New science minister awaited as Solloway heads to Whips’ Office

The UK was waiting for a new science minister to be appointed for the sixth time in less than four years, after previous incumbent Amanda Solloway was appointed a government whip in Boris Johnson’s reshuffle.

Ms Solloway, the MP for Derby North, had held the science brief since February 2020. Details of her replacement were yet to be confirmed.

She had been the first standalone science minister in a decade, with the role having been combined since 2010 with that of universities minister – a brief handed to Michelle Donelan.

And her tenure was a time of unprecedented focus on the UK research sector, with the Conservative government regarding innovation as a cornerstone of the country’s post-Brexit economy, and Mr Johnson’s one-time chief adviser Dominic Cummings championing it inside No 10.

During Ms Solloway’s time as minister, the government pledged to increase public spending on research and development to £22 billion by 2024-25, and plans for a new “high-risk, high-reward” research funder, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, were unveiled. She also pushed for stronger efforts to tackle bullying and harassment in the sector.

However, her influence was perceived to be limited by her junior ministerial role since, while her predecessors had attended Cabinet, this privilege was lost when the universities and science briefs were split.

The direction of science policy often seemed to be set by Mr Johnson – chair of a new National Science and Technology Council – and, during his time in Downing Street, Mr Cummings; while, throughout the coronavirus pandemic, chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance has played an increasingly prominent role.

And while the £22 billion target remains a key plank of government policy, concerns about whether it will be hit linger, with battles over funding settlements raising questions about whether the government’s stated commitment rang true. The UK’s reputation as a research partner was damaged when funding for projects supported from the overseas aid budget was slashed, and universities had to lobby frantically for an additional £250 million to cover the cost of the country’s continued participation in the Horizon Europe programme.

Ultimately, Ms Solloway’s impact will have been limited by her relatively short tenure, while her ability to make her presence felt across the sector will have been hampered by the near-constant presence of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yet science is no stranger to the ministerial merry-go-round. At the time of her appointment, Ms Solloway was the fifth science minister in little over two years, counting two spells each for Chris Skidmore and Jo Johnson, plus one for Sam Gyimah.

Ms Solloway’s move follows confirmation that her former boss, Kwasi Kwarteng, would continue as secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, and the appointment of Nadhim Zahawi as education secretary, following Gavin Williamson’s dismissal.

Ms Donelan is keeping her post as a minister at the Department for Education and will now attend Cabinet, amid suggestions that she could take on responsibility for further as well as higher education as part of a beefed-up skills brief.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com