Million need to retrain for driverless cars

THE introduction of driverless vehicles will mean more than a million people who drive for a living will have to be retrained, Philip Hammond has said.

The Chancellor said the advent of the new technology will “transform the productivity” of the UK economy, but warned that for some people it could be “very challenging”.

It comes after he used Wednesday’s Budget to reveal a £500million boost for electric and driverless transport as he laid out plans for the future of Britain’s road network.

As part of the measures, red tape will be cut to allow tech firms to test driverless vehicles on public roads by 2021.

Speaking on Today on BBC Radio 4, Mr Hammond said: “It will happen, I can promise you. It is happening already... It is going to revolutionise our lives, it is going to revolutionise the way we work. And for some people this will be very challenging.”

He added: “The challenge for us is making sure that the million-odd people in the UK who drive for a living, over the next 10, 20 years or so, as driverless vehicles come in, are able to retrain and re-skill so they can take up the many, many new jobs that this economy will be throwing up.”

The Chancellor wants fully driverless vehicles on the UK’S roads by 2021, but admitted he had never been in one.

The driverless technology industry is expected to be worth about £900 billion globally by 2025 and is currently growing by 16 per cent a year.