UK lacks urgency on stem cell research - Watson

The UK and its European neighbours are lagging behind the rest of the world in groundbreaking stem cell research, a Nobel-prize winning scientist said tonight.

World-renowned geneticist Dr James Watson said Britain needed to spend millions more than its current £40 million to be a “big player” rather than a “bit player” in the field.

His comments followed yesterday’s announcement that scientists at Newcastle University have cloned a human embryo for the first time in Britain.

The scientists unveiled their important advance as South Korean researchers revealed landmark stem cell research that they claim has brought revolutionary treatments for some of the most devastating illnesses a “giant step” closer.

It is hoped the research will eventually lead to successful treatments for degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

But Dr Watson, who was lauded for his part in the discovery of the structure of DNA and who was at the Science Museum in London tonight for a talk with head of the Medical Research Council Colin Blakemore, seemed unimpressed with the UK’s priorities.

He said: “I think there should be some urgency and I must say I detect in England no urgency at all.

“It is much more important what happens to Manchester United – that seems to be the only urgency situation in the UK.

“Priorities are a little wrong.”

He had little truck with those who opposed the controversial research on moral grounds, saying he did not think a sperm had a soul and said as England for the most part was a very secular country “it seems to be rather false piety”.

The UK Government should spend millions more on stem cell research, he insisted: “You want to be in the same league as the Koreans but do you want to be a big players? Rather now, you are a bit player.

“I wasn’t very surprised (by the Newcastle announcement).

“It is a nice science but they should just be doing it faster. I know the building, I met them up in Newcastle.

“You have one post doc(toral researcher) – there should be a group 10 times the size.

“You are not doing it on a level to have a real impact on the world or on science.

“Most of Europe is doing nothing but Britain has said they are doing something, but they are going about in a piss poor fashion.”