Election 2010: Letter to the Leaders

CaSE wrote to the leaders of the three political parties – Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg asking them to set out their policies for science and engineering in advance of the election.

 You can read the responses here:

• Response from Gordon Brown
• Response from David Cameron
• Response from Nick Clegg

CaSE’s Letter to the Leaders:

Science & Engineering Election Challenges

Science and engineering are vital to the country’s future. In the run-up to the General Election, we encourage you to articulate the Labour party’s policies on science and engineering in your election manifesto and speeches.

The public – which includes three million graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – are increasingly interested in science and engineering. By the time people cast their votes, they need to know how each party would respond to the challenges facing science and engineering. Prior to the election we would like to publicise a written response from your party on its science and engineering policies, including how it would:

Educate the next generation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics Develop the UK’s strength in science and engineering research and development Enable science and engineering to create economic opportunities and respond to societal challenges Organise and utilise science and engineering within government.

Besides publicising the responses to these challenges, we are keen to ensure that your party, and its prospective parliamentary candidates, engage in these issues. We would be delighted to work with your party as your science and engineering policies are developed and communicated.

In the highly competitive global environment for skills and research it is critical that the UK keeps up its outstanding record in science and engineering. With political support, science and engineering will continue to make a fundamental, wide-ranging and valuable contribution to our society.

We look forward to receiving your response prior to the General Election.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Hugh Griffiths FREng, Chair  

Nick Dusic, Director

The letter was also signed by members of the CaSE Advisory Council:

• Dr Simon Campbell FRS
• Professor Roger Cashmore CMG FRS
• Sir Brian Follett FRS
• Dr Ian Gibson
• Professor Diana Green CBE
• Dame Wendy Hall DBE FREng
• Professor Dame Julia Higgins DBE FRS FREng
• Professor Colin Humphreys CBE FREng
• Professor Sir Aaron Klug OM PRS
• Sir Harold Kroto KCB FRS
• Professor Joe Lamb FRSE
• Lord Jack Lewis FRS
• Professor Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith FRS
• Professor Jacueline McGlade FRS
• Lord May of Oxford OM FRS
• Professor Bob Michell MRCVS
• Professor Denis Noble CBE FRS
• Sir Paul Nurse FRS
• Dame Bridget Ogilvie DBE FRS
• Dame Linda Partridge DBE FRS FRSE FMedSci
• Professor Martyn Poliakoff CBE FRS
• Dr Simon Singh MBE
• Sir David Smith FRS
• Professor Sir John Walker FRS
• Sir Greg Winter FRS
• Dr Ivan Yates CBE FREng