Keir Starmer wants to 'vanquish' Corbynites says expert
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But critics have pointed out that this policy is not very new at all, having already been included in Labour’s 2017 and 2019 manifestoes. He has also been hammered for failing to recognise that the UK is already well on its way to becoming a world leader in science and research. Sir Keir said in his address to the Labour Party Conference: “Labour will make Britain a world leader in science and research and development. We will set a target to invest a minimum of three percent of GDP.
“This nation will not grow with the low-wages, low-standards and low-productivity of the Tories.
“I’m determined to change this by investing in our businesses, by unleashing our creativity.
“By bringing forward the new deal for working people launched by Angela, this is how we remake our nation.”
Political commentator Paul Waugh shared the commitment on Twitter, saying it appeared to be a “new policy”.
But critics flooded the comments, with one user writing: “Also in both 2017 and 2019 manifestos.”
And this is true.
Hardly a new policy engineered by Sir Keir, it can in fact be found written in Labour’s 2019 manifesto that they “set target for three percent of GDP to be spent on research and development (R&D) by 2030″.
A second Twitter user wrote: “We’re already world leaders in science and research? The EU grants we got 60 percent more than we put in?”
And another pointed out that: “Everything they talk about is already in play, will be delivered & continuous progress maintained. Gov current Plans, Vs Labour words, taken from ongoing Gov actions.”
Sir Keir also highlighted that investments in science can help to tackle the climate crisis.
He said: “If only we had a government willing to lead.
“Public funding was an important component of so many inventions. The personal computer, the internet, the iPhone.
“If only we funded science seriously.”
But Sir Keir failed to recognise that Britain is well on its to becoming a world leader in science, as the Twitter users pointed out.
The Science and Innovation Network (SIN) has acknowledged that the UK is a global leader in science and innovation.
The SIN is responsible for “maintaining the excellence of the UK’s research base and the competitive advantage of our innovative businesses, for filling capability gaps and for ensuring value by leveraging international resources”.
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They have pointed out that UK’s science excellence and reputation for supporting innovation ensures the UK is a partner of choice helps UK companies with ambitions for rapid global growth.
The UK is also currently ranked second in the world for science and research, with 54 percent of our output considered world-leading.
That’s more than the US, Canada, Germany, Japan and Brazil.
Sir Keir also failed to recognised that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already outlined plans to “cement’ the UK as a science superpower.
The Government’s Research and Development roadmap, it committed to investing in ground-breaking research, attracting, retaining and developing top talent, boosting international collaboration to ensure the UK benefits from global scientific partnerships, among other strategies set to push Britain to the forefront of scientific innovation.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “The R&D Roadmap sets out our plan to attract global talent, cut unnecessary red tape and ensure our best minds get the support they need to solve the biggest challenges of our time.”
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