An investigation has found that the UK government shaped its policy on AI datacentres and "AI growth zones" through meetings with 137 businesses and no environmental organisations, despite what the report calls the serious environmental implications of the plans.
The investigation by Spotlight on Corruption, a nonprofit, was based on 40 freedom of information requests to 18 government agencies covering the period from July 2024 to June 2026. It found that ministers, permanent secretaries and directors general involved in developing the policy met 137 businesses, some several times, to discuss Britain's datacentre policy, but met only two community groups and no environmental organisations.
The report also describes a "considerable revolving door" between government and the AI industry, with 38 ministers, senior civil servants and special advisers hired into positions at AI companies between July 2024 and September 2026. Nine came from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, including a former minister for AI and intellectual property, a former AI adviser to the prime minister and a former director of AI opportunities.
Kamila Kingstone, a campaign lead at Spotlight on Corruption, said: "The government totally failed at the most senior level to speak to environmental NGOs or community groups when developing its flagship policy on AI datacentres. This is despite the serious environmental implications of its plans."
The handful of meetings that did take place with civil society groups were "held a few days before the launch of the policy, meaning they had no meaningful input", according to the report. Spotlight on Corruption said many further meetings between businesses and the administration of former prime minister Keir Starmer would not have been disclosed, because the policy was led by special adviser Jade Leung, whose role was subject to less stringent transparency requirements.
AI growth zones were a flagship policy under which the government promised to "turbocharge the economy" and create jobs by building massive datacentres across five regions, which Starmer described as "mainlining AI into the veins" of the country. The Guardian has previously questioned the policy, reporting that it rests on assumptions that do not hold up, includes financial figures that were not audited and exaggerated job creation projections, and that government departments disagree on how much electricity the datacentre plans will require.
Opposition has been growing, with protests against planned developments from Auchtertool, a rural village north of Edinburgh, to Brick Lane in east London, where approval has been given for a £500m redevelopment including a datacentre. Fourteen local campaigns rallied in September at Holyrood against datacentres planned in Scotland.
Chi Onwurah, the MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West, said the backlash was a warning that the government needed to seek greater community input. "It is critically important that AI benefits communities and is also shaped by them," she said. "I've been concerned about what we've seen in the US, where there's a strong feeling that datacentres are being imposed without adequate consultation. We can see the backlash influencing the midterms. It's really important that communities are involved in datacentres and AI growth zones and see the benefits."
Spotlight on Corruption compared the UK with Canada, Germany and Australia, and said those countries consulted far more widely on datacentres and had more stringent environmental criteria, leaving the UK "fallen behind equivalent jurisdictions" in developing an equitable strategy.
A government spokesperson said: "We are clear that datacentres should create British jobs, strengthen supply chains and deliver benefits for the communities that host them, while prioritising clean power and using water responsibly – and meet with these companies to make sure that happens. We want to work closely with industry, local authorities, environmental groups and communities, and welcome opportunities to hear their views."