A think tank explores how scientists should be influencing government policy
What role can scientific understanding play in government? This was a question posed by the think tank Reform in a webinar yesterday.
Paul Monks, a former pro vice-chancellor at the University of Leicester and now chief scientific adviser for the new Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, took part in the webinar. Jennifer Rubin, chief scientific adviser for the Home Office, was also supposed to be speaking but had “an urgent commitment”. Could it be anything to do with the news that the asylum backlog has hit a new record, or was she holding back home secretary Suella Braverman from jumping ship over the Northern Ireland protocol?