EDM 1735: Closure of the Fleming Fund

That this House expresses deep concern for the closure of the Fleming Fund; notes that the Fund is the UK’s flagship programme for tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) globally, thus any move to halt its work will have devastating impacts; expresses concern that the Minister’s announcement of continuing to work with established partnerships offers little reassurance and greater clarity on the future of these partnerships must be provided; further notes that AMR is associated with around 35,000 deaths each year in the UK and nearly 5 million globally, and that it therefore represents one of the most pressing global health threats of our time; also notes the Fund has supported critical progress in global AMR surveillance by investing in laboratory capacity, data sharing and technical partnerships that help identify and mitigate emerging threats and that this Fund’s closure therefore represents a significant retreat from the UK’s global leadership and soft power abroad on AMR and a concerning shift at a time when the threat is only increasing; believes that sustaining global laboratory surveillance is therefore not just a matter of international development but is critical to the early detection of emerging threats that have direct implications for patient safety and the resilience of the NHS; and calls on the Government to reverse the decision to close the programme without a clear succession plan in order to protect the UK’s robust biosecurity at a time of increasing geopolitical instability.