‘Critical infrastructure is water, electricity, hospitals – it isn’t AI for tech billionaires.’ #
by Sophia Sheera
28 August 2026
Zack Polanski has told the government to “slam the brakes” on “water-guzzling” data centres.
In an interview with the BBC on Friday, the Green party leader accused Labour of prioritising “AI tech billionaires” over water-stressed communities – at a time when most of the country is already in drought.
He urged prime minister Andy Burnham to the construction of new centres, citing concerns that their environmental impact has not been properly assessed.
According to the Times, there are more than 500 data centres in the UK – but their number is set to swell by at least another 183 in the coming years.
The Labour government has made it a national priority to speed through the construction of data centres so that the UK can compete in the global AI race. But government forecasts have failed to take into account their water consumption, putting the country at risk of shortages, water companies have said.
Environmental charity Friends of the Earth is also calling for a moratorium on data centres until proper assessments are made.
A large data centres is estimated to use as much energy as a medium-sized town. Polanski also criticised Labour’s 2024 decision to designate data centres as “critical infrastructure”, putting them on par with hospitals and transport networks.
“To most people, critical infrastructure is water, electricity, hospitals – it isn’t AI for tech billionaires,” he said, adding that companies behind data centres should prove that their water use is sustainable before depleting public reserves.
A government spokesperson told the BBC: “A on building new data centres would simply send investment and good jobs abroad, while leaving Britain dependent on overseas computing. Put simply: it would be a disaster for jobs and national security.
“That said, this does not mean a blank cheque for Big Tech or that every data centre should be approved.”
The Scottish government is already considering a moratorium on data centres, with MSPs saying they’ve never seen such local opposition to development.
Sophia Sheera is a journalist in Novara Media’s social media team.