Cameron appoints new science minister
12 May 2015
Jo Johnson, brother of London Mayor Boris Johnson, has been named the new minister for universities and science.
Johnson, who had been head of the Number 10 Policy Unit prior to last week’s general election, serves as a Conservative Party MP for Orpington in Greater London.
As part of Prime Minister David Cameron’s latest cabinet reshuffle, outgoing universities and science minister Greg Clark was appointed secretary of state at the Department of Communities and Local Government - effectively paving the way for Johnson.
“Jo Johnson is in a strong position to ensure science and engineering is a central feature of the government’s long-term economic plan
CaSE acting director Naomi Weir
Commenting on Johnson’s appointment, Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) acting director Naomi Weir said: “There is enormous opportunity for science and engineering to drive economic prosperity and public wellbeing.
“In his new role, Jo Johnson is in a strong position to ensure science and engineering is a central feature of the government’s long-term economic plan.
“I look forward to working with him to ensure the UK has the people, the funding and the policies for science and engineering to thrive.”
Johnson, a former investment banker and journalist, recently wrote an article for the Financial Times expressing his support for overseas students studying in the UK.
“Britain’s universities are a globally competitive export sector and well-placed to make a greater contribution to growth,” Johnson said in the article.
“With economic growth at a premium, the UK should be wary of artificially hobbling it.”
However, the 2015 Conservative Manifesto calls for reforms to the student visa system with new measures expected to “tackle abuse and reduce the numbers of students overstaying once their visas expire”.
Industry experts say the policy could lead to even bigger skills shortages than the science and engineering industry currently faces.
“Measures that focus on home-grown talent should be complemented by widening the talent pool to include skills from overseas,” said Terry Scuoler, chief executive of manufacturing body EEF, amid the launch of the Conservative manifesto last month.
Elsewhere, life science minister George Freeman remains in his post.
