Latest news with #PortonDown
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Future of major research facility remains in doubt
The future of a major science and defence facility remains in the balance, despite government promises that it would be confirmed during the chancellor's spending UK Health Security Agency at Porton Down in Wiltshire researches how to tackle the world's most infectious diseases, and prepare the UK for future facility's move to Harlow in Essex was first announced in 2015, but has been been postponed from its initial moving date of 2024, due to spiralling no mention of the facility in Chancellor Rachel Reeves' statement, Salisbury MP John Glen asked whether the move was going ahead, but was told it was up to the Health Secretary. In her full response, the chancellor said that the government had given a "significant sum of money" to the Department of Health & Social Care and that it will be for the Health Secretary to make a of the spending review, the government had explicitly stated that a decision would be announced concerning the Glen says that despite searching for more information, he was unable to find a more definite answer."I scoured all the press releases and all the information I could find, and the decision is not apparent to us yet," he said."It is being kicked down the road. If they are going to move ahead with it it's going to cost a lot of money, with grave uncertainties and a lot of insecurity for people who work at Porton along the way." Council leader Ian Thorn said if the facility were to leave Wiltshire, it would be a "huge mistake" on the government's part."Beyond the health security agencies facilities, we have some of the most extraordinary research and development facilities in the world at Porton Down, much of it delivered by Wiltshire Council and our partners," he said."If you want to focus your attention in terms of delivering fantastic services, providing the right environment for highly skilled technicians and scientists, then staying in Wiltshire is clearly the right thing they should do."
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Will Porton Down government science labs actually move?
A decision is finally expected on whether to move hundreds of government science jobs out of Wiltshire to Health Security Agency at Porton Down researches how to tackle the world's most infectious diseases, and prepare the UK for future the last 15 years plans have been worked up to relocate its 900 workers to new facilities in Harlow, but the estimated costs have spiralled - ministers expect a final decision in Wednesday's government spending MP covering Porton Down - Conservative John Glen - said: "It's taken 10 years to still be in doubt whether this should still happen and the costs have gone up six-fold." The National Audit Office reported the cost of the whole project is estimated to be £3.2bn, a figure more than 500% higher than the initial forecast of £530m. When it was officially announced in 2015 that the labs would move to Harlow, Essex, the MP there at the time said he was pleased and it would "bring thousands of jobs".Speaking to the BBC this week, Mr Glen said the new build would be "dressed up" as a world-class hub."But Porton Down already is world-class," he said."We've already got the world's best scientists doing amazing collaborative work." He added staff get paid to do work for other countries, including the US, and when unions asked workers there several years ago, most did not want to said: "There's an established pattern of activity there. We do need more investment but not the extent of building and refurbishing an unsuitable lab in Harlow."Scientific work has been going on at Porton Down for 100 years, but much the infrastructure is Mr Glen said there had been "additional investment" because of the Covid-19 pandemic, so the government needs to "be realistic"."This is an opportunity to save money, to reverse George Osborne's ambitious decision but still invest in science and an established rhythm of work," he said. No construction work has started at the Harlow site, which is being maintained by staff to keep it government said it had been considering options and whether building a new facility is still estimates if the Harlow centre is built, it will not open before 2036 - some 15 years behind Health Secretary Wes Streeting was asked about the possible move in March, he said: "[This] has been running around the system so long that it is now used in a case study for senior civil servant recruitment," he said."The worst decision is indecision."It has plagued us for too long and I hope we can soon report back to the house with a decision on that for everyone's benefit."
