Thread by @jameswilsdon

The ‘new’ Office for Science & Technology Strategy looks remarkably like the old OST, restored to its former base in the Cabinet Office: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Office_of…

As well as a souped-up job title for @uksciencechief, this configuration presumably brings with it the current Govt Office for Science (from BEIS)—though the No.10 release is opaque on this point… gov.uk/government/new…

So the 50-year yo-yo between S&T policy in Cabinet Office and DTI/BEIS swings once more to the centre. This will please all those who believe in command-&-control science, but as @BBCPallab perceptively notes here, be careful what you wish for! bbc.co.uk/news/science-e… @jon_agar

Perhaps more interesting is the creation of the Ministerial Council, which strongly resembles one of the central (but until now, unfulfilled) recommendations of the 2015 Nurse Review gov.uk/government/col…

Will this be just another ministerial committee, of which there are many, or will it play a more proactive role in determining R&D policy & investment? Might suggest more of the promised uplift to £22bn/yr will be retained for Whitehall R&D priorities, with less for @UKRI_News?

Worth noting that these changes also align with arguments made at various points by @Dominic2306, who here & via ARIA continues to exert a big influence on S&T policy, despite his falling out with No.10 on other fronts.

A final, more cynical, point. Juggling structures for scientific advice right now further blurs lines of accountability for what went wrong (& well) in UK’s response to Covid-19. instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publications/s… @tom_sasse @instituteforgov

Moving & rebranding of Go-Science, which is responsible for SAGE (rather like the axing of PHE) means that when any public inquiry finally completes its work, few of the key bodies (& people) will still be in place to face the music. A perfect Whitehall solution…

NB @martinrsmith has helpfully pointed to this 8 June letter from @uksciencechief to @GregClarkMP which gives more insight into envisaged role for the new Office for S&T Strategy, inc as a “key customer” for Govt Office for Science. committees.parliament.uk/publications/6…

So on this account, Go-Sci continues as before, with OSTS now working alongside at the centre—both headed by the same person. It’s all clear as mud..!