Britain's Pandemic Leadership Potential
While many believe that Britain's world influence will only continue to wane, the nation has real potential to be a leader in the life sciences field and during the next pandemic.
Jason Kreutz is a graduate student at McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. He is the Vice-President (Academic) of the Public Policy Association of Graduate Students and an editor at The Bell. Jason’s interests include economics, health policy, and foreign policy. His views and opinions are his own and may or may not reflect his proud Albertan upbringing.
UPON BRITAIN’S DEPARTURE from the EU, deeper questions have arisen regarding the nation’s leadership role on the world stage. Some posit that the U.K. has effectively abdicated its leadership position in Europe, leaving Germany and France as the uncontested leaders. Many go even further, disputing Britain’s role as a great power with claims that it has receded to a mere middle power.
While the U.K. has encountered considerable challenges following its exit from the EU, claims that Britain has completely forsaken its role as a world leader are disputable. The nation has been a steadfast supporter of Ukraine amidst the recent invasion, providing vital munitions support and serving as a leader amongst NATO nations in calling for sanctions on Russia, which have proved devastating to the Russian economy. Downing Street recently struck a deal with Canberra and Washington called AUKUS – a trilateral security pack based on projecting force in the Indo-Pacific region and increasing Australia’s defensive capabilities, namely through providing Australia with nuclear submarines. Britain also mounted an exceptional scientific research response to the COVID-19 pandemic - one which is indicative of its immense leadership potential for future pandemics.
Britain’s flagship Astra-Zeneca vaccine, a private and public sector dual effort, was amongst the earliest to receive approval by regulatory agencies around the world. While the vaccine has since fallen out of favour in many countries due to rare adverse effects, the exceptional pace at which the minds at Astra-Zeneca and Oxford were able to produce this vaccine is astounding. Only America (in collaboration with Germany) was able to match this pace through Operation Warp Speed. Russia’s Sputnik vaccine was deployed early on as well, albeit without established clinical backing at the time. Astra-Zeneca also has delivered vaccines to more countries than Pfizer or Moderna, and with the monopoly that wealthy countries have on vaccine procurement, the Astra-Zeneca jab is projected to save far more lives in the Global South.
The world desperately requires global leadership to prepare for future pandemics. With significant vaccine nationalism worldwide throughout the pandemic, immense volatility surrounding contemporary American politics, and the belligerent vaccine diplomacy pursued by nations such as Russia and China, Britain has huge potential to fill the leadership void in preparing for the next pandemic.
There is reason for excitement beyond Britain’s impressive vaccine development track record. Amongst those reasons is the U.K.’s new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), which received an initial endowment of over $1b. Modeled after the success of America’s DARPA, ARIA was created to conduct risky but high potential research. Much like DARPA played an instrumental role in developing technologies such as mRNA vaccines and the internet, ARIA can help Britain to remain on the cutting-edge of technological development. Two years post-Brexit, there is still uncertainty surrounding whether British scientists will continue to receive funding from the EU’s Horizon Europe program. This makes the addition of ARIA to Britain’s research arsenal all the more essential. Further, Boris Johnson’s government has wisely pledged to double annual spending on Britain’s broader research environment. In the words of Mr. Johnson, this will help Britain to become a “supercharged magnet to attract scientists like iron filings.”
Emulating DARPA is not a straightforward endeavor, so Britain must look to its strengths to cultivate success through ARIA. DARPA’s success is due in part to the U.S. allocating $3.5b annually to the agency, which is feasible with America’s economic might and bloated defense spending. DARPA’s success was also possible because of its association with the U.S. Department of Defence, which proved invaluable in maintaining funding and providing strategic direction. If Britain is to focus on an area where it already has immense capabilities, such as the life sciences, it could buttress the agency in its infancy while providing direction for future expansion. The NHS could also further propel ARIA’s development through its own funding and need for groundbreaking new technologies.
Britain is already fortunate enough to be a global leader in the life sciences. $3.4b worth of venture capital funding was raised in 2021 by British life sciences firms – outpacing every other European nation. The nation mounted an impressive scientific response to COVID-19 through its vaccine development efforts and is the most influential country in the world based on citation impact. Britain also retains world-class research institutions like Oxford and Cambridge; ARIA will be a welcome addition to the British research ecosystem.
With the dismal display of leadership by powers like the U.S., China, India, and Russia in addressing worldwide COVID-19 vaccine inequities, Britain is well-positioned to fill this leadership gap. The U.K. has an excellent foundation to increase investment and research for future pandemic preparedness; Britain has already punched well above its weight over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.K. possesses great potential to be the undisputed global leader in tackling the next pandemic – whenever that inevitably occurs.
The Bell is edited by Jaclyn Victor, Jason Kreutz, Shweta Menon and Phaedra de Saint-Rome of the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University.