Scientists for Labour is a

socialist society The Socialist Society was founded in 1981 by a group of British socialists, including Raymond Williams and Ralph Miliband, who founded it as an organisation devoted to socialist education and research, linking the left of the British Labour Part ...

affiliated to the British Labour Party. It is open to supporters of the Labour Party interested or involved in UK science and technology. Notable patrons include the Nobel Prize winning geneticist, Sir Paul Nurse FRS, the businessman and Chancellor of the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, Lord David Sainsbury, and the former Prime Minister, Dr.

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. Previously, he was Chancellor of the Ex ...

. Its stated aims are to be a strong political voice for science, to improve the understanding of science within the Labour Party and nationally, and to advise the parliamentary Labour Party on science policy issues. SfL organise a range of events, including panel discussions, networking meetings, and collaboration.

History

Scientists for Labour was founded in 1994 by the Scottish molecular virologist Willie Russell, amongst others, to be a vehicle for scientists within the Labour Party. SfL tried to lobby the Labour Party before the 1997 UK general election to pledge the creation of a cabinet level secretary of science, something that it was unsuccessful in doing, though it is still a policy that the group supports. During the 2000s, the group submitted evidence on science policy to the

Science and Technology Select Committee The Science, Innovation and Technology Select Committee is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The original Science and Technology Committee was abolished upon the creation of the Innovation, Univ ...

. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the organisation began to publish regular reports on the science around COVID-19, including both daily briefings and long form reports. These reports have earned SfL public praise from prominent Labour figures including the Leader of the Labour Party Sir

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...

KCB QC MP, and former Prime Minister Dr.

HonFRSE. These reports have been on topics such as the impact of COVID-19 on BAME communities in the U.K., the Scottish government's handling of COVID-19, the importance of ensuring that research can continue in spite of pandemic conditions, the importance of the transparency in government scientific advice, and the importance of maintaining links with European scientists both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous members of the Executive Committee include the chemical physicist Benjamin J. Whitaker, and as of July 2022 current members of the executive committee include the politician and teacher

Martin Whitfield Martin David Whitfield (born 12 August 1965) is a Scottish Labour politician and former lawyer and primary school teacher who has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the South Scotland region and the Convener of the Standards ...

National Executive Committee

The 2022-23 SfL NEC are as follows: Chair: Izzy Creed Vice Chair Policy: Conor Cooper Vice Chair Membership: Paul Henry Treasurer: Daniel Villar Secretary: Avesta Afshari-Mehr Membership Secretary: Juna Sathian Co-Webmasters: Kartik Kavi & Avesta Afshari-Mehr Other Committee Members: Sanjush Dalmia; Alex Greer;

; Harry Stratton

Notable Members

Chi Onwurah Dame Chinyelu Susan "Chi" Onwurah (; born 12 April 1965) is a British politician who has served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West (UK Parliament constituency), Newcastle ...

MP *

MSP * Benjamin J. Whitaker, Physicist * Sir Paul Nurse FRS, Geneticist * Lord David Sainsbury HonFRS HonFREng, Chancellor at the

* Dr.

, Former Prime Minister *

Daniel Zeichner Daniel Stephen Zeichner (born 9 November 1956) is a British Labour Party politician who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Cambridge since 2015. He has served as Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs since July 2024. ...

MP * Adam Thompson MP

Local Branches

* Newcastle upon Tyne Central - established in July 2020. Chaired by Juna Sathian, who is also the Membership Secretary of SfL. * Ealing - established in September 2021. A wider London branch is set to be created in 2023.

References

External links

Scientists for Labour
Labour Party (UK) socialist societies {{UK-gov-stub