JODRELL BANK OBSERVATORY FACES CLOSURE AFTER FUNDING CUT

Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire has lost its funding from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) agency and could close unless alternative funding is secured. All scientific observations at the site are expected to cease on 1 April 2028. The observatory has housed the UK's largest telescope for nearly 70 years and has been pivotal to the country's study of distant galaxies and training of future astronomers. Scientists have described the decision as "heartbreaking" and "scientifically misguided".

The UKRI, which operates an annual budget of just under £10bn, said it had to cut the observatory's annual £2.8m budget because planned research costs for physics and the running of its labs had escalated. The agency stated it needed to focus investment on projects delivering "the greatest long-term impact". The Jodrell Bank site was established in 1945 and pioneered radio astronomy and the study of galaxies beyond our own. During the Cold War it monitored Soviet missiles during nuclear tensions between the USSR and Nato powers. Unesco designated it a World Heritage site in 2019.

Prof Brian Cox of the University of Manchester, which hosts Jodrell Bank Observatory, described the cuts as "hasty and ill-considered" and said the damage to the UK's science base had "already been substantial". Jonathan Reynolds, Secretary of State in the business department with responsibility for science, told the BBC the UK's world-class research was "absolutely central to creating a better future for the UK" and committed to working with UKRI to ensure the country maintains its research capabilities. The announcement is part of broader cuts to astronomy, nuclear and particle physics research planned over the next four years.