Defra’s overall investment totaled £312 million during the current spending review cycle and was intended to remove outdated platforms, retiring Windows 7 hardware and supporting essential national services, including flood systems and border operations.
According to Defra’s submission to Parliament, the program eliminated more than 31,000 legacy laptops, addresses a large backlog of vulnerabilities, and even closed one data center, with several more set for decommissioning over the coming years.
Defra did not confirm whether it intends to pay Microsoft for extended support, leaving open the possibility that the department’s refreshed estate may soon fall behind again.
“So, my trusty old Windows 98 era computer completely gave up the ghost this week. Is it time for me to upgrade to Windows XP in the process of getting a newer machine?” - Asked by England at a meeting of all the countries, Hetalia style, October 2025, as Windows 10 reaches EOL.