Luke Myer MP has challenged plans to reduce the operating budget of East Cleveland’s world-leading Boulby Underground Laboratory, warning Ministers that East Cleveland should not bear a disproportionate share of science cuts.
Boulby Lab, more than a kilometre underground, is the UK’s only deep underground science laboratory. It is currently competing to host XLZD, a major international experiment searching for dark matter – which could bring hundreds of millions of pounds of economic benefits to the UK.
Luke visited the lab last year, and has been working alongside neighbouring MP Alison Hume to support the campaign to bring XLZD to Boulby. Independent analysis by Arup has estimated that expanding Boulby and hosting XLZD could generate around £587 million for the UK economy, including through skilled jobs, advanced manufacturing supply chains and scientific investment.
But proposals from the Science and Technology Facilities Council could now cut Boulby’s operating budget by around 40% – more than double the reductions proposed for some major facilities elsewhere in the country. Luke and Alison spoke up in Parliament on Tuesday this week to challenge the plans, arguing that any necessary savings should be made fairly across the country.
Speaking in the debate, Luke said:
“I am immensely proud to represent Boulby … it is the UK’s only deep underground science laboratory, providing skilled jobs in a region that desperately needs them, yet it faces a 40% cut to its operating budget. That is not equitable with cuts across the country.”
He also secured a commitment from Minister Kate Dearden to meet the Boulby scientists who had travelled to Parliament immediately after the debate.
The Minister told MPs that “Boulby will remain an internationally significant research facility” and confirmed continued UKRI support for British involvement in XLZD beyond the existing £7.8 million infrastructure grant.
However, the commitment does not resolve the proposed 40% cut, and Luke and Alison will continue campaigning to protect Boulby and its future expansion.
Luke Myer MP said:
“We have world-class scientific research happening right here in East Cleveland. This lab provides the kind of skilled jobs our area needs more of, and has the potential to bring one of the most exciting scientific experiments in the world here.
“I understand that savings have to be made, but a 40% cut at Boulby is simply not equitable with cuts elsewhere in the country. We cannot keep asking regions which have already suffered the most to take the biggest hit. Alison and I will keep fighting it.”
Alison Hume MP said:
“Boulby Underground Laboratory is where North Yorkshire could help unlock one of the greatest mysteries in modern science – dark matter.
“The proposed XLZD experiment would place our region and the UK as a whole at the centre of a truly world-leading discovery while contributing £587 million to the local economy, creating highly skilled jobs and developing Boulby as a regional skills hub for the future.
“We cannot afford to turn our backs on an opportunity that could transform both scientific understanding and economic growth.”
Professor Dan Tovey of the University of Sheffield, said:
“This is a tremendous opportunity for the UK to host a world-leading experiment that could revolutionise our understanding of the universe. We must not throw this golden opportunity away on account of the current financial challenges facing STFC and UKRI.
“Beyond potentially transforming our understanding of fundamental physics and bringing a Nobel Prize to the UK, the inward investment, jobs, and high-value training that the project will bring to North Yorkshire and the North East will generate profound socioeconomic benefits for the region and the wider nation.”
