Science labs move 'a hammer blow', says MP

Salisbury MP John Glen described the decision to move the area's UK Health Security Agency to Harlow as a "hammer blow" for his constituents

A Wiltshire MP has criticised the government's decision to go forward with a plan to move a major science and defence facility from his constituency to Essex.

John Glen, the Conservative MP for Sailsbury, said news on Thursday the UK Health Security Agency laboratories at Porton Down would closes was a "hammer blow" for his constituents.

The government has pledged to bring the UK Security Agency's centres to one site as it creates a large facility aimed at protecting the country from future pandemics.

The Wiltshire facility's move was first announced in 2015, but was postponed due to spiralling costs.

The government has pledged a "multi-billion pound" investment to make the National Biosecurity Centre (NBC) in Harlow the largest of its kind in Europe by bringing the agency's existing centres in London and Wiltshire to one site.

Visiting Harlow, Health Secretary Wes Streeting had said: "Covid-19 taught us how crucial it is to be able to respond quickly to new emerging threats and the new NBC will allow us to do exactly that."

But Glen said he was "beyond disappointed" that the government had chosen to go ahead with the move, calling it a "vanity project" which failed to recognise "Porton Down's existing expertise".

The MP added what may have been a "marginally good decision to make 10 years ago", was now floored due to the significant increase in costs.

"In 2015 it was going to cost £525 million, and it would all be done by 2021.

"Now it's going to cost £3.2 billion, and it will be done by 2035 to 2038.

"What I was saying to the secretary of state, was pause and think again, refurbish Porton. Stop this mega plan in Harlow, because it's so many years away and it's an enormous waste of taxpayers' money."

Glen said he will continue to ask "questions about the cost of the project", and will be working with Wiltshire Council to build up a taskforce to look at what to do with the Porton Down site.

Plans to relocate hundreds of workers from the Wiltshire base have been drawn up under the proposals

Following the announcement, Streeting said that "the transformational investment in the UK's national biosecurity will better protect the British public from future health emergencies, boost the life sciences sector and create new jobs."