Research cuts risk remains despite assurances, UK sector warned

Conservative former science minister George Freeman has warned that cuts to UK research spending, including for association to Horizon Europe, will remain a risk if the government “ploughs on with unfunded tax cuts”, despite securing Treasury commitment not to cut the science budget.

After the Liz Truss government’s “mini-budget” series of unfunded tax giveaways alarmed the markets, analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested that funding those plans through public spending reductions would necessitate cuts of about £60 billion.