UK gov’t spends £312M upgrading to Windows 10 — the OS Microsoft just buried, instead of Windows 11

Microsoft stopped officially supporting Windows 10 on October 14, 2025, roughly a decade after it first came out. Now, Windows 11 is the company’s primary operating system and gets consistent improvements and security fixes.

With Windows 10 no longer supported, many home and business computer users are facing issues. Interestingly, a UK government department is currently in the news due to its spending on upgrading its systems.

The UK’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has finished updating tens of thousands of older Windows 7 computers to Windows 10, according to a report in The Register.

You’re right to question this switch – it feels like moving from an outdated system to one that’s already being phased out. The timing couldn’t be worse, and many taxpayers are likely unhappy about it.

An official report from David Hill, the Interim Permanent Secretary at Defra, revealed the specifics of the government’s upgrade process. The report, dated October 10, 2025, provides a detailed account of how the money was spent and how the updates were carried out.

This report addresses a request from the Public Accounts Committee made in May 2023. The committee asked Defra to better justify its investment needs by thoroughly analyzing how modernizing its systems and processes could lead to cost savings.

The request also asked Defra to send the Committee a report within a year, detailing the analysis results and any planned actions. That deadline was about seventeen months ago. While it’s usually good to have a response eventually, this delay is particularly concerning.

Defra’s spending topped £312 million, and there’s more to come

A new report from Defra’s acting chief, Hill, details how the department spent £312 million (roughly $411 million USD or $576 million CAD) on technology upgrades.

Over a two-year period, a significant amount of money was spent upgrading 31,500 Windows 7 laptops to Windows 10.

I was surprised to learn they managed to patch an incredible 49,000 critical security flaws in their network. On top of that, they also updated 137 older applications, moving them to a more current system.

I was really interested to hear about what Defra’s been up to with their tech infrastructure. They recently shut down one of their data centers, which is a big move. They also moved the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s SAM service over to their own private cloud – that’s a smart way to consolidate things and improve efficiency. And, they’ve been patching up some older servers with security updates, which is good to see, even though they plan to fully upgrade those servers later on. It’s a good mix of immediate fixes and long-term planning.

According to a Defra report, approximately 50,000 devices – including 24,000 standard devices and 26,000 smartphones – plus related network equipment need to be replaced. The replacement is expected to happen over the next three years.

It’s unclear why these devices weren’t updated alongside the Windows 7 computers, but it’s likely they didn’t meet the requirements to run Windows 10.

Okay, so I just heard about those 31,500 laptops that got upgraded from Windows 7 to Windows 10 – that’s great they made the jump, but honestly, they’re not out of the woods yet. Microsoft will keep providing security updates for a little while longer through their Extended Security Updates program, giving them another year of protection. But let’s be real, October 13, 2026 is the deadline, and after that, those machines are seriously vulnerable. It’s a ticking clock!

Governments move slowly, but Windows 10’s shuttering doesn’t help

Government processes are often slow, and the recently delayed Defra report is a good example of this. However, Microsoft also bears some responsibility for the current problem.

Microsoft’s choice to stop supporting Windows 10, even though almost half of its users still relied on it, has drawn criticism that the company intentionally designs products to become outdated. Their initial response was unclear, and offering an extra year of security updates felt like simply delaying the inevitable.

After upgrading tens of thousands of computers to Windows 10, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is now dealing with the same issues they previously faced with Windows 7. This is likely happening in many other government departments and large organizations as well.

This is a clear sign that the end of support for Windows 10 will cause problems for a long time.

(via TechRadar)

FAQ

Why did Defra upgrade to Windows 10 so late?

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) had a large number of outdated Windows 7 computers, creating significant security weaknesses. Updating these systems was a key part of a £312 million project designed to strengthen security and make their technology more dependable.

Why is this a problem?

The department used hundreds of millions of dollars to switch to an outdated operating system, which is worrying because the money may have been wasted and the system doesn’t fit with Microsoft’s future plans.

Is Windows 10 no longer supported by Microsoft?

Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025. Microsoft no longer provides security updates or new features for it, unless you take specific steps to continue receiving them.

Can I keep using Windows 10 securely?

Windows 10 security updates have ended unless you pay for continued support through the Extended Security Updates program.

The ESU program offers free security updates for your Windows 10 computer until October 2026.

👉 How to use Windows 10 ESU to keep getting updates after October 2025

Can I upgrade my Windows 10 PC to Windows 11?

Lots of computers currently using Windows 10 are able to be upgraded to Windows 11. To be eligible, your system needs to meet certain requirements, like having Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 enabled. You can find detailed instructions on how to upgrade in our guide to moving from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

What should I do with a Windows 10 PC that is now obsolete?

If your older Windows 10 computer isn’t compatible with Windows 11 and you’ve already replaced it, Microsoft suggests completely erasing the data on your old device to protect your personal information.

We created an easy-to-follow guide to help you safely and completely delete the data from your old computer.

2025-11-10 18:11