Tom Skinner is a former Special Adviser and former Director of Political Events at CCHQ
When I first stepped into the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, I felt like I’d wandered into the script meeting for a 1990’s sci-fi film. The jargon was impenetrable, the concepts mind-bending, and frankly, I wondered if I’d made a terrible career move.
Fast forward a few months, and I found myself transformed from a bemused bystander to a passionate advocate for Britain’s scientific prowess. Now, as whispers circulate about potential cuts to the £20 billion Science and Innovation budget, I feel compelled to sound the alarm.
For generations, across Westminster, a dangerous whisper has echoed: “Minister, remember people do not miss what they cannot see.” This myopic mantra has led successive UK governments to overlook crucial long-term investments, prioritising short-term political gains over sustained economic growth.
The science budget, despite its immense importance, falls victim to this thinking all too easily. After all, how many voters can directly point to the impact of quantum computing research on their daily lives?
My initiation into the world of science and technology was, shall we say, less than graceful. In my first week, I confidently referred to “quantum leaps” in a meeting, only to be gently informed that in quantum physics, these are actually tiny. I once asked if we could speed up fusion research by “just making the magnets stronger.” The pitying looks I received could have powered the National Grid.
But as I delved deeper, the fog of confusion lifted, revealing a landscape of breathtakingpotential. I discovered that the UK isn’t just participating in the global scientific race; in many areas, we’re leading it. From the pioneering work on artificial intelligence at DeepMind to the groundbreaking fusion research at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Britain is punching well above its weight.
This shouldn’t surprise us.
After all, we’re the nation that gave the world penicillin, the structure of DNA, and the World Wide Web. Our history is peppered with scientific revolutions – Alan Turing’s work at Bletchley Park not only helped win World War II but laid the groundwork for modern computing and the more recent example of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, developed at breakneck speed and distributed at cost, saving millions of lives worldwide. But here’s the rub: these triumphs didn’t happen by accident. They were the result of sustained investment, visionary thinking, and a national culture that values discovery and innovation.
Which brings us to the present day, and the £20 billion elephant in the room.
As the new Labour government settles in after what can only be described as a faltering first few months in office, there are murmurs that this vital science, research and innovation investments might be on the chopping block in the budget.
To which I say: have we learned nothing from history?
Cutting the R&D budget is like a hungry farmer eating his seed corn after binge-watching farming TikToks at 2am. Sure, it’ll satisfy your midnight munchies, but good luck explaining to your customers why next season’s crop is just you standing in an empty field doing interpretive dance.
Take artificial intelligence, for instance.
The UK is currently a world leader in AI research, with institutions like the Alan Turing Institute pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. But this field moves at lightning speed. A funding cut now could see us fall behind faster than you can say “machine learning algorithm,” which is why the Government cancelling the £800m investment into a new supercomputer at Edinburgh University this summer was such a giant misstep.
Imagine a future where the next breakthrough in AI – one that could revolutionise healthcare, tackle climate change, or transform our economy – happens not in London or Cambridge, but in Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. That’s not just a missed opportunity – it’s a potential national security issue.
Then there’s fusion energy – the holy grail of clean power. The UK’s STEP programme aims to build a prototype fusion power plant by 2040. It’s ambitious, it’s exciting, and yes, it’s flippin’ expensive. But the potential payoff? Limitless, clean energy that could solve our climate crisis and energy security issues in one fell swoop.
But it’s not just about the big, headline-grabbing projects.
The £20 billion science budget funds a vast ecosystem of research and innovation. It supports PhD students who might become the next Stephen Hawking, funds labs where the next breakthrough drug might be discovered and provides the seed money for start-ups that could become the next ARM or DeepMind.
Cutting this funding doesn’t just impact the scientists in lab coats. It affects the lab technicians, the administrative staff, the caterers in university cafeterias. It impacts the local economies of our university towns and the global competitiveness of UK plc.
So, to our friends in the Labour government, I say this: be bold. Be visionary.
Don’t fall into the trap of short-term thinking that has plagued governments of all stripes for too long. The £20 billion science and innovation budget isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet; it’s an investment in our collective future. To cut it would be to dim the lights on British ingenuity, to muffle the voice of British science on the world stage, and to hobble our economy just as it needs to sprint ahead.
It is one of the sectors that can truly deliver economic growth.
In my journey from science sceptic to ardent advocate, I’ve learned one crucial lesson: in the sphere of science and innovation, the UK has a superpower. Let’s not give it up for the sake of short-term political expediency. The cost of such a decision would be far greater than £20 billion – it would be the cost of our future.
Remember, people may not miss what they cannot see, but history will judge us not just for what we built, but for what we failed to build when we had the chance. Let’s ensure that when future generations look back, they see a nation that invested in its brightest minds and boldest ideas, not one that sacrificed its future for a moment’s political convenience.
