# Couldn’t you have just told him on the sofa? Andy Burnham’s Gogglebox pal Steve Rotherham signs letter – along with TV’s Brian Cox – demanding PM save Jodrell Bank observatory

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/couldnt-you-have-just-told-him-on-the-sofa-andy-burnhams-gogglebox-pal-steve-rotherham-signs-letter-along-with-tvs-brian-cox-demanding-pm-save-jodrell-bank-observatory/
- Published: 2026-10-26T11:08:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-26T11:19:35+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16238935/Couldnt-you-just-told-sofa-Andy-Burnhams-Gogglebox-pal-Steve-Rotherham-signs-letter-TVs-Brian-Cox-demanding-PM-save-Jodrell-Bank-observatory.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- Steve Rotherham and Brian Cox oppose proposed science funding cuts.
- The reductions include a reported 30 per cent cut to three fields.
- Signatories say Jodrell Bank and hundreds of jobs may be at risk.

## Summary

Steve Rotherham, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, has joined physicist Brian Cox and other scientists in urging Chancellor John Healey to halt proposed science funding cuts. Their letter warns that the reductions could weaken UK research and threaten sites including Jodrell Bank, as the Government has pledged to make Britain an “innovation nation”.

The cuts would affect the Science and Technology Facilities Council, with reductions of 30 per cent reportedly planned for nuclear science, particle physics and astronomy. The signatories say hundreds of jobs could be at risk and are asking for funding in the Budget while the cuts undergo a full economic impact assessment. Jodrell Bank is home to the Lovell telescope, the UK’s largest, which has stood in Cheshire since 1957.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.