The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) welcomes the support of MPs and the powerful statements made during discussions in Parliament about cuts to research funding for fundamental physics and astronomy.
The strength of feeling at the debate in Westminster Hall on Tuesday 1 September 2026 reflects the deep value placed on the UK's world-leading research infrastructure and the discoveries it enables.
It is also the hope of the Society that the Prime Minister's commitment to Jodrell Bank extends to reinstating funding for the science at the iconic world heritage site.
However, debates in both the Commons Chamber and Westminster Hall highlighted that the challenges facing UK science extend well beyond any single facility. Concerns were raised about the future of a range of national and international programmes, including the Boulby Underground Laboratory, the CLARA electron beam test facility, and the UK's participation in major international collaborations such as the LHCb upgrade at CERN.
The RAS has repeatedly argued that these facilities, experiments and partnerships are part of an interconnected research ecosystem that has been built over many decades. Together they support scientific discovery, develop highly skilled people, drive innovation and sustain the UK's international scientific leadership.
The Society therefore hopes that the parliamentary engagement marks the beginning of a broader discussion about how the UK can provide the long-term planning and funding security that underpin discovery research capabilities. While the immediate focus has understandably fallen on Jodrell Bank, the underlying questions are wider and concern the future direction and ambition of the UK's research programme as a whole.
The RAS stands ready to work with government, funding agencies, universities and the wider research community to help secure a sustainable future for the facilities, infrastructure and international partnerships on which UK astronomy, space science and particle physics depend.