Philip Hammond wants the “best and brightest” of the private sector to work with Britain’s cyber spooks
Chancellor Philip Hammond is to call on the private sector to help Britain's spooks battle cyber attacks.
Speaking at the launch of the UK's new National Cyber Security Centre, Hammond will unveil a new scheme inviting industry to dispatch their “best and brightest” personnel to be embedded in the anti-hacking operation to collaborate in tackling high-tech threats.
Ministers hope to recruit a total of 100 staff to the programme by the end of 2017/18, with the “working assumption” that industry will fund the roles.
Hammond will brand the scheme “a new kind of partnership” for the public and private sectors.
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“We will invite business to second up to 100 employees to come and work in the NCSC – allowing us to draw on the best and the brightest in industry – to test and challenge the government’s thinking as we take this project forward.
“And for these people to then return to the private sector and draw on their experience at NCSC to drive change within industry.
“Because the government cannot protect businesses and the general public from the risks of cyber-attack on its own,” Hammond is expected to say.
“It has to be a team effort. It is only in this way that we can stay one step ahead of the scale and pace of the threat we face.”
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The NCSC falls under the umbrella of GCHQ, one of the government's top spy offices. It was announced in October, and is expected to be funded by £1.9bn of public investment.
The cyber spooks' new nerve centre in central London will be formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II tomorrow, with Hammond joining the among the senior government ministers joining for a tour of the facility.