Artists, writers and scientists urge UK government to save Jodrell Bank Observatory

Lead

More than 100 artists, writers and scientists have urged the UK government to save Jodrell Bank Observatory, warning that planned funding cuts could close the Cheshire site and end its world-leading radio astronomy work. The appeal comes after the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) said it would withdraw support for the e-Merlin network, the UK's national radio astronomy facility, in March 2028.

The letter, addressed to the new prime minister, Andy Burnham, as well as the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and the head of UKRI, argues that shutting down the facility to save £2.8m a year would be "foolish and shortsighted". It warns that closure would "poke out some of the world's clearest eyes on the sky".

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The Guardian's reporting highlights the historical significance of Jodrell Bank, tracing its origins to 1945 when physicist Bernard Lovell first detected radio reflections from meteor trails using army surplus radar. The Lovell telescope, completed in time to track the Sputnik launch in 1957, remains a Grade I-listed structure and a centrepiece of the e-Merlin network, which links seven telescopes across the UK.

According to the reports, the STFC needs to make £162m in savings by 2030, with the Jodrell Bank cut part of a rolling package of reductions. The UK's involvement in the Rubin observatory in Chile will drop by 20%, work on the Bison solar observation network will fall by 40%, and the country is withdrawing from the Event Horizon Telescope. The decision threatens 28 jobs at the observatory and will affect nearly 3,000 researchers who work at the facility, with about 800 job losses expected across dozens of affected projects.

The Guardian quotes astronomers describing the impact as "devastating" and "disastrous", while the letter's signatories include the band New Order, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, and poet laureate Simon Armitage. They argue that radio astronomy has fundamentally changed our understanding of the universe, from spotting spinning neutron stars to glimpsing the afterglow of the big bang.

The UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which has an annual budget of nearly £10bn, announced the funding withdrawal last week. The STFC plans to pull funding in March 2028, meaning all observations would stop unless alternative support can be found.

Key claims

• The STFC plans to withdraw funding for the e-Merlin network in March 2028, threatening closure of Jodrell Bank.
• The UK's involvement in the Rubin observatory in Chile will drop by 20%, and the country is withdrawing from the Event Horizon Telescope.
• The STFC needs to make £162m in savings by 2030.
• More than 100 artists, writers and scientists have signed a letter urging the government to save the observatory.
• The Lovell telescope is a Grade I-listed building.
• The e-Merlin network is the UK's national radio astronomy facility.
• The UKRI has an annual budget of nearly £10bn.
• The funding cut is part of a rolling package of reductions from the STFC.