BIA brings life sciences to Westminster for the 24th annual Parliament Day

In this blog, Maddy Anderson, Policy and Public Affairs Executive at the BIA, provides a run-down of another successful BIA Parliament Day, where 38 of our member representatives met with 26 senior stakeholders from across Whitehall and Westminster on 14 November.

Setting the scene 

Besides falling on a crisp November morning instead of a summer’s day in June, there was one more glaring difference to the backdrop for the BIA’s 24 annual Parliament Day: a new Labour Government that has settled into power, now focussed on delivering its key missions.

With a host of new stakeholders to engage with, and some familiar faces too, BIA members gathered across Westminster to champion the life science sector's critical role in driving innovation, improving healthcare, and delivering economic growth, over a packed day of meetings.

Several timely political set pieces served as an important backdrop for the day's engagement, including the Autumn Budget delivered by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, on 30 October and the Industrial Strategy Green Paper, published in October, which both rightly identified the life sciences as a priority sector.

The day also coincided with the Chancellor announcing the biggest set of pension reforms in decades at her inaugural Mansion House speech. The day before, Reeves had visited BIA member Quell Therapeutics, where she highlighted the Government’s vision for pension “megafunds” aimed at driving more investment into innovative, growth-driving sectors that support the UK’s world-leading research capabilities, including the life sciences.

Against this backdrop of positive news for the sector and with the new life sciences sector plan and 10-year Health Plan both expected in Spring 2025, Parliament Day provided a timely platform for the BIA and its members to ensure the needs of our sector are heard and reflected in upcoming government policy development.

Championing the sector's priorities   

The day was packed with 26 meetings, providing ample opportunity for BIA member representatives to connect with MPs from across the political spectrum. We were delighted to meet with Alan Mak MP a few days into his new post as Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology. We also met with Victoria Collins MP, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Science, Innovation and Technology, Josh Fenton-Glynn MP, member of the Health and Social Care Committee and George Freeman MP, member of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee and the APPG for Life Sciences. Members were encouraged by the enthusiastic discussions they had with a range of new Labour MPs, demonstrating the party’s interest and support for our sector. 

After crossing from the corridors of the Commons onto the merlot-colour carpets of the Lords, we enjoyed a lunch reception and heard speeches from Lord Taylor of Holbeach CBE, Steve Yemm MP, and BIA CEO Steve Bates before making the most important stop of the day – the House of Lords gift shop.

The BIA delegation also met with senior civil servants representing key government departments, including HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), as well as organisations including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Innovate UK, Genomics England, and National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Our regular engagement with these stakeholders ensured productive discussions of important policies and initiatives, including the Biomedical Catalyst, the relaunch of the Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP), and the new Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO). 

The meeting with Dr Dave Smith, National Technology Advisor at DSIT, was a particular highlight and provided an opportunity to discuss the Government’s review of technology adoption. Dave was keen to hear from companies about how technology adoption and uptake can accelerate growth.

Our key messages on the day continued the golden thread of BIA political engagement which has been strengthening the voice of the sector across successive governments and life science strategies, as demonstrated through Labour’s Life Sciences Sector Strategy, A Prescription for Growth, which references the work of the BIA and adopted a number of our policy priorities.

Throughout the day, BIA members highlighted the importance of finance and investment in driving the continued growth of the UK biotech sector. They emphasised the need to continue the momentum around the Chancellor’s pensions reforms in order to unlock pension fund investment into scaling life science companies. Delegates also stressed the need to develop a more targeted approach to R&D tax relief for priority growth sectors like life sciences to ensure taxpayers’ money is used to deliver growth missions, furthering the BIA’s ongoing work in this area.   

Another of Labour’s missions, intrinsically linked to the growth agenda, is to build an NHS fit for the future. We emphasised that this should mean a pro-innovation NHS, with a supportive environment for commercial clinical trials, that allows UK patients to benefit rapidly from innovative new treatments.

Further conversations explored building on the UK’s strengths in novel technologies such as engineering biology and genomics, as well as how the UK can support high-value life sciences manufacturing with competitive financial incentives.

Looking ahead

As the day drew to a close, members reassembled at our rooftop drinks reception to reconnect and network. Meanwhile, over in the City, the Chancellor was delivering her annual address to the financial sector in the opulent banquet hall of Mansion House.

This year’s BIA Parliament Day served as a powerful reminder of the UK life science sector’s vital role in supporting the Government’s key missions – driving economic growth, building an NHS fit for the future and delivering clean energy missions.

A key highlight was our engagement with a number of new Labour MPs, who after only a few months in office, demonstrated a detailed appreciation of the sector’s strengths and current challenges. All stakeholders showed great enthusiasm to continue the day’s conversations and foster ongoing relationships with the BIA and its members.

We are looking forward to building on the enthusiasm created at this event to ensure life sciences remains at the top of the political agenda and the UK remains a global leader in life sciences.