canada, and New Zealand.

According to Donelan, the new data protection plan will focus on growth and common sense, in addition to helping to prevent losses from cyber attacks and reducing regulations and elements that may stifle business. As such, Donelan highlighted that these plans would not create another wave of legislation on businesses, but rather simplify complicated legislation and avoid the pitfalls of a one-size-fits-all system.

You can read the speech here.