Top minister blasts Reform and Tories’ views on Britain as she unveils main tech plan
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall criticised Reform UK and the Tories for talking the country down as she hailed Labour’s record funding in research and development
Liz Kendall has said Britain’s “best days lie ahead” as she vowed to champion technology to cure terrible diseases, help the climate crisis and create more jobs.
The Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary criticised Reform UK and the Tories for talking the country down as she hailed Labour s record funding in research and development.
She told The Mirror: “This is about helping find new medicines, drugs and treatments for everything from cancer to dementia, so that people know that there’s hope in future, that these terrible diseases can be treated and maybe one day even cured.”
Ahead of a make-or-break Budget on Wednesday, Ms Kendall sought to strike a positive note, saying that along with Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer, she is “determined to seize the future”.
She said: “I’ve got no truck with people who say that our best days are in the past and who talk the country down. I know our best days lie ahead.”
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Pressed on who she was referring to, the Cabinet minister added: “I think we see a lot of that from Reform saying that the country is broken; from the Conservatives always talking about problems.
“I’m realistic. I know we face big challenges, but I know the British people are full of ingenuity, talent, experience, and if we set that positive future out, this country can create a better future for everyone.”
Ms Kendall spoke to this newspaper on Monday after giving a speech at the Science Museum in London, where she said billions of pounds will go towards research to deliver breakthroughs in healthcare or pioneering cybersecurity tech.
UK Research and Innovation, which hosted the event, was last year allocated a £38.6billion settlement for four years. In her speech, Ms Kendall said £14bn of it will go towards “curiosity-driven research”, which has helped drive discoveries for generations, from the internet to medical breakthroughs that can treat a range of genetic diseases.
Some £9bn will go towards backing research in tech like AI and quantum, £8bn will fund research into areas like climate resilience and flood defence, and £7bn will specifically fund the growth of innovative companies, creating more jobs.
Ms Kendall – who became Tech Secretary in September’s reshuffle – added: “If you look at the past, we’ve seen so many improvements in outcomes. People who get cancer and in the past would have died, but now are alive because of huge breakthroughs in science, drugs, medicines, treatments.
“We’re investing in that future now to give hope to British patients that their lives will be better in future, but also because it is really, really, really important for the economy too.
“We desperately need growth in this country. We need more money for our public services, and we know that science and tech companies are growing much, much faster and much more strongly. So I think it’s a win-win for the British people.”
