E&T Mag: STEM politicians - from labs to legislators

How a recent injection of STEM expertise among MPs could shape Britain’s science sector.

Only one UK prime minister has held a science degree – chemistry graduate Margaret Thatcher. And while there have been historians and classicists aplenty among the UK’s former leaders, there’s not a single engineer. Only one mention of engineering was made in all the parties’ manifestos ahead of July’s election – by Labour in reference to green energy.

And yet thorny policy challenges – net zero, regulating AI, boosting productivity, building new energy infrastructure, maintaining an international research profile and tackling the UK’s skills gap – have a strong science, technology and engineering (STEM) element. Industry figures believe these can, in part, be tackled by leveraging the UK’s prowess in these fields.

Read the story here

https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/11/11/stem-politicians-labs-legislators