Following the election of the new Labour government, Deputy Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance, Hannah Davies, said: “We congratulate Labour on their success, and look forward to working them towards a healthier and more prosperous North of England.  

“The North of England has huge potential as a life sciences supercluster but has suffered from under-investment. To grow the UK’s excellence in the sector the new Government needs to tackle barriers to business innovation and growth, build capacity and address the wider needs required for health innovation such as a long-term commitment to investing R&D uplift in the region. 

“In 2022, the North received £405 million of research funding, compared to the £1.69 billion awarded to London, Oxford and Cambridge. This equates to significant discrepancies in funding per person with the Greater South East receiving over two and a half times more per person than in the North – £68.58 compared to £25.72, respectively. 

“Health and life sciences are globally recognised as a UK strength. No other sector provides such a significant boost to the economy and directly impacts the population’s health in the same way. By investing in our sector, the new government will be investing in people. The Labour party pledged in their manifesto to create thousands of jobs and inject growth into research and development investment and we look forward to working with them to support this mission coming to fruition.”