Science minister George Freeman quits in UK Cabinet reshuffle

UK science minister George Freeman has announced his resignation, saying it was time “to focus on my health, family well-being and life beyond the front bench”, as prime minister Rishi Sunak conducts a Cabinet reshuffle.

In a letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Freeman says he had informed the chief whip of his decision to step down “with a heavy heart” as long ago as September.

“After 13 years championing science and technology and the importance of an active industrial strategy for innovation, in five ministerial roles under four prime ministers, I’m sure you will understand that this has not been an easy decision to make, but it is clear to me that the time has come for me to focus on my health, family well-being and life beyond the front bench,” Mr Freeman writes.

It is the second time that Mr Freeman has resigned from the post. He was first appointed by Boris Johnson in September 2021 but resigned in the chaotic dying days of that administration just eight months later. He was reappointed by Mr Sunak in October 2022.

In his letter to Mr Sunak, Mr Freeman said his proudest achievements as science minister included the establishment of the Advanced Research and Invention Agency and the UK’s reassociation to the European Union’s Horizon Europe funding programme.

He was widely regarded by the university sector as a champion for the interests of UK research, having spent 15 years prior to joining politics in the Cambridge biotechnology sector, founding and financing four biomedical start-ups.

Mr Freeman has been a vocal advocate for the government’s pledge to increase public investment in research and development to £22 billion a year by 2026-27 and in recent months had hinted at the announcement of a new scheme of fellowships that would allow the UK to attract leading international science talent.

However, the appointment in February of Michelle Donelan as secretary of state in a newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which Mr Freeman joined, perhaps eroded his leadership of science issues in government.

“I deeply believe that supporting and harnessing innovation is the only way to the more productive, sustainable, prosperous and resilient economy and country we so urgently need,” Mr Freeman writes in his letter to Mr Sunak.

“Your commitment as chancellor and prime minister to this agenda has been transformational and I’m hugely grateful for the chance you have given me to serve in your government, and look forward to supporting you and this mission from the backbenches.”

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, Universities UK chief executive Vivienne Stern said she was “sorry to see” Mr Freeman go, describing him as a “knowledgeable, committed and passionate minister”. Horizon Europe association was an “awesome legacy”, she added.

Earlier in the reshuffle, Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary and replaced by James Cleverly, in a move that could have significant implications for the UK’s positioning toward international student recruitment. Former prime minister David Cameron has replaced Mr Cleverly as foreign secretary.

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com