Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether he has made an assessment of potential financial and scientific consequences for the UK, and for CERN's partner countries, if the Large Hadron Collider beauty upgrade proceeds without UK participation.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is responsible for funding prioritisation decisions. The proposed LHCb upgrade was considered first through UKRI’s Infrastructure Fund and deprioritised following independent advice from its Infrastructure Advisory Committee. The project was also considered through STFC’s evidence-based prioritisation exercise but was not allocated further funding.

This decision reflects that UKRI receives more high-quality projects than it is able to fund and investment should be focused in areas that strengthen critical capability, attract private investment, and maximise the impact of their funds.

The UK remains committed to international scientific collaboration, including our membership of CERN, as a founding member and the second-largest contributor to its budget. UK funding for experiments and researchers at CERN will continue, supporting UK participation and the international research community.