Uncertainty over secretive Harlow research lab alarms MPs
Uncertainty over plans to build a secretive new research centre has been described as "alarming" by a panel of MPs.Work on the laboratories in Harlow, Essex, was paused in March 2023 after years of delays and costs rising from £530m to £3.2bn.The facility, designed to prepare the UK for dangerous pathogens, was branded a "critical piece of infrastructure" at a meeting of the government's public accounts committee.Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to "get the best possible outcome" of land earmarked for the centre, which was purchased for £30m in 2017.
More than £400m has already been spent on the project, according to a National Audit Office report.It was born out of concerns about the high-containment laboratories in Porton Down in Wiltshire, and Colindale in north London.The sites have been essential for detecting and studying the most threatening pathogens, including Ebola and Covid-19.
Cross-party MPs said the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) "lacks a grip of the financial pressures it faces" when they met.They criticised delays in decision-making about whether or not the Harlow project would continue."There is little to show for the £400m spent so far on the development of Harlow health security campus, with no decision yet on the future of the site," MPs wrote.
They challenged the department to ensure it had "effective oversight" of major projects.Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, chairman of the committee, said the Harlow scheme remained a "vexed question"."Of all the projects to have been poorly overseen, the lack of clear direction on a critical piece of infrastructure designed to keep us all safe from infectious disease is particularly alarming," the Conservative added.The chancellor is expected to announce a decision on the site's future in the spending review by 11 June.In a letter to the Labour MP for Harlow, Chris Vince, Reeves said the government was "actively considering" its options."If a new facility is not built at Harlow, I would like to reassure you that we will ensure the site is used so the people of Harlow get the best possible outcome in terms of jobs and public service infrastructure," she said.
Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
16 minutes ago
- The Independent
Kemi Badenoch admits she is still learning how to lead the Tories: ‘It takes a while'
Kemi Badenoch has admitted she is still learning how to lead the Conservatives after seven months in job, amid dire poll ratings for the party. The Tory leader on Friday said 'it takes quite a while to learn how to do the job ' and that 'every week it gets better and better'. It came a day after her shadow chancellor promised she 'will get better', with the Conservatives tumbling in the polls and falling to fourth in a Scottish by-election on Thursday. 'She will get better through time at the media, she will get better through time at the dispatch box at PMQs,' Mel Stride said. Asked about his comments on Friday, Ms Badenoch said: 'People often assume that the minute you come into a job like being leader of the opposition, that you are ready to go. 'It actually takes quite a while to learn how to do the job, and what I have been saying is that every week it gets better and better. 'Every week I have more experience, and this is what every leader of the opposition has found from Margaret Thatcher to David Cameron.' She added that lots will change before the next general election, highlighting the outbreak of Covid and the war in Ukraine in the last election cycle. And Ms Badenoch said: 'There is going to be so much more that people are going to see, not just from me, but from the Conservative Party. 'We were down at the last election, but we are not out.' It came as the Tory leader shifted her party decisively in favour of pulling Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), a stance her leadership rival Robert Jenrick has long called for the Conservatives to adopt. Ms Badenoch said the convention has become a "sword" to "attack democratic decisions", resulting in Britain being unable to police its borders and deport foreign criminals. 'This use of litigation as a political weapon is what I am calling lawfare. It isn't just damaging our security, it's also damaging our prosperity,' she said. She stopped short of vowing to adopt leaving the ECHR as policy, but said 'I do believe that we will likely need to leave'. And she said she had tasked a team of legal experts to look at how Britain could pull out of the convention and what the impact would be, promising to announce the results at the party's conference in October. Ms Badenoch all but guaranteed a set-piece moment at the Manchester meet in which she will formally call for Britain to ditch the ECHR. Delivering her speech in Westminster, Ms Badenoch also sought to stress that the Conservatives are still the main opposition to Labour, despite the party's dire performance in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election. The Tories won just 6 per cent of the vote, with Labour fending off Reform UK and the SNP to win the seat. Answering questions after a speech on Friday, Mrs Badenoch dismissed Reform as a "protest party" and said claims it was the real opposition were "nonsense". Describing Reform as "another left-wing party", she said: "What they're trying to do is talk this situation into existence. "Labour is going to be facing the Conservative Party at the next election and we're going to get them out."
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
Droitwich firm calls for recruitment to support solar panel drive
A solar panel company has called for a recruitment drive to support a government announcement for mandatory panels on the the majority of new-build homes from Secretary Ed Miliband said the move was "just common sense" and solar panels would save the typical household £500 a year on energy regulations will require developers to add panels unless the buildings fall under certain exemptions such as being covered by Hayward, managing director of Solar Select in Droitwich, said the move could lead to issues with getting skilled labour in place. He said: "In 2027 companies will gear up for it and start their own in-house training, but obviously it helps if it's government-backed for apprenticeship schemes."He also said it was important the buildings had a "sensible amount" of panels fitted."I'm sure the industry will welcome this move," he said. "What we'd like to also see is a sensible amount of panels put on there." Solar panels, or photovoltaics, capture the sun's energy and convert it into electricity to use in your to the Energy Saving Trust, domestic solar panels are generally about 3.5kWp (kilowatt peak) - meaning they typically generate that much power at peak government said the new rules would be included in the Future Homes Standard published in the autumn but there would be a transitional period for developers to adjust to the regulation Herefordshire's Green Party MP Ellie Chowns said she was glad the "government had seen sense" on making solar panels mandatory but was also cautious."We should be making sure they're properly insulated, we should be making sure they're flood resilient, and [that they're] prevented from overheating," she added. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Telegraph
21 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Farage winning over Gen Z women
Nigel Farage is winning over Gen Z women, a new poll has found. Figures show that the Reform UK leader's popularity has surged after the announcement of proposed policies that could benefit young women. Mr Farage's share of support from women aged 18 to 26 nearly doubled, from 12 per cent to 21 per cent in May. It followed his pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap and introduce a tax break for married couples. Right-wing parties have traditionally struggled to attract young female voters – but the latest poll, shared with Politico by the More in Common think tank, suggested that Reform could buck that trend. Mr Farage's growing influence has also been credited to a social media presence that boasts more than one million followers and 21 million likes on TikTok. Some of Reform's newest female recruits are believed to have defected from the Conservatives, like several of the party's highest-profile members.