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Secret military AI project was ‘best in world'... then MoD shut it down
Defence chiefs scrapped a pioneering artificial intelligence initiative despite the Government unveiling plans to invest billions of pounds in new technology, The Telegraph can disclose. The project, which was based at the secretive Porton Down military research facility in Wiltshire, was abandoned in March in what defence sources called a 'spectacular own goal'. The decision was taken despite Sir Keir Starmer announcing that defence spending would rise from 2.3 per cent of GDP to 2.5 per cent from 2027. The funding cut had knock-on impacts for two notable projects: One creating a new tool to better recognise so-called ' deep fakes ' and another connecting AI censors on different pieces of military equipment. The Strategic Defence Review, which was published on Monday, makes a string of pledges about investment and underlines the importance of AI in future battlefields. However, there is no commitment to restart the Porton Down AI program. Industry figures involved in the work were briefed on the decision in March. Government scientists working on the programme were said to be taken aback when it was closed. One defence source familiar with the research said: 'The work has just ground to a halt. It has been the most spectacular own goal I've seen in all my time working in defence. 'We were world-leading at something. We were going to be the first country to have this type of technology. And, for absolutely unexplained reasons, the research has been scrapped. 'I do think it has been more cock-up than conspiracy. Ministers have made the decision to axe funding but I don't think they properly knew the impact it would have.' Wider defence investment in AI continues. AI-enabled weaponry and machinery will be purchased. A new Defence Innovation Agency is also being set up, though specifics remain unclear. But critics of the decision are noting that the Porton Down work would have given the UK the edge over hostile powers, creating AI military technology not yet publicly available. The standalone AI research programme received around £20 million a year and in turn funded various individual projects. Two projects in particular were impacted by the program's closure. One was to create a next generation AI deep fake detection tool. It was sometimes known as an Evita system, standing for 'evaluating video text and audio'. The tool would have brought benefits to the intelligence services and police forces as well as military chiefs, allowing for rapid analysis to determine the accuracy of newly emerging footage. But the future of the drive has been thrown into uncertainty by the funding decision. A second project is called Bright Corvus. It was, broadly, an attempt to make an AI sensor system that would connect the likes of drones, ships, satellites and fighter jets. It is understood that the project was originally meant to last for 10 years but has been wrapped up after five due to the change in the funding position. The decision to close down the standalone programme has raised eyebrows in part because it was taken just as the Ministry of Defence puts more emphasis on the importance of AI in the wars of the future. One line in the strategic defence review says 'an immediate priority for force transformation should be a shift towards greater use of autonomy and Artificial Intelligence within the UK's conventional forces'. The Government has also delivered a marked increase in the defence budget, freeing up billions more pounds a year for military investment. In the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House and his warnings that Europe must do more to handle its own security, Sir Keir now talks of a 'new era' in the realm of defence. He has promised to increase defence spending and set a new 'ambition' to hit 3 per cent in the early 2030s. However, the Government risks being forced to go faster, with a Nato summit later this month expected to commit states to hitting 3.5 per cent by 2032. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: 'AI continues to be a major area of research for defence, and we are embedding AI across all our research programmes to drive better delivery, rather than through a single programme – which came to an end in March. 'The Strategic Defence Review prioritises a greater use of autonomy and AI and we will spend at least 10 per cent of our equipment budget on innovative new technologies. 'We're also establishing a new innovation organisation, with a ring-fenced budget of £400 million, to help deliver more cutting-edge technology to the Armed Forces'.
BBC News
23-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wiltshire: Decision to be made on deadly pathogen research facility
There are calls for a serious review into plans to spend £3bn moving a research centre almost 90 miles (144 km) across Glen, Conservative MP for Salisbury, said plans to move the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) campus to Harlow, in Essex, rather than using its existing Porton Down site in Wiltshire was a "redundant" than £39m has already been spent on proposals for Public Health England's new site, where scientists would study deadly pathogens, which are disease-causing minister Ashley Dalton said the government would announce its decision "in a matter of weeks", with a commitment "to sorting this issue out once and for all". Mr Glen, whose Salisbury constituency is home to Porton Down, told the Commons that "Porton has remained instrumental in delivering translational health research for our nation".The UKHSA's £27m Robinson Building opened in Wiltshire in 2022, one of two facilities that made up a new £65m vaccine evaluation centre during the Covid-19 pandemic. Mr Glen said this decision "reinforced" his point and asked why such a "significant" capital investment was made if the centre was to be moved to Harlow. He called for a "serious review of what is going on here" and continued: "Effectively what we're doing is clinging, I think, to a redundant plan." In 2015, HM Treasury approved Public Health England's outline business case for a new £530m national integrated hub for public health for the programme was used to purchase the Harlow site in 2017 and it was planned that both the laboratories and workforce from Porton Down and Colindale in London would be relocated there. But the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which looks at whether Government schemes provide value for money, warned of "spiralling" costs, which had risen by more than 500% since 2015 - putting the price tag at more than £ Meg Hillier, the committee chairwoman, said as time passes with no decision made, a "risk" of a gap in service for the UK's high containment public health laboratories service grows.A report by the National Audit Office, in February, found failings to establish the new site had "undermined" the UK's future resilience to dangerous diseases. 'Over a decade' Intervening in Mr Glen's speech, Chris Vince, Labour MP for Harlow, said: "We really want a decision on this particular, whether it's a move or not, because actually both our constituents are currently in limbo."Responding, Ms Dalton told MPs that if the Harlow project continues "things will not happen overnight" due to rigorous scientific said: "[This] means that completion will take over a decade, and that's why we continue to invest in maintaining our current site and facilities at Porton Down."
