Just as we did with the U.S. election (where the policies of Trump and Clinton were compared and contrasted), Digital Journal’s science editor-at-large weighs in on the main parties seeking to form a government following the U.K. General Election. The focus here is on the three major parties – Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour. Which party is strongest for science and technology?
Technology
The main focus of the Conservative Party manifesto is with the regulation of the Internet. There is also talk of bridging this with an international regulatory framework. There is also discussion of putting stronger measures in place to tackle cyber crime. There is also mention of expanding broadband and having 5G in place by 2020. Beyond this, the text is sparse and there’s no mention of innovation or investment.
The Liberal Democrats take a different approach to the Conservatives. Instead of seeking to increase Internet regulation, the party states that it wants to “protect people’s powers” over their data and to put in measures to preserve net neutrality. The Lib Dems also want to stop the bulk collection of communications data by the government. With broadband, the Liberal Democrats are far more specific, stating that every home in the U.K. will have 30Mbps download speed and an upload speed of 6Mbps, in place by 2022.
The Labour Party cuts a balance between the other two. In terms of regulation, the party seeks to compel social media companies to protect children online and tackle abuse. On the civil liberties front it seeks to allow people to have the right to have anything they shared online under the age of 18 removed. With broadband, Labour has the same target date for super-fast broadband in every home by 2022. The Party also wants every library to be equipped with computers and Wi-Fi.
Business
For business technology, the Conservative Party states there will be £740 ($850 million) million of digital infrastructure investment; however, there’s no timescale attached to this commitment.
The Liberal Democrats are promising new centers for business and innovation, interlinked across the U.K. It’s a little unclear exactly what these centers will entail. The Labour Party attempts to link business, transport and technology together, discussing a ‘Science Vale transport arc’, which would connect Oxford, Cambridge, and Milton Keynes (each an area of burgeoning technology) together. The party also pledges its support for the ‘Giga economy’.
Research and development
The Conservative Party have not had a good track record in office in terms of supporting research science. When in coalition and thus far in government, spending on the university sector (where most of the innovation stems from) has been reduced in real terms.
In the new manifesto the party promises to raise research and development investment from the current 2.4 percent of GDP to 3 percent; however, this unspecific, being discussed as happening within the next ten years. In contrast the Liberal Democrats seek to raise research and development spending faster, keeping it in line with inflation. The party also wishes to further promote ‘open access’ science papers. The Labour Party is less specific, saying that it will put in place a ‘science innovation fund’ as part of an an integrated trade and industrial strategy. The party also seeks to spend 3 percent of GDP on science. Beyond this, none of the three main party manifestos spell out further specific monetary investments in research.
Technical education
For advanced economies to succeed, investment in science and technology is important. Here, the Conservatives have pledged to introduce so-called T-levels to boost school based technology learning. The Labour Party has vowed to increase investment in a technology-based further education system; the Liberal Democrats seek to increase the number of businesses hiring technology related apprenticeships.
European science collaboration
The Conservative Party disappointingly makes no mention of European science spending and connections. The U.K. has benefited strongly from the Horizon 2020 initiative and many research centers are worried about where this stands in the post-Brexit world. Horizon 2020 provides grants to research and innovation projects through open and competitive calls for proposals. In contrast, both Labour and the Liberal Democrats have outlined their desire to retain access to Horizon 2020.
Environment
The Conservative Party aims to have every vehicle on the road ‘zero emission’ by 2050. A worthy target, if somewhat distant. There’s no recognition of electric or autonomous vehicles in the statement. To counteract the good news about emissions, the Tories aim to accelerate fracking (shale gas).
The Liberal Democrats have a more ambitious plan to reduce emissions, seeking to ban diesel cars and small van sales by 2025. They also want to add economic incentives for people to buy electric vehicles, plus they acknowledge the coming of driverless cars. In contrast to the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrats oppose fracking.
The Labour Party also seeks to stop all fracking. In place the party adopts the green agenda and seeks investment in renewable energy. The party also wants a clean air act to address air pollution. The party also seeks to insulate four million homes as an infrastructure priority.
Summary
The Conservative Party seems to be taking a highly regulated approach to the Internet, a steady approach to funding and misses out any consideration of the U.K. interacts with European Union science based institutions. The Liberal Democrats, in contrast take a libertarian approach in seeking to reduce Internet regulation and they have strong environmental policies. Labour takes the middle ground in relation to Internet regulation and appears to have the strongest industrial strategy.
If you wish to read further, see:
Conservative Party Manifesto “Forward Together”
Liberal Democrat Manifesto “Our Manifesto”
Labour Party Manifesto “A manifesto for a better, fairer Britain“
