UK

In a surprising turn of events, the UK’s general election earlier this month saw the Conservative government losing seats in the British parliament, leaving no government in majority. Although the way events will unfold is still unclear, this unexpected result suggests that the Brexit directive may not be as hard on science as previously thought. According to Paul Nightingale, deputy director of the Science Policy Research Unit at the University of Sussex, the election result implies that the UK may undergo a “softer” Brexit and maintain its position within EU funding science programs. The election result also suggests that the UK has lost a bit of its strength in negotiations with the EU, which were scheduled for June 19. Moreover, the result may also change the previous majority government’s strict stance on restricting the number of foreign students by counting them as part of immigration quotas. Although things are currently uncertain, the general sentiment amongst scientists seems to be one of cautious optimism.

Source: Nature

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