Scientists for Labour is a socialist society affiliated to the British Labour Party. It is open to supporters of the Labour Party interested or involved in UK science and technology. Notable patrons include the Nobel Prize winning geneticist,

Sir Paul Nurse Sir Paul Maxime Nurse (born 25 January 1949) is an English geneticist, former President of the Royal Society and Chief Executive and Director of the Francis Crick Institute. He was awarded the 2001 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine along w ...

FRS, the businessman and Chancellor of the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, Lord David Sainsbury, and the former Prime Minister, Dr.

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Tony ...

. Its stated aims are to be a strong political voice for science, to improve the understanding of science within the Labour Party and nationally, and to advise the parliamentary Labour Party on science policy issues. SfL organise a range of events, including panel discussions, networking meetings, and collaboration.

History

Scientists for Labour was founded in 1994 by the Scottish chemist Willie Russell, amongst others, to be a vehicle for scientists within the Labour Party. SfL tried to lobby the Labour Party before the 1997 UK general election to pledge the creation of a cabinet level secretary of science, something that it was unsuccessful in doing, though it is still a policy that the group supports. During the 2000s, the group submitted evidence on science policy to the

Science and Technology Select Committee The Science and Technology Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The original Science and Technology Committee was abolished upon the creation of the Innovation, Universities, Sci ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the organisation began to publish regular reports on the science around COVID-19, including both daily briefings and long form reports. These reports have earned SfL public praise from prominent Labour figures including the Leader of the Labour Party Sir

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (; born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and barrister who has served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Holborn and St Pancras s ...

KCB QC MP, and former Prime Minister Dr.

HonFRSE. These reports have been on topics such as the impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities in the U.K., the handling Scottish government's handling of COVID-19, the importance of ensuring that research can continue in spite of pandemic conditions, the importance of the transparency in government scientific advice, and the importance of maintaining links with European scientists both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous members of the Executive Committee include the chemical physicist Benjamin J. Whitaker, and as of July 2022 current members of the executive committee include the politician and teacher Martin Whitfield.

National Executive Committee

The 2022-23 SfL NEC are as follows: Chair: Izzy Creed Vice Chair Policy: Conor Cooper Vice Chair Membership: Paul Henry Treasurer: Daniel Villar Secretary: Avesta Afshari-Mehr Membership Secretary: Juna Sathian Co-Webmasters: Kartik Kavi & Avesta Afshari-Mehr Other Committee Members: Sanjush Dalmia; Alex Greer; Martin Whitfield; Harry Stratton

Notable Members

Chi Onwurah Chinyelu Susan Onwurah (born 12 April 1965) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne Central since 2010. She was shadow minister for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation ...

MP * Martin Whitfield MSP * Benjamin J. Whitaker, Physicist *

FRS, Geneticist * Lord David Sainsbury HonFRS HonFREng, Chancellor at the

* Dr.

, Former Prime Minister

Local Branches

* Newcastle upon Tyne Central - established in July 2020. Chaired by Juna Sathian, who is also the Membership Secretary of SfL. * Ealing - established in September 2021. A wider London branch is set to be created in 2023.

References

External links

Scientists for Labour
Labour Party (UK) socialist societies {{UK-gov-stub