A New Hope for the Space Industry

Submitted by: Young Liberals
Mover: Olly Glover MP.
Summation: Jamie Stone MP.

Conference notes:

1. The importance of the UK space industry to the economy, security, science, technology, exploration, and culture.
2. That space infrastructure underpins essential services such as navigation, communication, weather, climate monitoring, secure assets, and defence.
3. The role that the UK plays in both the research and development of new technologies and the supply chain within the global space industry.
4. Public investment in space yields high economic returns, supporting advanced manufacturing and delivering a strong multiplier effect.
5. Space technologies, particularly Earth Observation, are crucial in addressing the climate emergency.
6. The space sector aligns with the Liberal Democrat manifesto commitment to harnessing new technologies for the public good.
7. UK investments in spaceports in Scotland and Cornwall position the nation as Europe's leading destination for commercial space launches, with significant global potential.
8. Space technology bolsters UK leadership in science, communications, and cyber security, ensuring protection of critical assets, infrastructure, and data.

Conference believes that:

1. The UK risks falling behind global competitors such as the US, China, and Russia, as well as European nations, in space capabilities. Brexit has heightened the need for independent satellite infrastructure, given exclusion from EU initiatives like Galileo. The potential economic loss from GNSS failure is estimated at £5.2 billion over five days.
2. Independent UK launch capabilities are vital for fulfilling security and defence needs.
3. SKYNET, a UK Ministry of Defence programme providing strategic satellite communication services to the UK Armed Forces and allies, is crucial to national security.
4. The UK's strengths in advanced technologies such as 5G, AI, IoT, and quantum computing are synergistic with space investment, benefiting businesses and citizens.
5. Cleaning up ‘Space Junk’, or Active Debris Removal (ADR), is of growing importance to the space industry, and UK-based companies should play a leading role in supporting ADR.
6. International collaboration in space, particularly through the European Space Agency (ESA), is an invaluable platform for shared missions and innovation.
7. Public engagement, exemplified by Tim Peake’s mission, inspires the next generation in STEM, enhancing the UK’s science and technology workforce.

Conference calls for:

1. The UK Government to immediately review and renew the 2021 National Space Strategy, with the central focus of incentivising international investment, fostering industry growth, and people–centred, efficient regulation.
2. Government to conduct a review of private spaceport initiatives in Scotland, Cornwall, hubs like the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus and other locations to ensure continued attention is paid to establishing the UK as a global space hub.
3. The UK Government to designate the space industry as a ‘strategic industry’ for the purpose of the National Wealth Fund’s investment, paving the way for productive investment in areas including:
   1. A UK satellite navigation system to ensure resilience and independence, addressing gaps left by Brexit and Galileo exclusion.
   2. Quantum communications, satellites, advanced materials, optical infrastructure, and computing to secure UK leadership in emerging technologies.
4. Efforts to establish guidance and schemes for industry to better support inclusion for underrepresented groups, in particular people with disabilities, women and ethnic minorities, mimicking and building on schemes like the Women in Finance Charter (HM Treasury) and the Business in the Community Race at Work Charter (Department for Business and Trade).

Applicability: Federal.

Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see pages 6-7 of the agenda. You can submit a speaker's card online here from Monday 15 September up to 09.00 Tuesday 23 September or in person.

The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 8 September; you can submit amendments online here, see pages 9–10 of the agenda for more information. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Tuesday’s Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Monday 22 September; you can request separate votes here, see page 5 of the agenda for more information.