New Science Minister must explain astronaut pledge

The Shadow Minister for Science and Innovation, Adam Afriyie, has called on Lord Drayson, the new Science Minister, to clarify his comments that he is ‘totally’ behind a UK astronaut programme.

Adam said, “The new Science Minister’s astonishing pledge to send British astronauts into space seems to have been announced without consultation and with no new funding.”

And he stressed, “Sending British astronauts into Space would certainly be exciting, but Lord Drayson must explain where the extra money is coming from, or which aspects of the strained science budget he will cut.”