The UK Government has published a roadmap for “modern digital government” — a plan to make public services more joined-up, easier to use, and better able to meet people where they are. For communities experiencing digital exclusion, this matters: government services increasingly shape access to healthcare, education, benefits, housing, and work.

At IFB Gaming, we welcome efforts that treat digital government not as “new tech”, but as a practical reform agenda: better services, better trust, and fewer barriers for those who need support.

The challenge: great services exist — but the system is still fragmented

The Government’s “State of Digital Government” review recognises that the UK has world-leading examples — but too many successes happen despite the system, not because of it. It highlights persistent issues: fragmented services, manual processing, legacy technology, and data that doesn’t join up.

This is not an abstract problem. The review describes how people often need to deal with many different organisations for a single life moment, and how public services can feel inconsistent, slow, or hard to navigate.

The direction of travel: one public sector, designed around people

The “Blueprint for Modern Digital Government” sets out a six-point plan for reform, centred on joining up services and building a public sector that feels coherent and human-centred.

A key example referenced in the roadmap is GOV.UK One Login — already used by millions across many services — with the ambition that products like the GOV.UK app and One Login could also support simpler access to local government services over time.

For digitally excluded communities, “joined-up” has a clear meaning: fewer repeated forms, fewer accounts and passwords, clearer progress updates, and less anxiety about “doing it wrong”.

CustomerFirst: redesigning customer services (not just websites)

CustomerFirst is a new unit within Government Digital Service focused on modernising the foundations of customer services — using AI and service design to deliver faster, simpler, more joined-up experiences at scale. The initiative is positioned as more than incremental improvement: it aims for organisational transformation, with early work alongside DVLA and learning intended to spread across government.

From an inclusion perspective, this emphasis is important. Many people do not struggle because they lack intelligence — they struggle because services are complex, fragmented, or unforgiving under pressure. Redesigning the “customer journey” is part of preventing exclusion before it happens.

AI: opportunity — but trust must be earned

The roadmap describes 2025 as a year when more promising AI tools began to scale across government, alongside a push to share learning and support responsible adoption through resources such as an AI Knowledge Hub.

However, modern AI also raises trust questions. The roadmap reinforces transparency measures, including publication of algorithmic records, as part of helping the public understand what is changing and why.

Digital infrastructure: cyber, standards, and resilience

The roadmap includes practical infrastructure priorities: improving cyber security capability, expanding vulnerability scanning, and developing common API standards to help systems and data connect more effectively.

This matters because inclusion is not only about access — it’s also about safety, reliability, and confidence. People are less likely to use services they do not trust, or that fail when they need them most.

Talent and long-term funding: the “how” of delivery

The roadmap and blueprint also point to structural enablers: building digital capability across government, investing in leadership and skills, and reforming funding and procurement so that teams can improve services continuously (not only in short cycles).

The “State of Digital Government” review makes the case that digitisation has major productivity potential and that modern funding models should reflect continuous improvement.

What this means for IFB Gaming’s mission

IFB Gaming’s Empowering Futures exists to reduce digital exclusion through practical support, community-led learning, and confidence-building pathways. As government services evolve, our work becomes even more important — because digital transformation must not leave people behind.

We will continue to:

• support to access and use essential services safely
• advocate for user-centred and inclusive design
• build confidence through “safe to try” learning environments
• partner where possible to turn national ambition into local impact

Modern digital government will only succeed if it is built with — not just for — the people who rely on it most.