Researchers fear spending review might be downgraded

Experts say UK chancellor may present one-year plan, rather than multi-year as expected

A couple of research leaders have said they expect the upcoming spending review to be much smaller in scope, in light of the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 crisis on the UK economy and the delayed autumn budget.

Lee Hopley, deputy director for research partnerships at the Enterprise Research Centre, said she was sceptical of whether there will be “a whole lot of detail” on the government’s R&D spending coming up in the autumn.