Tom Skinner is a former Special Adviser and former Director of Political Events at CCHQ
When I first stepped into the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, I felt like I’d wandered into the script meeting for a 1990’s sci-fi film. The jargon was impenetrable, the concepts mind-bending, and frankly, I wondered if I’d made a terrible career move.
Fast forward a few months, and I found myself transformed from a bemused bystander to a passionate advocate for Britain’s scientific prowess. Now, as whispers circulate about potential cuts to the £20 billion Science and Innovation budget, I feel compelled to sound the alarm.
For generations, across Westminster, a dangerous whisper has echoed: “Minister, remember people do not miss what they cannot see.” This myopic mantra has led successive UK governments to overlook crucial long-term investments, prioritising short-term political gains over sustained economic growth.
The science budget, despite its immense importance, falls victim to this thinking all too easily. After all, how many voters can directly point to the impact of quantum computing research on their daily lives?
My initiation into the world of science and technology was, shall we say, less than graceful. In my first week, I confidently referred to “quantum leaps” in a meeting, only to be gently informed that in quantum physics, these are actually tiny. I once asked if we could speed up fusion research by “just making the magnets stronger.” The pitying looks I received could have powered the National Grid.
But as I delved deeper, the fog of confusion lifted, revealing a landscape of breathtakingpotential. I discovered that the UK isn’t just participating in the global scientific race; in many areas, we’re leading it. From the pioneering work on artificial intelligence at DeepMind to the groundbreaking fusion research at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy, Britain is punching well above its weight.
This shouldn’t surprise us.
After all, we’re the nation that gave the world penicillin, the structure of DNA, and the World Wide Web. Our history is peppered with scientific revolutions – Alan Turing’s work at Bletchley Park not only helped win World War II but laid the groundwork for modern computing and the more recent example of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, developed at breakneck speed and distributed at cost, saving millions of lives worldwide. But here’s the rub: these triumphs didn’t happen by accident. They were the result of sustained investment, visionary thinking, and a national culture that values discovery and innovation.
Which brings us to the present day, and the £20 billion elephant in the room.
As the new Labour government settles in after what can only be described as a faltering first few months in office, there are murmurs that this vital science, research and innovation investments might be on the chopping block in the budget.
To which I say: have we learned nothing from history?
Cutting the R&D budget is like a hungry farmer eating his seed corn after binge-watching farming TikToks at 2am. Sure, it’ll satisfy your midnight munchies, but good luck explaining to your customers why next season’s crop is just you standing in an empty field doing interpretive dance.
Take artificial intelligence, for instance.
The UK is currently a world leader in AI research, with institutions like the Alan Turing Institute pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. But this field moves at lightning speed. A funding cut now could see us fall behind faster than you can say “machine learning algorithm,” which is why the Government cancelling the £800m investment into a new supercomputer at Edinburgh University this summer was such a giant misstep.
Imagine a future where the next breakthrough in AI – one that could revolutionise healthcare, tackle climate change, or transform our economy – happens not in London or Cambridge, but in Silicon Valley or Shenzhen. That’s not just a missed opportunity – it’s a potential national security issue.
Then there’s fusion energy – the holy grail of clean power. The UK’s STEP programme aims to build a prototype fusion power plant by 2040. It’s ambitious, it’s exciting, and yes, it’s flippin’ expensive. But the potential payoff? Limitless, clean energy that could solve our climate crisis and energy security issues in one fell swoop.
But it’s not just about the big, headline-grabbing projects.
The £20 billion science budget funds a vast ecosystem of research and innovation. It supports PhD students who might become the next Stephen Hawking, funds labs where the next breakthrough drug might be discovered and provides the seed money for start-ups that could become the next ARM or DeepMind.
Cutting this funding doesn’t just impact the scientists in lab coats. It affects the lab technicians, the administrative staff, the caterers in university cafeterias. It impacts the local economies of our university towns and the global competitiveness of UK plc.
So, to our friends in the Labour government, I say this: be bold. Be visionary.
Don’t fall into the trap of short-term thinking that has plagued governments of all stripes for too long. The £20 billion science and innovation budget isn’t just a number on a spreadsheet; it’s an investment in our collective future. To cut it would be to dim the lights on British ingenuity, to muffle the voice of British science on the world stage, and to hobble our economy just as it needs to sprint ahead.
It is one of the sectors that can truly deliver economic growth.
In my journey from science sceptic to ardent advocate, I’ve learned one crucial lesson: in the sphere of science and innovation, the UK has a superpower. Let’s not give it up for the sake of short-term political expediency. The cost of such a decision would be far greater than £20 billion – it would be the cost of our future.
Remember, people may not miss what they cannot see, but history will judge us not just for what we built, but for what we failed to build when we had the chance. Let’s ensure that when future generations look back, they see a nation that invested in its brightest minds and boldest ideas, not one that sacrificed its future for a moment’s political convenience.