UK Government signs self-driving partnership with Wayve. By Tom Stone May 14, 2026 3 Mins Read Alex Kendall, co-founder and chief executive of Wayve, and Business Secretary Peter Kyle exchange signed copies of the memorandum of understanding at a Wayve facility The UK Government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with London-based autonomous vehicle developer Wayve, setting out a framework for joint research into the responsible deployment of self-driving technology on British roads. Announced on 12 May 2026, the agreement between the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and Wayve covers collaboration on safety assurance, large-scale simulation, and the integration of full self-driving technology into production-ready vehicle platforms. Research and deployment focus. Under the MoU, Wayve will share data from real-world trials with government and regulators to support learning that could inform future regulations and standards, and help establish the conditions for national roll-out of self-driving services. The partnership also targets the development of UK domestic supply chains in areas including AI, systems integration and advanced automotive hardware, with the stated aim of anchoring high-value manufacturing in the country. "Strengthening domestic capabilities will anchor high-value manufacturing in the UK, create thousands of skilled jobs across the supply chain, and support the future of the automotive industry," says Alex Kendall, co-founder and chief executive of Wayve. "This is in addition to the transformative benefits to road safety to be gained from self-driving vehicles deployed at scale." Business Secretary Peter Kyle described the agreement as part of the government's Modern Industrial Strategy. "By working hand-in-hand with innovative companies, we are accelerating self-driving technology while anchoring jobs, investment and manufacturing here in the UK," he says. From prototype to production. The MoU sets out a path from prototype-stage testing to commercially viable automated vehicle services operating on public roads. Work areas include simulation at scale and integration with production vehicle platforms, with the UK government positioning the country as a hub for automated vehicle manufacturing. "I'm delighted to deepen our collaboration with the Department for Business and Trade," says Kendall. "We share the government's ambition to drive economic growth through the development of the self-driving vehicle sector in the UK and globally." Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall highlighted the role of the partnership in securing advanced manufacturing employment. "This agreement will help secure high-skilled tech and advanced manufacturing jobs in this country," she says. "By working with companies such as Wayve we are rebuilding Britain for the modern age." Background. Wayve was founded in Cambridge and has conducted autonomous vehicle trials on public roads in London and other UK cities. The company develops AI-based driving software designed to be embedded into existing vehicle platforms rather than requiring purpose-built hardware. The UK government says that since publishing its Modern Industrial Strategy, it has secured over £360 billion in private investment and 120,000 jobs across key growth sectors including advanced manufacturing. The full MoU document has been published on the government's website.

The Institute for Driverless Transport event debates Britain's AV rollout. Engineers, lobbyists, taxi company representatives and experts converged on 1 Triton Square, London for Preparing for Driverless Cars: Exploring the Consequences for the UK - an event held in partnership with The Institute for Driverless Transport (IfDT). 2026 is set to be a year of sweeping changes as the UK as early implementation of sections the 2024 Autonomous Vehicle Act come into force, allowing AV pilots on Britain's roads for the first time. Waymo, Lyft and Uber (in partnership with Wayve and Baidu) have announced their intention to launch services this year. Round tables covered the opportunities and challenges of Geopolitics and Security, Productivity, Social Change, and Job Displacement. Quality of discussion was high, with lively critical debate across key topics, including remote control/access of AVs, implications for the insurance sector, the increased charging demands of electric AVs operating around the clock, and whether they will ultimately replace human operators entirely or simply carve out a complementary role alongside today's drivers. Christopher Court-Dobson