Infrastructure meets intent, can communication keep up?

Last week, the Government set out A 10 Year Strategy for UK Infrastructure, with £725 billion earmarked for energy, transport, housing, and digital networks to improve national resilience. And the narrative is already evolving. At this week’s NATO Summit, the Government pledged to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, including 1.5% dedicated to national security, cyber security, and tech infrastructure.

This is an ambitious blueprint to revitalise the nation’s infrastructure, beef up fortifications, and rejuvenate military capability. Its success will not only depend on capital investment, and engineering expertise. But also how well the strategy is communicated, understood, and embraced by the public, local communities, and industry.

Clear investment must be followed by clear messaging to create confidence for industry and business involved in the infrastructure transformation. This is crucial as the government understandably juggles competing priorities. Communication, at the heart of any government initiative, will be a critical enabler of delivery.

The Infrastructure Strategy is bold. Clean energy, AI growth zones, new hospitals, and additional funding for the Oxford to Cambridge growth corridor. But its ambitions arrive in a climate of deep uncertainty. HS2 has become a £100bn cautionary tale in poor communication, political U-turns, and a loss of public trust. Confidence in delivery is low, and communication will make or break the next decade of investment.

In response, the Government is establishing new forums to improve delivery, including regional infrastructure partnerships and a national Infrastructure Pipeline due in July. These are designed to create more consistent engagement between the Government, investors and industry.

So, while defence spending grabs headlines, and the infrastructure pipeline builds quietly behind it, the real challenge is ensuring the Government’s ambition is complemented by wider stakeholder buy in. Can the Government tell a coherent story about its diverse agenda, one that industry can follow, and citizens can believe in?

As defence and infrastructure policy increasingly overlap, there is a need for joined-up communication and a shared understanding of priorities. This is where Luther Pendragon can help. We work at the intersection of business and government, ensuring our clients stay ahead of policy, shape the right conversations, and build the relationships that drive delivery.

To find out more about how we can help you, please get in touch at enquiries@luther.co.uk