CaSE responds to Liz Truss becoming Leader of the Conservative Party and next PM

After winning the Conservative leadership election, Liz Truss is set to be appointed Prime Minister

Commenting on the result, CaSE Executive Director Prof Sarah Main, said:

“I congratulate Liz Truss on becoming leader of the Conservative Party and the UK’s next Prime Minister.

Ms Truss and her supporters have spoken about the need to drive economic growth across the UK. Backing a stable, upward trajectory for R&D investment is the way to do that – driving growth across the economy, improving lives and livelihoods and meeting the critical challenges we face, such as energy security and net zero. Reaffirming commitment to long-term investment targets will assure businesses of the security of their own investment plans and, importantly, attract the investors and innovators we need to the UK.

Now is the time to stay the course and reap the rewards of increased investment in R&D. I urge Ms Truss to build on the current foundations and take the UK’s ambitions higher, looking towards a target of investing 3% of GDP into R&D – a level that would secure the UK’s place on the world stage.”

A coalition of the UK’s leading businesses, campaign organisations, universities and charities wrote to the final two candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, calling on the next Prime Minister, to put research and innovation at the heart of their plan for UK prosperity.