Billionaire Sir James Dyson has delivered fresh criticism of the prime minister, claiming his pledge to turn Britain into a tech superpower is just a “purely political slogan”.
The founder and chief engineer of the multinational technology company Dyson also complained in a letter to the Times that he still has not encountered Rich Sunakalthough he is the leading entrepreneur in the UK.
“Ministers speak with hubris of Britain becoming a ‘tech superpower’, but their deplorable policies reduce this to mere political slogan,” he wrote.
“In the UK, Dyson now faces skyrocketing corporation tax (removing any tax credits for R&D)…and a severe shortage of qualified engineers.”
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Growth is a ‘dirty word’ for Rishi Sunak’s government, says James Dyson
Jeremy Hunt plans to make Britain a ‘science superpower’
Rishi Sunak vows to make UK a ‘science superpower’
Mr Sunak’s ambition to turn Britain into a post-Brexit science superpower central to his presidency. A key part of this will be the creation of a new Ministry of Science, Innovation and Technology.
In January, Sir James accused the government of taking a “short-sighted” approach to business, warning the Prime Minister: Growth shouldn’t be seen as a ‘dirty word’.
A government spokesman said the UK was open for business as an “innovative nation”.
Can the UK become a ‘scientific superpower’?
“We have the largest technology sector in Europe, with a combined market capitalization of £1 trillion by 2022, our lowest corporate tax rate in the G7, and our world-leading strengths in science and R&D – on our £20 billion Research and development in sterling is backing the target and introducing policies such as full fees,” they said.
“This will spur stronger growth, better jobs and bold new discoveries, bringing together for the first time key future technologies such as quantum and artificial intelligence under a dedicated Science, Innovation and Technology Department.”
period Jeremy Hunt’s fall budgetThe UK’s science and technology sector has survived worrying spending cuts – but those in the field have warned the government will need to do more to realize the UK’s potential as a “science superpower”.