Leading UK academics have warned ministers that planned cuts to physics and astronomy funding could derail government efforts to boost economic growth through innovation. Almost 60 heads of physics departments sent a letter to science minister Lord Patrick Vallance, highlighting that the proposed cuts would damage the UK's scientific standing and hinder progress in clean energy, advanced manufacturing, and security.

A call for cost savings at the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) amounts to about 30 per cent of its annual budget, despite rising national research spending overall. The letter from 57 senior academics warns that reductions at this scale would lead to the contraction of research groups and greatly diminish the UK's capacity for world-leading fundamental research. The signatories represent all 23 Russell Group universities with physics facilities, including Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Oxford.

The STFC faces inflationary pressures that have driven costs up by an estimated £136mn annually since 2021-22. UK Research and Innovation has already scrapped more than £250mn of planned finance for major science infrastructure projects, while potential cost cuts of £162mn over four years were outlined last month.