Science Committee chair on Elon Musk and County Durham tech jobs

A new government and a new parliament meant there was also something new coming to politics – something that is seen as much less ‘sexy’, even among political connoisseurs – new select committees.

And the new chair of the Science, Innovation, and Technology Committee is a North East MP who has already been involved in a trans-Atlantic ‘row’ with tech billionaire, turned social media owner, turned US government official – Elon Musk.

Chi Onwurah, MP for Newcastle Central and West, won’t call her disagreements with Musk over the role his platform X played in the summer disorder a ‘row’.

“I’m not rowing with Mr Musk. He might be rowing with me, but I’m not rowing with him!” she says.

The two made headlines when Onwurah summoned Musk to give evidence to the committee as part of an inquiry into the role online misinformation played in the summer’s violent disorder. A summons that Musk responded to by posting on X saying Labour MPs “will be summoned to the United States of America to explain their censorship and threats to American citizens.”

(Image: Kirsty Wigglesworth) “I’m really happy to come and visit him in the US.

“Especially if he pays the air fares! We’ve got nothing to hide and we’re really interested in an open debate – and he’s a great champion, supposedly, of free speech – so I’m hoping he uses the opportunity to exercise his free speech in a more constructive manner than simply criticising us from across the Atlantic.

“America is one of our greatest allies and I’m really happy to go and visit Mr Musk, it’s just that it costs a bit of money that we’d rather not spend.”

Select committees play an important role in the structure of Parliament, scrutinising the impact of policy, holding influential business people to account, and grilling ministers, and the Prime Minister, on their actions and progress – remember the scenes of Boris Johnson in a committee room discussing Partygate?

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‘I helped write the policies!’

It’s a role that the longstanding MP for Newcastle says she relishes.

“We’re very well qualified to scrutinise the Government’s policies, in part because I helped develop them.”

Prior to the election, Onwurah was part of Labour’s frontbench science team and worked closely with the then shadow science secretary Peter Kyle, who she now finds herself having the role of grilling, rather than supporting.

“I do know what the Government and the fantastic team of ministers promised to do, so it’s great to work with them. We’re all very passionate about the difference science innovation and technology can make.”

(Image: UK Parliament)

Science should be “part of everyone’s lives”

Since becoming chair, Onwurah has allowed time at meetings of the SIT committee to ‘showcase’ businesses and innovation leaders from each MP elected to the group – starting with AMLO a biotech company based in Newcastle. It is hoped this will give a national spotlight to regional companies making innovative strides.

“We need science innovation and technology to be part of everyone’s lives,” she says.

“Not just something that happens in ivory towers in Cambridge and Silicon Valley.”

Onwurah says the North East is already a ‘great’ region for innovation, but hopes she can work with government to attract more jobs in the sector to the region – pointing to spin-outs and start-ups that have already come from Newcastle, Durham, and Sunderland universities.

“On Teesside, we’ve got carbon capture and storage going ahead with investment from the government, so we already are a fantastic region for innovation and research.

“We hope that in five years time kids in schools in County Durham would see careers in science innovation and technology as careers they aspire to.

“If readers of The Northern Echo have issues or concerns about science or questions they want answered and think the committee should be looking at, please get in touch. We want to be looking at issues that people care about, so please let me know.”