Government urged to investigate impact of robots on UK workforce

Labour's Tom Watson says George Osborne should set up commission looking at how to benefit from technological advances

George Osborne should establish a royal commission on robots, to examine the impact of new technologies such as driverless vehicles on Britain's workforce, Labour's deputy leader, Tom Watson, has said.

The chancellor is expected to announce a trial of driverless lorries as part of next Wednesday's budget. Writing for the Guardian, Watson argued that the government should launch an investigation into how to make the most of the benefits of rapid advances in technology, which he believes could be as profound as those unleashed by the industrial revolution.