Boris Johnson’s promise to “put another billion pounds” into the Francis Crick Institute will not lead to a significant increase in the laboratory’s public funding, it has emerged.
The outgoing prime minister used a visit to the St Pancras-based biomedical research centre on 11 July – his first public appearance after resigning – to emphasise his determination to “recapture our status as one of the world’s great science superpowers”, adding that “science and technology are absolutely crucial to this country’s long-term health”.
He recorded a video address to announce: “We just put another billion pounds in over seven years, working with various other institutions to make sure that we help these incredible scientists not just to cure diseases but also to power commercial development [and] to power jobs and growth for the long term.”
