ACCUSATIONS are flying over the British government鈥檚 decision on 21 November to sanction the building of a world-class centre for brain research on primates. Backers of the scheme hailed the announcement by the deputy prime minister, John Prescott, as a major gesture of support for research into strokes, Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and Parkinson鈥檚 disease. But antivivisectionists are furious, claiming that Prescott has ignored the findings of a public inquiry a year ago into whether or not the centre should be built.
Prime Minister Tony Blair and his science minister, David Sainsbury, have said that building the centre was 鈥渋n the national interest鈥�. The official inquiry report rejected this, and also concluded that the University of Cambridge, which will own the centre, had failed to make a watertight scientific case for the lab.
Opponents are outraged that after spending a year pondering the inquiry report, Prescott has ignored its conclusions. 鈥淲e are looking at grounds for appeal. This is a political sham,鈥� says Andrew Tyler of antivivisectionist group Animal Aid.
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But despite the government鈥檚 go-ahead, the centre may still not be built, as the university has admitted that it may cost too much.