Britain's Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on Friday at Oxford University delivered his speech on the importance of science as part of the British government's Our Nation's Future lecture series, which highlights the big challenges facing the UK as seen by the Labor.

The joint general secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), Sally Hunt said, "To listen to what ministers, business and academics have to say about science in this country one would assume that the future is bright. However, individual vice-chancellors, like Gordon Marshall at Reading, still have the power to fly in the face of expert opinion and wield the axe.

"To move science forward in this country and meet the global challenges of the 21st century we all need to be pushing forward together. We welcome the prime minister's support for the future of science today and we are calling for an immediate end to the culling of science departments."

Rather in contradiction to the sentiments expressed by Mr Blair were comments expressed by UK higher education minister, Bill Rammell, in which he denied that Britain faces a science crisis and said he would not meddle in universities' decisions to close science departments.

Ms Hunt said: "Seventy science departments have been shut in the last seven years... When individual vice-chancellors can close strategically important departments at a whim, with no one ensuring that the national interest is being served, the system is clearly not working. Institutions must be publicly and transparently accountable to someone for the decisions they take if we are to have a national science strategy."

How far beyond hyperbolic political rhetoric Mr Blair's words will stretch will become apparent over the next 12 to 18 months.

And if you wish you can listen to Tony Blair speaking about his passion for science during a wide-ranging interview with New Scientist magazine. He says he sees science as vital to Britain's future and "almost as important as economic stability".