‘Alienated’ Tories may vote down Cummings’ star wars revolution
TORY MPs are planning a Commons rebellion against Dominic Cummings’s ‘star wars’ plans to t urbocharge t he UK’s science and technology capabilities – as a ‘proxy protest’ against his Downing Street operation.
Mr Cummings, Boris Johnson’s most influential adviser, wants to create a British version of America’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which was founded by Washington in 1958 to match the Soviet Union’s advances in space technology and led to breakthroughs such as satellites and the internet.
The Tory Election manifesto promised to commit £800 million to set up a British Advanced Research
Projects Agency to invest in ‘highrisk, high- reward research that might not otherwise be pursued, to support blue-skies research and investment in UK leadership in artificial intelligence and data’.
But it is understood Mr Cummings has been told the new agency will require legislation to be passed this year – and backbenchers who feel alienated by the adviser’s ‘autocratic’ management style are plotting to try to vote down the Bill.
Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, told The Mail on Sunday last night that while Mr Cummings’s plan ‘could be transformative’, the concept was fraught with challenges.
Mr Ellwood said: ‘A Bill could be presented before there is a consensus about its governance, mission, autonomy, remit or spectrum of engagement.
‘Given the significance trailed by Government for this initiative, the Prime Minister himself should be launching a White Paper promoting a national mission and developing the critical ground support.’
The Bournemouth East MP added: ‘Little is known about the Government’s intentions – beyond the comments and blogs of a special adviser. This is not the way to advance and secure flagship Government policy as promoted in our Election manifesto.’ Many members of Mr Johnson’s parliamentary party were angered by having to defend Mr Cummings during the saga over his journey to the North East during the coronavirus lockdown.
They also complain about feeling ignored by Mr Cummings’s No 10 operation, and are suspicious about the £7 million in Government contracts which have been awarded to individuals and companies linked to the Downing Street adviser, such as the artificial intelligence company Faculty, run by t he brother of a No 10 aide.
One Tory MP said: ‘It is true to say that a lot of us feel ignored by the centre, and this “star wars” obsession is presenting itself as the perfect target for a proxy protest.’
The MPs are also concerned about the value for taxpayers’ money offered by the new agency, citing Mr Cummings’s remarks in 2018: ‘ If you want big successes, you have to accept failures.’
Projects that could be developed by the agency include gene-editing and green power.
‘This obsession presents itself as a perfect target’