UK government enters endgame in Europe research standoff

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The UK government is trying to resolve a dispute over the country's membership of the EU's 100 billion research program.

In order to allow British access to EU research collaborations, it has written to the European Commission.

The European Commission is accused of politicising scientific co-operation by the foreign secretary.

The move is believed to be the beginning of UK withdrawal from the program.

The new prime minister will announce the UK's own international research programme when there is no resolution, according to Prof James Wilsdon, the director of the Research on Research Institute.

The only thing that today's announcement offers is a clearer path towards a pivot from the UK's Association to Horizon Europe, the outcome that the science community prefer, to Plan B, which is a hastily cobbled together set of alternative funding arrangements meant to be substitute for some.

Leading academic and industrial researchers from across the EU come together to work on the highest quality science through the EU's flagship programme. The UK's continued participation was part of the withdrawal agreement. The dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol caused it to change its mind.

This latest move by the government is the start of a 30-day formal consultation period to resolve the issue, after which a lengthy, legalistic Arbitration process can begin if agreement is not reached.

The EU was in clear violation of its agreement to allow participation in several scientific programmes, according to Liz Truss.

She said that they couldn't allow this to continue. The UK will do everything it can to protect the scientific community.

Prof Wilsdon believes that after the 30 days are up there will be no resolution and the new prime minister will announce Plan B.

He said that the newly anointed PM could say that the EU wouldn't budge.

The chief executive of the Russell Group hopes that the consultation will lead to a solution.

The best outcome for both the UK and the EU is for the UK to have full association to the EU.

Nuclear research programme Euratom is one of the affected schemes.

The EU has not allowed the UK to participate in the agreed scientific programmes despite extensive UK engagement on the issue.

The EU and the UK need to show more flexibility, but the government has a reckless and law-breaking approach, according to David Lammy, Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary.

He said that the next prime minister should sit down with all parties to ease the tensions and find agreement in the national interest.

The EU iscognising the mutual benefit in co-operation in science, research and innovation, nuclear research and space.

He said there had been difficulties in the implementation of the withdrawal agreement and parts of the trade and cooperation agreement.

The EU and the UK have international agreements that the Commission wants to have a positive relationship with the UK.