Commenting on the commitment of an extra £50m for Dstl Porton Down, Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of Prospect, the union for scientists and specialists in the defence industry including at Porton Down, said:

“The announcement of extra funding for Porton Down from the government is a welcome recognition of the vital contribution these world-class scientists make to keeping is all safe.

“However with jobs continuing to go and skills still being lost in UK defence, the government must urgently address the wider defence spending gap including quickening the pace of key projects like the Type 31e frigate.

“There is also an urgent need for the Treasury to make funds availability for a meaningful end to the public sector pay cap, to make sure that key scientific and technical skills, including in the cyber domain, can be retained in public sector defence.”