Our response as Labour government sets out policy agenda in King’s speech

Education

It is encouraging to see education and skills given significant prominence on the agenda in the King’s Speech. We want to ensure every child has access to an excellent, inspiring chemistry education. We will continue to engage with the Department for Education, stressing the importance of teacher recruitment, retention, and subject-specific professional development. 

We urge the new government to address the financial sustainability of higher and further education so that quality chemistry teaching and research, including practical teaching, remain available to meet economic, employer and student needs and reduce student debt burdens. It needs to ensure quality provision of both higher education and vocational and technical routes for chemistry in all nations and regions, so that FE and HE in chemistry is accessible to all. 

We welcome wider discussion on education reforms and current qualifications to ensure the UK economy has individuals with the necessary skills to meet global challenges. It is vital there are accessible routes and equitable pathways to an excellent chemistry education that equip the future and existing workforce with core chemistry knowledge, skills and behaviours that are understood and valued by employers, via both academic and vocational pathways at level 3 and above. 

R&D and innovation 

We have consistently called on governments, both past and present, to embed a stable R&D policy environment, to boost confidence in the UK from public and private investors and encourage high-skilled workers to locate their lives and businesses in the country. We will continue to monitor the development of the National Wealth Fund and the contribution the chemical sciences makes in enhancing economic growth.

We will continue to engage with the government and others in the science sector to analyse the impacts on Labour’s 10-year budgets for key R&D institutions and continue to advocate for long-term funding solutions for R&D to thrive. 

Sustainability  

Tackling pollution from sewage overflows is welcome news, but contaminants like chemicals and microplastics enter our waters from a variety of different sources, including treated wastewater, industry effluent, agriculture and run-off from roads and residential areas. To fully get a grip on water pollution, each of these sources needs the same scrutiny as sewage overflows will now have. 

We appreciate that Ofwat will be ringfencing money for infrastructure investment and we hope that this includes investment into water treatment technologies that can address emerging contaminants, such as PFAS. 
We have also called for the establishment of a national Chemicals Agency to provide a cohesive cross-government approach to chemicals management.

Such an agency could help to identify potential sources of pollution and work to minimise the incidences of chemical contamination of the environment, including our waterways. 

While we are supportive of the Government’s pledge to deliver clean power–we will also need a national strategy for a circular economy of materials, to meet the demand for the minerals and metals vital for wind and other clean energy technologies. 

As part of this we must take decisive action to tackle one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world: e-waste. Doing so is vital to recover valuable materials and critical minerals and to limit negative impacts on the natural environment and human health. 

We will continue to work with all political stakeholders on behalf of our community to ensure the best outcomes for the chemical sciences.