‘Labour can rally Britain around science and progress’

National pride remains strong in the United Kingdom today.The government could reclaim their part in this more assertively by positioning post-imperial Britain with a distinct global role. One that offers tangible benefits to their agendas of growth, unity and restoring trust in politics. They can do this by championing the UK as the ‘rational home of science’.

This would offer people both a nationally unifying story and businesses an enhanced global perception. Such a strategy would also be opportunistic as the US grows more suspicious of both progress and experts (with many considering moving) and at a time where Europe remains ideological on key innovations (including engineering biology and artificial intelligence).

The United Kingdom exists in a highly competitive international ecosystem of other nations, supranational organisations, and corporations. To thrive in any stable biological ecosystem, an organism must carve out a distinct and viable niche for itself. 

READ MORE: ‘An opportunity to accelerate humane science’

Brand recognition matters in today’s international order. We often reduce the complexity of the modern world into shorthand stereotypes to make sense of it all, think ‘German engineering’ or ‘French art’. By playing on this very human mechanism to simplify our shared narrative, this has enabled parties such as Reform UK, the Greens, and regional nationalist parties to capture people’s aspirations for meaning (often without providing many tangible policies). First and foremost, they are offering something which is sorely lacking in mainstream politics – a vision, a role, a niche. The people supporting these parties are inhabiting the roles offered by their respective messages – I’m fighting to ‘protect my community’, to ‘save our Earth’, or ‘for the freedom of my people’. At a time when many increasingly feel that our system doesn’t serve them individually, it’s perhaps unsurprising that people are seeking a change in direction.

It is this search for meaning which has fuelled the identity-based politics that consumes so much of our time and energy. It is from this perspective the government should assertively inhabit science and rationality, not just as its ‘identity’, but to take control of the debate by driving a unifying national mission, asserting the responsibility of citizens to participate in democratised policymaking, encourage upskilling, retraining, and adult education – as societal expectations.

This offers a shared mission to make our country the world’s most trusted centre of knowledge, innovation, and integrity. It provides a coherent economic vision, building on work to link research hubs — from Oxford to Cambridge, Manchester to Glasgow — into a unified national strategy for growth, energy independence, and skilled jobs.

The UK already has a strong reputation internationally for science and well-connected universities; recently, we have led the way on international decarbonisation efforts. By taking assertive action to both demystify science and make government decision making as radically transparent to all as possible, Labour could make their narrative not just about international credibility – but a genuine sense of collective effort and shared pride.

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This ‘innovation’-based identity is both credible and distinct from the ‘managerialism’ of the Sunak’s Conservatives, the ‘nostalgia’ of Reform UK, and ‘ideology’ of the Greens.

However, importantly, this could also offer a focal point around which necessary reforms could be undertaken – and those reforms could serve as a vehicle to drive national unity around a common goal. Long overdue reform of the Civil Service could be used to encourage participation from the public in the process. The benefits of AI and other emerging technologies could be leveraged through open-sourced digital tools, and the societal veneration of those who participate in their development. The benefits from increased STEM literacy alone could be transformational.

Fundamentally, such a national focus would enable cohesive, joined up policymaking across departments, and offer real benefits for people and businesses. By engaging directly with the complexity of today’s world, rather than shying away from it – or dismissing people’s capacity to participate in it – we could ensure political debates are grounded in substance rather than feeling. People are products of their environment, so let’s create an environment that nurtures innovation and critical thinking on a national level. We would be more resilient against populist rhetoric, and crucially, working towards a common goal together, as a nation. We need a national mission that can transcend rampant partisanship. A mission whose very focus is objectivity would position us as a pragmatic and rational actor to international partners, and could enable us to leverage our significant soft power for people’s benefit.

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This vision directly challenges Reform’s nostalgia and anti-expert populism. Instead of railing against change, we seek to lead it. This engages voters’ desire for dignity, stability, and purpose, while delivering prosperity via education, technology, and trust. By making science a national value, Labour could unite the country around progress itself.

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