The House of Lords debates Jodrell Bank

A debate in the House of Lords about funding cuts at Jodrell Bank Observatory – brought by Labour’s Viscount Stansgate – saw peers raise concerns that the Science and Technology Facilities Council decision to end funding for the e-MERLIN telescope network from 2028 would do great damage to UK science.

Conservative Lord Hintze pressed for answers on why the Square Kilometre Array observatory project (SKAO), which is headquartered at Jodrell Bank, had been prioritised for funding over e-MERLIN. He professed to be “worried” by the lack of public data around how STFC’s prioritisation decisions had been arrived at. For the government, Baroness Ramsey of Wall Heath described the decisions as based on an “evidence-informed process” with resources focused on the next generation of radio astronomy capability.

Various peers welcomed Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s commitment last week to “save Jodrell Bank” – but then worried that this referred to its heritage value, rather than scientific future. Conservative Lord Markham asked:

“When the Prime Minister says it is safe, is he really saying that it is not safe as a government-funded scientific research centre and more that it will be kept as some tourist theme park?”

Lord Markham highlighted a recent response to a parliamentary written question by science minister Chris McDonald, in which the minister promised that the government “is working with partners to ensure Jodrell Bank continues to thrive for generations to come, including for heritage and educational purposes, ensuring tens of thousands of adults and children alike can be inspired by visits to the site.”

Baroness Ramsey, a government whip in the House of Lords, stressed that scientific research would continue, and that SKAO would have a “vastly more powerful and broader science range than e-MERLIN when it becomes fully operational.”