The Labour Party has refused to protect the research budget from cuts but has reiterated plans to provide a long-term funding policy framework for science.
In its manifesto Britain Can Be Better, published on 13 April, Labour says that “scientific discovery and technological innovation will drive economic advancement this century”. However, the manifesto contains few other details on the party’s plans for science and innovation.
The 85-page document contains just three mentions of the word ‘science’ and two of the word ‘research’, saying that “an outstanding science research base” and “world-leading universities” are two of the strengths that Labour would build on. This is down from six and seven mentions, respectively, in the 2010 manifesto, in which the party committed to a ring-fenced science budget.
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