Vet wants more scientists to go into politics 

A veterinary surgeon with ambitions to become an MP wants to see more people from scientific backgrounds following in his footsteps.

Danny Chambers, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Winchester, used his speech at Winchester Science Centre on 24 December to talk about the importance of scientific research for tackling issues such as climate change and pandemics, and the importance of getting more MPs with science backgrounds elected to Parliament.

Global challenges

Speaking to a crowd of more than 300 people, the RCVS council member, said: “Being here at the Winchester Science Centre reminds us that the most urgent challenges we face as a civilisation are scientific in nature: climate change, pandemics, antibiotic resistance, and a world population that has just passed eight billion, and they all need feeding and they all need electricity.

“But these are global challenges, too. They cannot be tackled by countries working in isolation, but by governments, research institutes, scientists, universities, businesses, entrepreneurs and other organisations from all over the world working together to share knowledge and develop solutions.

“Brexit, the end of our freedom of movement, and the withdrawal from EU Horizon [Europe] funding for science research has made this cooperation so much more difficult.”

‘Biggest threat’

Dr Chambers added: “Scientists have warned us for decades that the biggest threat to our planet is the climate emergency. Despite this, over the past decade, our local MP [Steve Brine] and many of his parliamentary colleagues have voted against measures to tackle climate change time and time again, squandering precious years when action should have been taken.

“Whether dealing with climate change or a global pandemic, we need to stop electing politicians who ignore science.”

Dr Chambers, who practises at Riverside Vets in Hampshire, was elected to RCVS council in 2017 and is also a trustee of mental health charity Vetlife.